Thursday 14 July 2016 06:05, UK
Real Madrid have slipped to second behind NFL team the Dallas Cowboys as a soccer team does not top the Forbes World’s Most Valuable Sports Team List for the first time since 2011.
The Cowboys move up one place with an estimated value of $4bn (£3.02bn), up from $3.2bn (£2.4bn) last year, with Real - top of the list for the last three years - in second position, despite their value rising by almost 12.5 per cent to $3.65bn (£2.75bn).
Barcelona are up one spot to third at $3.55bn (£2.68bn), Manchester United - ranked first in 2011 and 2012 - stay fifth at $3.32bn (£2.5bn), and NFL team the San Francisco 49ers at $2.7bn (£2.04bn) rise 22 places to take 10th spot.
The average current value of the top 50 most valuable teams is $2.2 billion (£1.66bn), which is the highest to date and a 25 per cent increase from last year. Cost of admission to the 2016 list is also the highest ever at $1.48bn (£1.12bn), up from $1.15bn a year ago.
Major League Baseball team the New York Yankees at $3.4bn (£2.56bn) and basketball franchise the New York Knicks at $3bn (£2.26bn) are the only non-soccer and non-NFL teams in the top 10.
NFL teams represent half of the top ten most valuable sports teams in the world, driven by lucrative broadcasting contracts. There are also a total of 27 NFL teams in the top 50, with eight soccer teams and the same number of NBA franchises. No ice hockey, Formula 1 or Nascar teams made the cut.
