Richest Sports in the World: Revenue, Salaries, and Market Size
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Ask ten people which sport makes the most money and you will get ten defensible answers. That is because “richest sport” is not one number. The NFL out-earns every other single league on the planet, topping $23 billion in revenue in its 2024-25 fiscal year, yet all of soccer’s competitions combined still dwarf it. An NBA paycheck looks nothing like an NFL one, even though the NFL brings in more total cash. The ranking depends entirely on what you count.
How sports wealth is measured
Before comparing anything, it helps to separate the metrics people tend to blur together:
- League revenue — annual earnings of a single league
- Average player salary — income per athlete
- Total market size — all revenue across leagues, merchandise, media, and events
- Franchise or club values — what teams are actually worth
Each one produces a different winner. The NFL takes single-league revenue. Soccer wins on global market breadth. The NBA pays its players the most on average. Because the categories reward different things, no honest ranking can crown a single “richest” sport without first naming the yardstick.
The world’s richest sports, one by one
American football (NFL). The NFL sits atop single-league revenue for one main reason: US television rights. Networks and streamers pay staggering sums because NFL games reliably top the ratings week after week. The league is in the third year of an 11-year media package worth nearly $110 billion, and its revenue-sharing model handed each of the 32 teams a reported $432.6 million in 2024, keeping even small-market clubs among sport’s most valuable assets.
Soccer (association football). No sport reaches more countries. The Premier League’s international broadcast deals alone rank it among the most-watched competitions on earth, and that is before adding La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga, the Champions League, and the World Cup, which remains the single most-watched sporting event on the planet. Combine all of it and soccer’s financial footprint likely exceeds any other sport’s, even though no single league matches NFL numbers.
Basketball (NBA). The NBA trails the NFL in total revenue but leads on player pay and is expanding internationally faster than any US league. A new media deal beginning in 2025-26 lifts its national rights income sharply, and its global following in China, Europe, and Africa gives it a growth runway few rivals can match.
Baseball (MLB). Baseball’s wealth is built on a 162-game season, large rosters, and deep legacy broadcast money, both national and local. Fewer blockbuster global TV deals mean its ceiling is lower than the NFL’s, but guaranteed superstar contracts keep average salaries near the top of team sport.
Cricket. Cricket now ranks among the top-tier revenue sports almost entirely because of the Indian Premier League. In under two decades the IPL has grown into one of the most valuable leagues anywhere, with a total business value estimated around $18.5 billion in 2025 and a media-rights deal worth roughly $6.4 billion for 2023-27.
The richest sports at a glance
| Sport | Primary market | Key money figure (as of 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| American football (NFL) | USA | $23B+ league revenue; ~$110B/11yr media deal |
| Soccer (football) | Global | Largest combined market of any sport |
| Basketball (NBA) | USA + global | ~$10.3M average salary, highest in team sport |
| Cricket (IPL) | India + global | ~$18.5B total league value; $6.4B media deal |
| Formula 1 | Global | $3.9B revenue in 2025, up 14% |
| Baseball (MLB) | USA | High average salaries, deep legacy TV money |
| Golf (PGA Tour) | USA + global | Rising purses amid LIV/PIF spending |
| Tennis | Global | Grand Slam gates and global prize money |
Average player salaries: the NBA leads
Here the numbers flip. Despite trailing the NFL in total revenue, the NBA pays more per player than any team sport, averaging roughly $10.3 million in the 2024-25 season. The math comes down to roster size: NFL teams carry 53 players, NBA teams just 15. Split about half of league revenue among a much smaller group and the average paycheck ends up highest in sport, with Stephen Curry topping the list near $55.8 million.
| League | Average player salary (approximate) |
|---|---|
| NBA | Highest in team sport (~$10.3M, 2024-25) |
| MLB | Very high, driven by guaranteed veteran deals |
| NHL | Upper-mid range |
| NFL | Mid-range (large roster dilutes the average) |
| Premier League (soccer) | Varies widely by club and squad |
Current money picture: 2024-2026
The wealth map is shifting fast. Formula 1 revenue climbed 14% to about $3.9 billion in 2025, a fifth straight record year, with sponsorship topping 20% of primary revenue for the first time under Liberty Media. The NFL is on track for Goodell’s $25 billion target by 2027. In cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 2025 IPL title pushed its brand value beyond $260 million, leading a league whose franchises are now valued in the hundreds of millions each. Meanwhile Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund keeps rewiring golf, boxing, and football, and the NBA’s new media contract begins injecting far larger national rights fees from 2025-26.
The bottom line
There is no single richest sport, only different answers to different questions. The NFL owns single-league revenue, soccer owns the global market, the NBA owns the paycheck, and the IPL and Formula 1 own the fastest growth. True sporting wealth is always a blend of broadcast rights, live attendance, sponsorship, merchandise, and reach, and as of 2026 those levers are being pulled harder, and by more investors, than at any point in the industry’s history.
Frequently asked questions
What is the richest sport in the world?+
American football (NFL) and soccer compete for the top spot depending on the metric. The NFL is the single richest league on earth, topping $23 billion in revenue as of its 2024-25 fiscal year. Soccer wins on combined global market size once every league and competition is added together.
Which sport pays its athletes the most on average?+
The NBA pays the highest average salary of any team sport, roughly $10.3 million per player in the 2024-25 season. A 15-man roster splitting about half of league revenue produces a much higher average than the NFL's 53-man squads. MLB is second, boosted by huge guaranteed veteran contracts.
Is Formula 1 one of the richest sports?+
Yes. Formula 1 revenue rose 14% to about $3.9 billion in 2025, its fifth straight year of growth under Liberty Media. The Netflix series Drive to Survive widened its audience, and rising race-hosting fees and sponsorship have pushed team valuations sharply higher.
How much revenue does the NFL generate?+
The NFL surpassed $23 billion in total revenue in its 2024-25 fiscal year, the most of any single sports league. Commissioner Roger Goodell has publicly targeted $25 billion by 2027. Its 11-year media package worth nearly $110 billion underpins that figure even though the sport is played mainly in the United States.
Is soccer or American football richer?+
It depends on the measure. The NFL is the single richest league by revenue. Soccer generates far more money globally once the Premier League, La Liga, the Champions League, the World Cup, and dozens of other competitions are combined. Soccer's worldwide reach gives it the largest total market of any sport.
How valuable is cricket's IPL?+
The Indian Premier League's total business value was estimated at around $18.5 billion in 2025, making it the world's most valuable cricket property by a wide margin. A media-rights deal worth roughly $6.4 billion for 2023-27 and soaring franchise values have made Indian cricket the sport's financial center of gravity.
Which sport has grown the most in wealth recently?+
Formula 1, the IPL, and combat sports such as the UFC have seen the fastest revenue growth, driven by streaming, documentaries, and expanding audiences. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has also poured billions into golf, boxing, and football since 2022, reshaping several sports' economics.
How is a sport's wealth measured?+
Wealth is measured through league and event revenue, franchise and club valuations, player salaries, broadcast and sponsorship deals, and total market size. No single figure captures it fully. That is why different rankings, using different methods, can each name a different sport as the richest.
Sources
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