The World’s 50 Most Valuable Sports Teams 2022

The National Football League extends its financial domination while Major League Baseball fades like a late-breaking slider.


The world’s 50 most valuable sports teams are worth a combined $222.7 billion, 30% more than a year ago, the biggest increase in five years.

The NFL continues its dominance, with 30 of its 32 teams in the top 50, making up 60% of the list. The last time the NFL was represented by at least 30 teams was 2014. Last year, it had 26.

In 2013, the league had a record 32 teams in the top 50. But back then, the top three on the list were soccer teams: Real Madrid, Manchester United and Barcelona. This year, the NFL has six of the top ten and 13 of the top 20 teams on our list. The main reason for the NFL’s success: the richest media deal in sports, worth $112 billion through 2032.


THE WORLD’S 50 MOST VALUABLE TEAMS: A HISTORY OF RAPID GROWTH

($ billions)


The most valuable team is the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, who are worth $8 billion and have held the top spot since 2016. Rounding out the top five are the New England Patriots ($6.4 billion), the Los Angeles Rams ($6.2 billion) and the New York Yankees and New York Giants, both valued at $6 billion.

The supremacy of the NFL is not an academic exercise. Last month, the Denver Broncos sold for $4.65 billion, a record amount for a sports team. The next-highest sale price was the $3.2 billion price tag for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets in 2019. Even in constant dollars, the Broncos sold for nearly $1 billion more than the Nets.

By contrast, MLB representation has slowly been declining since Forbes’ 2015 list, when baseball had 12 teams in the top 50. In the years following, MLB has had no more than eight teams, with a low of five in this year’s edition. The last baseball team to change hands was the New York Mets for $2.42 billion ($2.72 billion in 2022 dollars) in 2020.


THE WORLD’S 50 MOST VALUABLE TEAMS: LEAGUE BREAKDOWN


No NHL, Indian Premier League or MLS teams made the top 50. The New York Rangers, worth $2 billion, are the most valuable hockey team, and the Mumbai Indians, worth $1.3 billon, are the most valuable cricket team. Alas, our cutoff for this year’s top 50 is $3.1 billion. The most valuable MLS team is Los Angeles FC, worth a reported $860 million.

Teams in large, wealthier markets generally have a leg up on the competition when it comes to enterprise value. For example, California is the state with the largest population in the U.S. and boasts the most sports teams of any state with a total of 15. Unsurprisingly, the Golden State also has the most teams in the top 50 with eight—all residing in the second- and sixth-largest media markets in the country, Los Angeles and the Bay Area, respectively.

England and New York come in with the second-highest number of teams, each with four. New York has the largest metro area in the U.S., with over six million more people than Los Angeles.


WHERE THE 50 MOST VALUABLE TEAMS PLAY


World’s 50 Most Valuable Teams 2022


#1. $8 billion

DALLAS COWBOYS

Five-Year Change: 67% | Year Purchased: 1989 | Price Paid: $150 mil

Owner: Jerry Jones


#2. $6.4 billion

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Five-Year Change: 73% | Year Purchased: 1994 | Price Paid: $172 mil

Owner: Robert Kraft


#3. $6.2 billion

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Five-Year Change: 107% | Year Purchased: 2010 | Price Paid: $750 mil

Owner: E. Stanley Kroenke


#4. $6 billion

NEW YORK YANKEES

Five-Year Change: 62% | Year Purchased: 1973 | Price Paid: $8.8 mil

Owner: Steinbrenner family


#4. $6 billion

NEW YORK GIANTS

Five-Year Change: 82% | Year Purchased: 1925, 1991 | Price Paid: $500, $150 mil

Owner: John Mara, Steven Tisch


#6. $5.8 billion

NEW YORK KNICKS

Five-Year Change: 76% | Year Purchased: 1997 | Price Paid: $300 mil

Owner: Madison Square Garden Sports



#6. $5.8 billion

CHICAGO BEARS

Five-Year Change: 104% | Year Purchased: 1920 | Price Paid: $100

Owner: McCaskey family


#8. $5.6 billion

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Five-Year Change: 115% | Year Purchased: 2010 | Price Paid: $450 mil

