Last updated: 5 August 2026.
Quick answer. This is a descriptive, non-legal piece comparing the economics of world sport using 2016 revenue data. Although football — soccer in the USA — is the most practised sport worldwide by federated players, the top-grossing league is the NFL. Fourteen of the twenty highest-revenue leagues are football leagues, jointly earning around 19,400 million dollars, 50% more than the NFL alone, yet four of the five richest leagues are North American, with only the Premier League breaking in. Spain’s La Liga ranks seventh overall but grosses less than half the Premier League’s revenue: the English league’s overseas TV contracts alone exceed La Liga’s entire television income, a gap the author attributes to good marketing.
It is a fact that when measured by number of federated practitioners, the most popular sport in the world is football, or soccer as it is called in the USA. Even in the United States, soccer accounts for more licences than any other team sport. But is it also the highest grossing sport at a professional level?
The following chart represents revenue for the top 20 professional sports leagues worldwide in 2016.
The chart only includes sport teams, so we are not considering the three individual sports that generate hoards of cash. Two of these sports are golf and tennis, which through their respective associations, the PGA and ATP, have developed very successful non league format worldwide competitions. The other individual sport being motor racing, which although divided between USA (Nascar and IndyCar) and the rest of the world (F1 and MotoGP), also generates huge revenues.
The chart shows that 14 of the top 20 revenue generating leagues are “soccer” leagues. However, the top grossing league is the NFL, the “american” football league.
If we add up revenue of those 14 “soccer” leagues, the total amounts to 19,400 million dollars, 50% more than the NFL and 80% more than the sum of the 2 biggest baseball leagues (USA and Japan). The globally recognized NBA, only generates 4,800 million dollars, even less than the Premier League.
Curiously, 4 out of the 5 top grossing leagues take place in North America. Only the Premier League sneaks into the third position.
As far as the spanish “La Liga” goes, it stands out as the seventh overall, below the “Bundesliga”, but above the “Serie A” and the “Ligue 1” in terms of gross revenue. Still, “La Liga” grosses less than half the revenues that the Premier League does.
The NFL´s leadership is solid, as is the preeminent position the Premier League holds among “soccer” leagues.
Two further comments:
The Super Bowl winner plays 19 games every season while the NBA champion has to play a minimun of 98 games to reach the title. Yet, the NFL generates three times the revenues in half the time every season.
The revenue the Premiere League receives from their TV contracts outside of their main UK market alone, is higher than the revenue La Liga gets from all tv markets, Spain included.
The difference is GOOD MARKETING.
Don’t be left in doubt, get in touch. We’ll be happy to help and offer you solutions.
Frequently asked questions
Measured by number of federated practitioners, football — or soccer, as it is called in the USA — is the most popular sport in the world. Even in the United States, soccer accounts for more licences than any other team sport.
According to the 2016 figures discussed in the article, the top-grossing league is the NFL, the American football league, whose leadership is solid: its champion plays 19 games per season yet the league generates three times the NBA’s revenues.
Fourteen of the top 20 revenue-generating leagues are football leagues. Added together, those 14 leagues earned 19,400 million dollars in 2016, 50% more than the NFL and 80% more than the sum of the two biggest baseball leagues (USA and Japan).
La Liga stands seventh overall, below the Bundesliga but above Serie A and Ligue 1 in gross revenue. Still, it grosses less than half the revenues of the Premier League.
The revenue the Premier League receives from its TV contracts outside its main UK market alone is higher than the revenue La Liga obtains from all TV markets, Spain included. The author attributes the difference to good marketing.
Contact
Don’t be left in doubt, get in touch. We’ll be happy to help and offer you solutions.
