CNBC soccer franchise valuations 2026: These MLS teams are in the top 30 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Soccer, the world’s most global and popular sport, unsurprisingly has clubs worldwide boasting lucrative values and revenue numbers.
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According to CNBC’s 2026 soccer valuations, the top 10 teams are all based in Europe. La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona lead the way, with the former valued at $7.5 billion to come in first and the latter in second at $6.4 billion.
Six teams in the Premier League dominate all other leagues within the top 10. Manchester United fell one spot from last year, ranking No. 3 overall at $6.3 billion, though still enough to lead its fellow English competitors.
Liverpool ($6B), Manchester City ($5.55B), Arsenal ($4.8B), Tottenham ($3.4B) and Chelsea ($3.35B) are the others. The Gunners took the biggest jump of any team in the top 10 with a 20% one-year value change, while their London rivals in Spurs and Chelsea each went down by 4%.
Germany’s Bayern Munich ($5.35B) and France’s Paris Saint-Germain ($5.3B) round out the top 10.
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Major League Soccer gets its first entries within the top 15. To no surprise, Inter Miami, anchored by Lionel Messi, ranks highest at No. 14. CNBC senior sports reporter Michael Ozanian explained the team’s 60% growth within the past year to be valued at $1.6 billion.
“They have a new stadium, they’re going to have by far the most revenue in the history of Major League Soccer,” Ozanian said. “Lionel Messi has been a tremendous draw for them in selling tickets …
“Speaking of Lionel Messi, he’s given a certain exemption for a star like that and sort of the way he gets paid. He’s been given some stock options with the team as part of his contract. So with MLS teams coming in as a buyer that the league covers the cost of players … [it’s] one of the reasons why this year we have seven MLS teams on the list despite the fact that their revenue is nowhere near the level of European football teams.”
The other MLS clubs within the top 30 are NYCFC at No. 15 ($1.55B), LAFC at No. 18 ($1.3B), LA Galaxy at No. 19 ($1.2B), Atlanta United at No. 23 ($1B), Austin FC at No. 24 ($910M) and Columbus Crew at No. 26 ($900M).
