According to Forbes, in 2015 the Dallas Cowboys became the first sports team to be valued at $4 billion.
The world’s most valuable sports teams in 2024 are worth more than $5 billion, found in baseball, basketball and soccer leagues, but American football’s NFL still reigns supreme.
The NFL’s Dallas Cowboys are the world’s most valuable sports team, valued at $9.0 billion. The team was purchased by Jerry Jones in 1989 for $150 million. Its growth in value was slower at first, but over the past five years, the Cowboys’ valuation has increased by 80%.
The Dallas Cowboys are an American professional football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. They joined the NFL in 1960 and are the only team in the NFL to win 20 consecutive championships (1966–1985).
In 2015, the Dallas Cowboys became the first sports team to be valued at $4 billion, making them the most valuable team in the world, according to Forbes. In 2014, the team also made a profit of $620 million, a record for a sports team in the United States.
Here are the 15 most valuable sports teams in the world, according to Forbes data released late last year:
Other NFL teams, including the New England Patriots at $7.0 billion and the Los Angeles Rams at $6.9 billion, are among the top five most valuable sports teams in the world. In fact, NFL teams account for nine of the top 15 most valuable sports teams today.
MLB’s New York Yankees are the second most valuable sports team with a valuation of $7.1 billion, but are the only Major League Baseball representative on the list. Meanwhile, the NBA has three teams in the top 15, with the Golden State Warriors ranking highest with a valuation of $7.0 billion.
Only two teams outside the United States feature in the top 15 sports teams by value, and both are internationally renowned: Spain’s Real Madrid, valued at $6.1 billion, is one of three founding members of La Liga that has never been relegated since its inception in 1929, and Manchester United, nicknamed the Red Devils, is a professional soccer club based in Old Trafford, England, valued at $6 billion.