Tifosy

Across the 20 markets represented within the top 100 most profitable football academies over the past decade, English teams lead on club representation, player volumes and total transfer value generated from academy talent. Nearly 80% of the total value generated by English clubs was realised in the second half of the ten-year period. Markets such as Portugal, Italy, and Germany have demonstrated more consistent activity across the decade. Portugal also reported the strongest average value from its featured clubs, generating €80m more per team versus the next best performing market.

Over the past five years, close to 140 majority acquisitions have taken place in 37 top divisions across Europe. Transaction volumes set successive records in 2022 and 2023, demonstrating a strong recovery following the global pandemic. Domestic takeovers account for the majority of deals, with 56% of transactions completed by new owners originating from the same country as the acquired club. Amongst foreign investment, the US has established itself as the dominant market, representing 27% of foreign acquisitions in 2021 and rising to 75% in 2025.

Less than a decade since they reached the €20bn milestone, aggregate revenues across clubs in UEFA's top divisions are projected to exceed €30bn, highlighting the continued momentum of European football. Commercial revenues are set to surpass €10bn for the first time, offsetting the slowing growth in broadcast revenue. Gate revenues at the top of the market are on course to reach €5bn, representing an increase of more than 30% on pre-pandemic levels and 16% on the previous season, reflecting in part a 22% uplift in premium seating and hospitality revenue.

The women’s football transfer landscape is rapidly evolving. Record transfer fees have been reset multiple times in recent seasons, a trend highlighted by the average value of the top 25 transfers in 2025/26 nearly reaching the highest value transfer of two seasons prior. The top-of-market activity reflects a broader shift in the women’s game, as fee paying transfers have grown exponentially over the past five seasons. Whilst these deals are concentrated in the WSL and NWSL, there are now nearly 150 clubs actively participating in the fee paying transfer market.

Brazil dominated international transfer activity in January’s window, recording over 650 transactions with partner associations. Brazil topped the inbound player leaderboard, with 456 signings from international markets, including nearly 10% from Portugal. Argentina emerged as the most active exporter in the window, with more than 45% of its outbound players moving to neighbouring associations. Amongst the top 10 markets for international transfer activity, Mexico and Colombia are the only nations to feature exclusively on the incoming or outgoing leaderboard, not both.

Streaming platforms are set to spend more than $14bn on sports rights in 2026, with generalist streamers representing 44% – up 13% Y-o-Y. In part reflecting the first full year of it’s landmark NBA deal, Prime emerges as the top investor in sports streaming for the first time.

Commercial revenues in women’s football are scaling rapidly, rising 49% Y-o-Y and now accounting for 72% of income of the leading clubs. Arsenal leads the market for the first time, following a standout performance as one of only two clubs generating more than 25% from matchday.

Analysis of the 100 most active player trading clubs by volume over the past 10 windows highlights Portuguese, Dutch and Belgian teams as the strongest financial performers. All 13 clubs representing these markets report a positive net trading balance, at an average of €169m.

Squad value distribution across the top two tiers of Europe’s Big 5 underscores the financial scale of English football. Value within the English system is more evenly distributed though, with a narrower gap between the highest and lowest valued squads than other leagues.

2025 was a record-breaking year for F1, with financial performance driven by increases across all primary streams, including contractual extensions for six races, new commercial partnerships such as the landmark LVMH agreement, and continued growth in F1 TV subscriptions.

Over the past decade, the average MLS franchise value has risen 300%+, driven primarily by growth at the top end of the market. Of the 10 teams joining the league over the same period, nine paid expansion fees below the valuation of the lowest-valued club in their debut season.

In 2026, US football TV rights will exceed $2bn for the first time, driven by the co-hosted World Cup and 150%+ increases in MLS, Premier League and Champions League rights since 2018. The uplift in value over three World Cup cycles highlights the sport’s growth in the market.

Matchday revenue represents an average 20% of total revenue among the 10 clubs who generate over €100m from matchday activities. Real Madrid leads the group, outperforming next highest club by more than €40m. On a per seat basis, PSG sets the benchmark, achieving €147 per seat.

Across US sports, the NFL and NBA standout for their higher levels of centralised revenue, which are driven primarily by media deals. This is an important factor for team valuations, as reflected in NFL and NBA franchises accounting for 84% of the world’s 50 most valuable teams.

The combined value of the 25 most valuable women’s franchises now exceeds $5.5bn. While the WNBA and NWSL remain prominent, the increasingly global footprint of women’s sport is highlighted by England’s WSL, Spain’s Liga F and India’s WPL representing nearly 25% of the teams.

Global sports media rights reached nearly $58bn in 2025, with value concentration highlighting the importance of marquee properties and key territories. Top-tier rights holders continue to drive monetisation, as the top 10 markets now represent 83.7% of global media rights.

Across the top 40 clubs that have contributed the most players to Big 5 teams over the past five years, France and Spain are the leading player development markets – each accounting for 27% of players trained, more than double the contribution of the next most successful country.

Formula 1’s 2025 season delivered record-breaking US TV viewership in the sport’s final year of linear broadcasting across the region. In a record-equalling 24 Grand Prix season, average US viewership increased 16% on the previous year and 50% over the past five years.

The world’s 50 most valuable sports teams are worth over $350bn – almost four times their value 10 years ago. Of the six leagues represented, the NFL accounts for 60% of the list. 12% of teams originate from outside North America, of which the highest-ranked side features at #22.

2025 transactions underscored a significant growth in value-to-revenue multiple across North American sports over the past two years. Basketball led the trend, as the NBA and WNBA outpaced other leagues with average enterprise values rising to 14x and 12x revenue, respectively.