Football is the most popular sport on the planet. Cristiano Ronaldo is the most followed person on Instagram with 662 million followers. Lionel Messi is the most followed South American with over 500 million followers on the application. The FIFA World Cup 2022 was the most watched sporting event in the world. The UEFA Champions League page on social media has 311 million followers while the English Premier League page has 204.6 million followers. So, looking at the statistics, it may be safe to assume that the top 10 list of the most valuable sports teams will be dominated by football teams. Right? Let us have a look at the list below.

1. Dallas Cowboys (NFL) – $10.1 B

This team owned by Jerry Jones, who took over the team in 1989, the team remains fully controlled by the Jones family. The Cowboys have won 5 Superbowl Championships and have the record tying second most Lombardi Trophies in NFL history. With a revenue of 1.23 billion dollars, the major sponsors of the Cowboys are Ford, Nike, Gatorade, Pepsi, Miller Lite, LG, Cisco, nature’s Own, Bank of America and Kohler.  Wrangler has also been associated with the franchise.

2. Golden State Warriors (NBA) – $8.8 

Majorly owned by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, Golden State Warriors have already won 5 NBA titles and that too in a span of just ten years. Marquee players include Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Rakuten, an e-commerce Japanese company and Chase, the US commercial banking business of JP Morgan, are the major sponsors of the franchise. The team earned 781 million dollars in 2024.

3. Los Angeles Rams (NFL) – $7.6 B

Owned by Stan Kroenke via Kroenke Sports Entertainment (KSE), the Rams have won 2 Superbowl Championships in 1999 and 2021. Led by marquee player Mathhew Stafford and Aaron Donald, the franchise earns revenue through major sponsors like SoFi, Paycor, Samsung, 1800 Tequila, Bank of America, Zillow and Freedom Forever. Other Sponsors are Juan Valdez and Bioflex. This helped them earn a revenue of over 760 million dollars in 2024.

4. New York Yankees (MLB) – $7.55 B

Owned by Yankee Global Enterprises, controlled primarily by Hal Steinbrenner and the Steinbrenner family, the Yankees have won 27 World Series titles. Iconic stars like Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Derek Jeter have been a part of this great team. Currently led by Aaron Judge as the star boy, the team has inked deals with Maxxis, the Taiwanese tire maker and the YES Network (Yankees Entertainment and Sports). The Yankees earned nearly 800 million dollars in 2024.

5. New York Knicks (NBA) – $7.5 B

Owned by Madison Square Garden Sports Corp, the Knicks have won 2 NBA Championships. Legends like Patrick Ewing have donned the jersey. The current sponsors include Jordan, Sprite, One World and Kia Motors.  Experience Abu Dhabi has joined the Knicks, helping them to an annual revenue of 578 million dollars in 2024.

We are halfway through. Let’s see if some of the football teams make it to the top 10.

6. New England Patriots (NFL) – $7.4 B

Owned by Robert Kraft via the Kraft Group, the Patriots have won six Super Bowl Championships. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been central to their dynasty. With a revenue of 740 million dollars in 2024, the major sponsors of the Patriots are Anheuser Busch, Bank of America, Bose, Brunt, Fanatics, Interwetten, Moderna, Jet Blue Airways, Optum, PepsiCo, United Health Group, Verizon, Optum, Draftkings, Dell and Gillette.

7. New York Giants (NFL) – $7.3 B

Owned by the Mara and Tisch families, the New York Giants are 4-time Super Bowl Champions. Legends like Lawrence Taylor and Eli Manning have donned the jersey. Major sponsors include Gatorade, Anheuser, Busch, Toyota and Verizon Wireless. The Giants earned a revenue of 764 million dollars in 2024

8. Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) – $7.1 B

Majorly owned by Mark Walter, the LA Lakers are 17-time NBA Champions. Legends like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Dennis Rodman, Shaquille O Neal have donned the now famous yellow jersey. Modern stars like Lebron James, Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic have played for the franchise. Current sponsors include American Express, MGM Grand, Bibigo, Chevron, Adidas, X Box, New Amsterdam Vodka, Hulu, Jack in the Box, Lexus, Hennessy and Pechanga Resort Casino. The Lakers made around 522 million dollars in 2024.

9. New York Jets (NFL) – $6.9 B

Owned by Woody and Christopher Johnson, the New York Jets are one-time Super Bowl Winners (1969). Major sponsors of the franchise include MetLife, Anheuser, Dell, JetBlue Airways, MGM Resorts, NRG Energy, PepsiCo, SAP, Ticketmaster, Toyota and Verizon. This helped the Jets earn a revenue of 730 million dollars in 2024.

10. San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – $6.8 B

The team that makes it to the 10^th spot in the list of the most valuable sports teams is The San Franciso 49ers. Owned by the York family since its inception, the 49ers earned a revenue of 723 million dollars in 2024. United Airlines have been their major sponsor for a long time. Other sponsors include SAP, Cisco, Zenni, Net App, Delta Dental, Comcast, Dignity Health, Anheuser- Busch Inv and Levi Strauss as the stadium partner.

So, there we have the list of the ten most valuable sports teams in the world and surprisingly, none of the football clubs make the cut. 6 out of the aforementioned teams play in the National Football League (NFL), 3 are in the NBA and 1 is a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise.

To end with a fun fact, all the 32 teams playing in the NFL have a net worth of at least 5 billion dollars each.