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Thanks to a strong finish to the English Premier League season, and a late-season collapse by Leicester City, Manchester United qualified for the UEFA Champions League.
That means plenty of extra money in the bank, as well as the boost that comes with being able to offer top-tier European football to any potential new signings.
Even if the red side of Manchester had failed to qualify, the brand as a whole remains very valuable. According to Forbes, which recently published its ‘World’s Most Valuable Sports Teams’ list, Manchester United is worth $3,81 billion.
Franchise values are based on Forbes’ published valuations over the past 14 months, and reflect enterprise values (equity plus debt).
Manchester United’s valuation is good enough for 10th place on the list, with the Dallas Cowboys retaining the number one spot, with a valuation of $5,5 billion:
The Texas NFL franchise team [pictured below] has earned the No. 1 spot on Forbes’ ranking for the fifth consecutive year followed by the New York Yankees, who are valued at $5 billion…
Rounding out the top five highest-valued sports teams are the New York Knicks (No. 3), the Los Angeles Lakers (No. 4) and the Golden State Warriors (No. 5), valued at $4.6 billion, $4.4 billion and $4.3 billion respectively.
The cutoff to rank among the world’s 50 most valuable teams in the world is $2.2 billion, up $125 million from a year ago, as a result of media rights deals and more owner-friendly collective bargaining agreements that reduce player expenses.
To see the full list, head here, but let’s just run through the top 10 one more time before we go:
- Manchester United (English Premier League) – $3,81 billion
- New York Giants (NFL) – $3,9 billion
- Barcelona (La Liga) – $4,02 billion
- New England Patriots (NFL) – $4,1 billion
- Real Madrid (La Liga) – $4,24 billion
- Golden State Warriors (NBA) – $4,3 billion
- Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) – $4,4 billion
- New York Knicks (NBA) – $4,6 billion
- New York Yankees (MLB) – $5 billion
- Dallas Cowboys (NFL) – $5,5 billion
[source:forbes]
