The Dallas Cowboys have been an unrivaled value team for 10 straight years // Photo: nfl.com
For the tenth time in a row, the most expensive sports team in the world was recognized as the Dallas Cowboys (see table), the value of which increased by 29% over the year. Collectively, the first 30 teams in the ranking are valued at $238.1 billion. The average value of one team is $7.94 billion, up 30% from 2024. Of the 30 teams, 20 of them represent American soccer, meaning most of the U.S. National Football League (NFL). There are 32 clubs in the league, owned by franchises of the same name.
Five basketball clubs, two each in baseball and soccer, and one Formula 1 team round out the rankings. The vast majority of the most expensive teams are based in the United States. Only three teams represent other countries – Spain’s Real, England’s Manchester United and Italy’s Ferrari.
“Real”, ranking 20th, is the most expensive non-US club, while “Manchester United” shares 24th position with NFL team “Tampa Bay Buccaneers”. European soccer clubs are significantly behind American clubs in terms of growth. Over the year “Real” increased in price by 2%, and “Manchester United” – by 1%, while the worst growth rate among American teams in TOP-30 was demonstrated by “Las Vegas Raiders” (+15%), and the best – by “Los Angeles Lakers” (+41%).
Forbes experts attribute the rapid growth in the value of sports teams to a significant increase in the cost of television / streaming rights. NFL in 2023 signed contracts with ESPN, ABC, Fox, CBS, NBC and streaming service “Amazon Prime” through 2033 for a total value of more than $125 billion, or about $11.37 billion per year. The National Basketball Association (NBA) will receive nearly 40% less from its media partners over the same time period – $76 billion, or $6.9 billion per year. This is significantly more than La Liga earned on the sale of broadcasting rights to matches of the Spanish soccer championship – for five years it was earned $5.8 billion or $1.16 billion a year. The English Premier League from 2025 to 2029 will earn about $9 billion, or $1.8 billion a year.
Revenue for NFL and NBA franchises has grown more than 90 percent in 10 years due to increased revenue from sponsorships, VIP box seat sales in the stands and increased payouts from the leagues. These revenue sources have generated more than $660 million for the NFL and more than $410 million for the NBA since 2016.
Formula 1 teams Ferrari and Mercedes saw significant year-over-year growth. The Italian team, up 35% in value, made the list of the 30 most expensive teams (sharing 26th place with the Pittsburgh Steelers). Ferrari’s revenue has reached $670 million per year. Despite the fact that the team has not won the Constructors’ Cup for more than 15 years, and its driver has not become world champion since 2007, its popularity and media value surpasses any other participant of “royal” races.
The Mercedes stable, based in Great Britain, is valued about $500 million cheaper and is in the fourth ten of the rating. The team’s value has risen 57% in two years. “Mercedes” is ahead of “Ferrari” in terms of revenue – $799 million per year. Mercedes is also ahead of Ferrari in terms of profit – $202 million versus $80 million per year.
No National Hockey League (NHL) club made the list this year. The league’s most expensive club – Toronto Maple Leafs (Canada) – is valued at $4.4 billion, which is not enough even to get into the TOP-50.
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TOP-30 most expensive sports teams in the world in 2025 |
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№ |
Team | Type of sport |
Value* |
|
1 |
“Dallas Cowboys (USA) | American football |
$13 billion (+29%) |
|
2 |
“Golden State Warriors (USA) | Basketball |
$11 billion (+25%) |
|
3 |
“Los Angeles Rams (USA) | American football |
$10.5 bln (+38%) |
|
4 |
“New York Giants (USA) | American football |
$10.1 billion (+38%) |
|
5 |
“Los Angeles Lakers (USA) | Basketball |
$10 billion (+41%) |
|
6 |
“New York Knicks (USA) | Basketball |
$9.75 bln (+30%) |
|
7 |
“New England Patriots (USA) | American football |
$9 billion (+22%) |
|
8 |
“San Francisco 49ers (USA) | American football |
$8.6 bln (+26%) |
|
9 |
“Philadelphia Eagles (USA) | American football |
$8.3 billion (+26%) |
|
10-11 |
“Chicago Bears (USA) | American football |
$8.2 bln |
| “New York Yankees (USA) | Baseball | ||
|
12 |
“New York Jets | American football |
$8.1 billion (+17%) |
|
13 |
“Las Vegas Raiders (USA) | American football |
$7.7 billion (+15%) |
|
14 |
“Washington Commanders (USA) | American football |
$7.6 billion (+21%) |
|
15-16 |
“Los Angeles Clippers (USA) | Basketball |
$7.5 bln |
| “Miami Dolphins (USA) | American football | ||
|
17 |
“Houston Texans (USA) | American football |
$7.4 billion (+21%) |
|
18-19 |
“Denver Broncos (USA) | American football |
$6.8 bln |
| “Los Angeles Dodgers (USA) | Baseball | ||
|
20 |
“Real” (Spain) | Soccer |
$6.75 billion (+2%) |
|
21-22 |
“Boston Celtics (USA) | Basketball |
$6.7 bln each |
| “Seattle Seahawks (USA) | American football | ||
|
23 |
“Green Bay Packers (USA) | American football |
$6.65 billion (+19%) |
|
24-25 |
“Manchester United (England) | Soccer |
$6.6 bln |
| “Tampa Bay Buccaneers (USA) | American football | ||
|
26-27 |
“Ferrari” (Italy) | Formula 1 auto racing. |
$6.5 billion |
| “Pittsburgh Steelers (USA) | American football | ||
|
28 |
“Cleveland Browns (USA) | American football |
$6.4 billion (+34%) |
|
29 |
“Atlanta Falcons (USA) | American football |
$6.35 bln (+22%) |
|
30 |
“Tennessee Titans (USA) | American football |
$6.3 billion (+29%) |
| Total: |
$238.1 billion |
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| * According toForbes(USA)
** The Ferrari team was not represented in the Forbes ranking for 2024, so last year’s data from Sportico (USA) are taken into account. |
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