According to CNBC’s 2026 Official World Soccer Team Ratings, the average value of the world’s 30 most valuable soccer teams is $2.66 billion. This number puts soccer’s average team value behind the National Football League with an average team value of $7.65 billion, the National Basketball Association with an average team value of $5.52 billion, and Major League Baseball with an average team value of $2.95 billion, but ahead of the National Hockey League. $2.2 billion, according to CNBC’s official team valuation. The teams at the top of CNBC’s soccer rankings are global brands that attract huge amounts of money from tickets, sponsorships and broadcast rights. Teams that perform well in the European Football Association Champions League (an annual competition for continental Europe’s strongest teams) earn large sums of money. According to UEFA, Paris Saint-Germain earned 144.4 million euros (about 156 million U.S. dollars) for winning the league last year. PSG’s value rose 16% from last year to $5.3 billion, good enough for seventh place on CNBC’s list. On May 30th, PSG and Arsenal, ranked 8th on CNBC’s $4.8 billion list, will meet in the Champions League final in Budapest. UEFA said both teams have already secured huge prize money for their participation in the tournament, with the winner set to receive an additional 6.5 million euros (US$7.55 million based on current exchange rates). Real Madrid, the most valuable soccer team for the second year in a row, is worth $7.5 billion, an increase of 12% from last year. The Spanish side reported revenue of $1.26 billion for the 2024-25 season, the highest ever for a soccer team and only $10 million less than the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys’ revenue for the 2024 season. The Cowboys are the highest-paid team in all of sports, according to CNBC’s team ratings database. Real Madrid are at the pinnacle of football’s financial world, thanks in part to their incredible success on the pitch. They won a record 36 La Liga titles and a record 15 Champions League trophies. The team earned $642 million in commercial revenue last season, the most ever for a soccer team, according to CNBC’s ratings database. Commercial revenue includes sponsorships, merchandise sales, non-football events, and other operations. Having overtaken Manchester United, Barcelona have moved up to second place in CNBC’s World Soccer Ratings from third place last year, with a value of $6.4 billion, up 13% from a year ago. The team reported $1.05 billion in revenue and $564 million in commercial revenue, both second in CNBC’s rankings. Barcelona has won La Liga 29 times and the Champions League five times. Despite falling to third place in CNBC’s rankings, Manchester United’s value rose 5% year-on-year to $6.3 billion. Manchester United had the highest matchday revenue (admissions, suite rentals, concessions, parking, corporate hospitality) of any English soccer team at $206 million. The Red Devils also had the highest earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of any soccer team in CNBC’s rankings, at $234 million. Inter Miami, now worth $1.6 billion, increased by 60%, the biggest increase of any team on CNBC’s list. The reigning Major League Soccer champions earned $215 million last season, according to a person familiar with the team’s finances, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. This income is a record for an MLS team. Inter Miami moved to the new privately funded Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park in April. The move could increase team revenue to about $250 million this season, the person said. New York City Football Club (NYCFC), which currently plays at Yankee Stadium, was not featured on CNBC’s list last season. NYCFC is on track to begin play in the summer of 2027 at its new privately funded stadium in Queens, New York City. Revenue is expected to rise from $90 million in 2025 to more than $200 million in 2027, according to a person familiar with the team’s finances. The person requested anonymity because the matter is private. CNBC values NYCFC at $1.55 billion, ranking it 15th on this year’s list. European teams dominate CNBC’s list because they have a huge revenue advantage over their US counterparts. England has 12 teams, followed by America with 7 teams, Italy with 4 teams, Germany and Spain with 3 teams each, and France with 1 team. Methodology CNBC uses enterprise value (equity and net debt) to measure team value. CNBC considers past deal valuations, profitability, stadium economics, league standings and European competition. Revenue and EBITDA figures are for the 2024-25 season for European teams and the 2025 season for MLS teams. Team value and debt are as of April 8, 2026. For European teams reporting financial results in euros or pounds, CNBC converted revenue and EBITDA figures to U.S. dollars based on average exchange rates for the 2024-25 season (1 euro = $1.08, 1 pound = $1.29). Team values and debt amounts have been translated into US dollars using exchange rates as of April 8, 2026 (1 euro = $1.16, 1 pound = $1.33). Sources for CNBC’s official global soccer team ratings include team annual reports and documents. Team executives and investors. Research reports from banks, brand consulting firms, and credit rating agencies. And sports bankers. CNBC also used the Deloitte Football Money League annual report and Swiss Ramble, a blog about the business side of soccer, to confirm some of the revenue and EBITDA numbers. European teams divide their revenue into three categories: matchday revenue, broadcast revenue, and commercial revenue. Game day revenue comes primarily from gate receipts such as ticket and corporate hospitality sales, as well as premium seating and membership revenue. Broadcasting revenue includes prize money and distributions from participation in domestic leagues, cup competitions and UEFA competitions. Commercial revenue includes sponsorships, merchandise sales, non-football events, and other operations. CNBC excludes gains and losses from player loans and player trades from its numbers. MLS teams do not break down revenue into categories. —CNBC’s Hector Fadraga contributed to this report.
