Sports Leagues have been capturing the attention of billions of fans around the world. Each league has its own identity and represents its own sport, culture, and athletes. The intense competition and global appeal of these leagues have resulted in enormous revenue generation through lucrative TV deals.
Let us take a look at the top 10 richest leagues in the world.
10. UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is the premier European football competition held every year. It involves the participation of the top football clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Paris Saint Germain, etc. Real Madrid is the most successful club in the competition with 13 cups to their name. Founded in 1955 as the European Cup, the competition underwent changes and was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League in 1992.
The UEFA Champions League is reported to have a revenue of more than €3.5 billion making it the 10th richest league in the world with BT Sports the broadcaster of the cash-rich league.
9. Serie A
Serie A is Italy’s top-tier football league. Despite lagging behind its rival football leagues like the Premier League and La Liga, it has been working on expanding its international appeal, leading to better deals in various markets around the world.
Serie A is reported to generate a revenue of more than €2.8 billion annually majority of which comes from its TV deals with DAZN (€840 million per season). The wealthy owners and huge attendances on matchday are the main source of income for Serie A but the international sponsorship contributes to its overall financial standing.
The league has seen some epic battles over the years with giants like AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Napoli among the most successful teams in the league
8. Bundesliga
The Bundesliga is one of the most entertaining football leagues in Europe. It is home to some of the giant clubs of Europe such as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Borussia Mönchengladbach. The league also has some of the world’s biggest stadiums at its disposal which contributes to significant ticket sales and TV deals.
According to the DFL, the clubs in the Bundesliga will collect a total of around EUR 5.4 billion in the 2021/22 to 2014/25 seasons.
Bundesliga is also home to some of the world’s biggest and most lucrative sponsorships helping it to generate an annual revenue of approximately €4 billion. The clubs of the Bundesliga have to operate within their financial means which prevents them from avoiding high levels of debt.
7. La Liga
La Liga is the premier football competition in Spain and is home to some of the biggest football clubs in the world like Real Madrid and Barcelona. The remarkable ticket sales on matchdays and sponsorship deals are the major source of revenue for the league.
In recent years, La Liga signed a multi-year deal with Movistar and DAZN for domestic broadcasting rights. This deal is reportedly worth around €2.5 billion over five seasons (2022-2027) increasing the annual revenue of the league to $5.33 billion.
La Liga also features the famous ‘EL Classico’ in which Real Madrid and Barcelona go head to head in a battle which is considered to be the greatest in club football.
6. National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is the ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams from all around North America. The league has a huge fan base all around North America and has an estimated revenue of $5.93 billion annually making it one of the most lucrative hockey leagues in the world.
The majority of the revenue is generated by TV deals with Disney paying the league $400 million annually in the U.S., while Turner Sports adds $225 million per season. The Montreal Canadians are the most successful team in the competition winning a total of 24 Stanley Cups.
5. Premier League
The English Premier League is regarded as the best football league in the world where 20 football clubs participate in the league format. It is home to some of the biggest football clubs in the world like Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea.
The PL’s existing TV deal (running from 2022/23 – 2024/25) is reported to be worth £5bn which contributes to the majority of its revenue. The matchday revenue and sponsorship deals take its revenue to approximately $6.6 billion making it the fifth richest league in the world.
4. Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League is the domestic T20 cricket league of India and the only cricket league to feature in this list. Inaugurated in 2008, the BCCI secured a record-breaking deal for the 2023-2027 cycle, with rights sold for around $6.2 billion with Viacom and Star India earning the rights to broadcast the tournament.
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The league has revenue of an astonishing $8.4 billion. Some of the popular cricket franchises are Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and many more.
3. Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the third richest sports league in the world with a revenue of $10.32 billion. A total of 162 matches are played among 30 teams every year resulting in huge revenue on gamedays.
The sponsorship and broadcast deals contribute the majority of the revenue with the league’s deal with ESPN, renewed in 2021, worth approximately $550 million per year, running through 2028. The New York Yankees are the most successful MLB team with 27 championships.
2. National Basketball Association
The NBA is the most famous and successful basketball tournament in the world. It is home to some of the most decorated basketball players in the world like Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Steph Curry, and many more. Boston Celtics are the most successful franchise in the league with 18 titles to their name.
NBA’s major source of revenue is its TV deals. It is currently in partnership with ESPN, ABC Network, Peacock, and Amazon in a deal worth over $76 billion dollars for 11 years. This whopping deal has put the NBA in the second spot on the list with an annual revenue of $10.58 billion.
1. National Football League
With a revenue of a staggering $18.6 billion, the NFL is the richest sports league in the world. It is the professional American football league and the most popular sport in North America. It is home to some of the most wealthy sports teams like the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, and more.
TV deals are the major form of income for the NFL.CBS, Fox, NBC, and ESPN/ABC have the current broadcasting rights in a deal worth up to $110 billion. Sponsors such as Nike, Adidas, PepsiCo, and Coca-Cola also provide substantial financial support to the cash-rich league.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
