Sports

Here’s How The World’s Most Valuable Soccer Teams Compare To The Most Valuable NFL Teams

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comparing most valuable soccer teams to most valuable nfl teams

Getty Image / Christopher Lee


Soccer is the global sport but in the United States the NFL is #1 and it’s really not even close. The NBA, MLB, and NHL all do REALLY damn well but the NFL is truly in a league of its own when it comes to popularity and team values. If you’re curious how those team values compare to the most valuable soccer teams in the world then you’ve come to the right place.

Over at Forbes, they publish annual lists showing the value of pretty much everything and everyone. They published their rankings of the most valuable NFL franchises back in September 2020 and just now they’ve published a list showing the most valuable soccer teams in the world. Since the vast majority of BroBible readers are American, I thought it would be interesting to look at how the value of NFL teams stacks up to the most valuable global soccer teams.

Every single NFL team, all 32 of them, are valued at over $2 billion per franchise. The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since 1991 and they’re still worth over $2 billion. Here’s the list of NFL teams by value:

Here’s how the Forbes list shakes out:

  1. Dallas Cowboys – $5.7 billion, Operating Income: $425 million
  2. New England Patriots – $4.4 billion, Operating Income: $250 million
  3. New York Giants – $4.3 billion, OI: $250 million
  4. Los Angeles Rams – $4 billion, OI: $78 million
  5. San Francisco 49ers – $3.8 billoin, OI: $121 million
  6. NY Jets – $3.55 Billion, OI: $109 million
  7. Chicago Bears – $3.525 Billion, OI: $136 million
  8. Washington Football Team – $3.5 billion, OI: $135 million
  9. Philadelphia Eagles – $3.4 billion, OI: $120 million
  10. Houston Texans – $3.3 billion, OI: $165 million
  11. Denver Broncos – $3.2 billion, OI: $114 million
  12. Las Vegas Raiders – $3.1 billion, OI: $33 million
  13. Seattle Seahawks – $3.075 billion, OI: $112 million
  14. Green Bay Packers – $3.05 billion, OI: $88 million
  15. Pittsburgh Steelers – $3 billion, OI: $86 million
  16. Baltimore Ravens – $2.975 billion, OI: $108 million
  17. Minnesota Vikings – $2.95 billion, OI: $84 million
  18. Miami Dolphins – $2.9 billion, OI: $92 million
  19. Atlanta Falcons – $2.875 billion, OI: $38 million
  20. Indianapolis Colts – $2.85 billion, OI: $67 million
  21. Los Angeles Chargers – $2.6 billion, OI: $75 million
  22. Carolina Panthers – $2.55 billion, OI: $96 million
  23. Kansas City Chiefs – $2.5 billion, OI: $90 million
  24. New Orleans Saints – $2.475 billion, OI: $116 million
  25. Jacksonville Jaguars – $2.45 billion, OI: $99 million
  26. Cleveland Browns – $2.35 billion, OI: $87 million
  27. Arizona Cardinals – $2.325 billion, OI: $78 million
  28. Tennessee Titans – $2.3 billion, OI: $57 million
  29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $2.28 billion, OI: $75 million
  30. Detroit Lions – $2.1 billion, OI: $43 million
  31. Buffalo Bills – $2.05 billion, OI: $73 million
  32. Cincinnati Bengals – $2 billion, OI: $60 million

I still can’t believe the Bengals are worth two bills. And that valuation of the Buccaneers has 100% changed since they won the Super Bowl by the way, so it’ll be interesting to see where they’re at on the list next season. I’m sure many of you know the same family that owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also owns Manchester United, the Glazers, and ManU is waaaayyyy up on the list of the most valuable global soccer teams.

I’m streamlining this Forbes list just so it’s the team + valuation. I’m not sure how many of you out there care about revenue or operating income by you can click to read all of that on Forbes:

  1. F.C. Barcelona – $4.76 billion
  2. Real Madrid – $4.75 billion
  3. Bayern Munich – $4.215 billion
  4. Manchester United – $4.2 billion
  5. Liverpool – $4.1 billion
  6. Manchester City – $4 billion
  7. Chelsea – $3.2 billion
  8. Arsenal – $2.8 billion
  9. Paris Saint-Germain – $2.5 billion
  10. Tottenham Hotspur – $2.3 billion
  11. Juventus – $1.95 billion
  12. Borussia Dortmund – $1.9 billion
  13. Atletico Madrid – $1 billion
  14. Inter Milan – $743 million
  15. Everton – $658 million
  16. AC Milan – $559 million
  17. AS Roma – $548 million
  18. West Ham United – $508 million
  19. Leicester City – $455 million
  20. Ajax – $413 million

It’s pretty wild how quickly those valuations drop off after the top 10 in the world and how crowded things are at the top. The top two Spanish teams remain the biggest clubs in the world and they’re right on par with the most valuable NFL teams but the 20th most valuable soccer team in the world, Ajax playing in the Eredivisie, is somehow worth about one-fifth that of the Cincinnati Bengals. That doesn’t compute in my head.

Of course, we’re comparing apples to wine here. And these valuations are also assigned by Forbes and might not necessarily be indicative of the real-world value of a club. If you want to see more on how they computed this data you can click here to read that Forbes article.

Like millions of American boys, I played soccer growing up but didn’t have a professional team to root for as I got older because the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, and the other leagues didn’t have a major TV presence in the United States years ago. It’s gotten a lot better. I work from home and am able to catch A LOT of games on TV and streaming services. But it wasn’t until a friend’s husband moved over here from England and dragged me into his fandom that I became a diehard Tottenham fan, for better or worse (mostly worse, it’s a really hard team to root for, nothing but heartbreak). For the love of the game, don’t be a Spurs fan. It’s just pain.