Owner: Joe Lacob, Peter Guber


#8. $5.6 billion

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Five-Year Change: 81% | Year Purchased: 1999 | Price Paid: $750 mil

Owners: Daniel Snyder, Tanya Snyder


#10. $5.5 billion

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Five-Year Change: 83% | Year Purchased: 1979, 2021 | Price Paid: $20 mil, $5 bil

Owner: Jerry Buss Family Trusts, Todd Boehly, Mark Walter


#11. $5.4 billion

NEW YORK JETS

Five-Year Change: 96% | Year Purchased: 2000 | Price Paid: $635 mil

Owner: Johnson family


#12. $5.2 billion

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Five-Year Change: 70% | Year Purchased: 1977 | Price Paid: $13 mil

Owners: Denise DeBartolo York, John York



#13. $5.1 billion

REAL MADRID

Five-Year Change: 42% | Year Purchased: N/A | Price Paid: N/A

Owner: Club members


#13. $5.1 billion

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Five-Year Change: 114% | Year Purchased: 1966 | Price Paid: $180,000

Owner: Mark Davis


#15. $5 billion

BARCELONA

Five-Year Change: 39% | Year Purchased: N/A | Price Paid: N/A

Owner: Club members


#16. $4.9 billion

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Five-Year Change: 85% | Year Purchased: 1994 | Price Paid: $185 mil

Owner: Jeffery Lurie


#17. $4.7 billion

HOUSTON TEXANS

Five-Year Change: 68% | Year Purchased: 1999 | Price Paid: $600 mil

Owner: Janice McNair



#18. $4.65 billion

DENVER BRONCOS

Five-Year Change: 79% | Year Purchased: 2022 | Price Paid: $4.5 bil

Owner: Rob Walton


#19. $4.6 billion

MANCHESTER UNITED

Five-Year Change: 24% | Year Purchased: 2005 | Price Paid: $1.4 bil

Owner: Glazer family


#19. $4.6 billion

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Five-Year Change: 79% | Year Purchased: 2009 | Price Paid: $1.1 bil

Owner: Stephen Ross


#21. $4.5 billion

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Five-Year Change: 86% | Year Purchased: 1997 | Price Paid: $194 mil

Owner: Paul G. Allen Trust


#22. $4.45 billion

LIVERPOOL

Five-Year Change: 197% | Year Purchased: 2010 | Price Paid: $476 mil

Owner: John Henry, Thomas Werner



#23. $4.28 billion

BAYERN MUNICH

Five-Year Change: 58% | Year Purchased: N/A | Price Paid: N/A

Owner: Club members


#24. $4.25 billion

MANCHESTER CITY

Five-Year Change: 102% | Year Purchased: 2008 | Price Paid: $385 mil

Owner: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan


#24. $4.25 billion

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Five-Year Change: 67% | Year Purchased: 1921 | Price Paid: $100

Owner: Shareholders


#26. $4.08 billion

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Five-Year Change: 48% | Year Purchased: 2012 | Price Paid: $2 bil

Owner: Guggenheim Baseball Management


#27. $4 billion

ATLANTA FALCONS

Five-Year Change: 62% | Year Purchased: 2002 | Price Paid: $545 mil

Owner: Arthur Blank



#28. $3.98 billion

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Five-Year Change: 62% | Year Purchased: 1933 | Price Paid: $2,500

Owner: Daniel Rooney Trust, Arthur Rooney II


#29. $3.93 billion

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Five-Year Change: 64% | Year Purchased: 2005 | Price Paid: $600 mil

Owner: Zygmunt Wilf


#30. $3.9 billion

BOSTON RED SOX

Five-Year Change: 44% | Year Purchased: 2002 | Price Paid: $380 mil

Owner: John Henry, Thomas Werner


#30. $3.9 billion

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Five-Year Change: 56% | Year Purchased: 2004 | Price Paid: $600 mil

