- The Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable and profitable sports team in the world.
- NFL and NBA teams dominate Forbes' list of most profitable franchises.
- Not all professional sports teams make money.
Super Bowl LX is now set with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the New England Patriots. But the richest sports team on the planet won’t be there again.
The Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX in 1996, and haven’t played in the big game since. But even though championships and in some seasons even wins have been hard to come by the past three decades, America’s Team continues to pile up dollars off the field.
Already the world’s most valuable sports franchise at $13 billion, the Cowboys also topped Forbes' list of the most profitable teams in the world, hauling in an estimated $629 million last season in operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).
That total put Dallas more than $200 million ahead of the second most profitable franchise, the NBA’s Golden State Warriors with $409 million in operating income last season.
Though the Cowboys didn’t get to the Super Bowl this season, another team in the top five — the Patriots — did. And the third most profitable franchise in the world — the Rams — almost did, losing a close game to the Seahawks on Sunday.
Among the 211 franchises that Forbes valued in 2025 across 13 leagues, only 28 generated more in revenue than the Cowboys made in operating income during the most recent season with available data.
The world’s 20 most profitable teams brought in a combined $4.5 billion or an average of $226 million, up 16% from the previous year’s $3.9 billion and $195 million, per Forbes.
The NFL has the most teams with seven, followed by the NBA with six. The NHL and the Premier League each have three, while Formula 1 has one.
Not all pro sports teams make money
“A generation ago, sports franchises were not necessarily expected to stay in the black, and team owners typically made their money whenever they eventually decided to sell their stakes. Even today, profitability is not a given: Among the 185 men’s sports teams valued by Forbes in 2025, an estimated 37 failed to reach break-even, including 16 clubs from MLS and 11 from MLB,” according to Forbes.
The New York Mets, for example, lost an estimated $268 million in 2024, according to Forbes estimates, largely due to league-imposed luxury tax penalties.
“Investor expectations are shifting, however. Teams are wringing considerably more money out of their sponsorships and premium seating, and with a surge in national media rights fees, they can count on much more lucrative distributions from their leagues," per Forbes.
NFL franchises each received an estimated $443 million from the league last season.
“With that kind of cushion, NFL teams are almost guaranteed profitability, and no franchise posted operating income worse than $21 million in 2024, with an average of $127 million,” according to Forbes.
The most profitable ranking reflects Forbes’ estimates of operating income for the most recent season with available data (2024 for MLB, MLS, the NFL, the NWSL and the WNBA; 2024-25 for the NBA and the NHL; and 2023-24 for European soccer).
The 10 most profitable sports teams in the world, per Forbes:
| Team | League | Operating Income | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas Cowboys | NFL | $629 million |
| 2 | Golden State Warriors | NBA | $409 million |
| 3 (tie) | Los Angeles Rams | NFL | $244 million |
| 3 (tie) | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | $244 million |
| 6 | New England Patriots | NFL | $222 million |
| 7 (tie) | Atlanta Hawks | NBA | $203 million |
| 7 (tie) | Philadelphia 76ers | NBA | $203 million |
| 9 (tie) | Houston Rockets | NBA | $191 million |
| 9 (tie) | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | $191 million |
| 11 | Manchester United | Premier League | $185 million |