Owner: Stephen Bisciotti


#32. $3.88 billion

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Five-Year Change: 70% | Year Purchased: 1984 | Price Paid: $72 mil

Owner: Dean Spanos



#33. $3.85 billion

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Five-Year Change: 97% | Year Purchased: 2012 | Price Paid: $987 mil

Owner: Dee and Jimmy Haslam


#34. $3.8 billion

CHICAGO CUBS

Five-Year Change: 42% | Year Purchased: 2009 | Price Paid: $700 mil

Owner: Ricketts family


#34. $3.8 billion

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Five-Year Change: 60% | Year Purchased: 1972 | Price Paid: $14 mil

Owner: James Irsay


#36. $3.7 billion

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Five-Year Change: 76% | Year Purchased: 1960 | Price Paid: $25,000

Owner: Hunt family


#37. $3.68 billion

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Five-Year Change: 86% | Year Purchased: 1995 | Price Paid: $192 mil

Owner: Glazer family



#38. $3.65 billion

CHICAGO BULLS

Five-Year Change: 46% | Year Purchased: 1985 | Price Paid: $16.2 mil

Owner: Jerry Reinsdorf


#39. $3.6 billion

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Five-Year Change: 57% | Year Purchased: 2018 | Price Paid: $2.275 bil

Owner: David Tepper


#40. $3.58 billion

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Five-Year Change: 79% | Year Purchased: 1985 | Price Paid: $70.2 mil

Owner: Gayle Benson


#41. $3.55 billion

BOSTON CELTICS

Five-Year Change: 61% | Year Purchased: 2002 | Price Paid: $360 mil

Owner: Wycliffe Grousbeck, Irving Grousbeck, Robert Epstein, Stephen Pagliuca



#42. $3.5 billion

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

Five-Year Change: 32% | Year Purchased: 1993 | Price Paid: $100 mil

Owner: Greg Johnson


#42. $3.5 billion

TENNESSEE TITANS

Five-Year Change: 71% | Year Purchased: 1959 | Price Paid: $25,000

Owner: Amy Adams Strunk


#44. $3.48 billion

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Five-Year Change: 67% | Year Purchased: 2011 | Price Paid: $770 mil

Owner: Shahid Khan


#45. $3.4 billion

BUFFALO BILLS

Five-Year Change: 113% | Year Purchased: 2014 | Price Paid: $1.4 bil

Owner: Terry and Kim Pegula


#46. $3.3 billion

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Five-Year Change: 65% | Year Purchased: 2014 | Price Paid: $2 bil

Owner: Steve Ballmer



#47. $3.27 billion

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Five-Year Change: 52% | Year Purchased: 1935 | Price Paid: $50,000

Owner: Michael Bidwill


#48. $3.2 billion

BROOKLYN NETS

Five-Year Change: 78% | Year Purchased: 2019 | Price Paid: $3.2 bil

Owner: Joseph Tsai


#48. $3.2 billion

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

Five-Year Change: 280% | Year Purchased: 2011 | Price Paid: $100 mil

Owner: Qatar Sports Investment


#50. $3.1 billion

CHELSEA

Five-Year Change: 72% | Year Purchased: 2022 | Price Paid: $5.4 bil

Owner: Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital


METHODOLOGY

The 50 most valuable teams are culled from our IPL, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and soccer team valuations during the past 12 months. For MLS values, we leaned on Sportico. Our team values are enterprise values (equity plus net debt) and include the economics of each team’s stadium as well as the rights fees they get from their regional sports networks. But the valuations exclude the team’s equity stakes in other sports-related assets, like RSNs, other sports leagues and mixed-use real estate projects. For appraisals that include all sports-related assets, see Forbes’ annual ranking of the most valuable sports empires.

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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2022/09/08/the-worlds-50-most-valuable-sports-teams-2022/