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In this the second annual Forbes list of the 10 highest-paying sporting events in the world, four of the top ten spots are occupied by soccer tournaments. No other sport comes close to its dominance.
To construct this list, we focused on the prize money paid out to the winner of either a single event or a tournament. We did not include an event’s total prize money, or any season-long competitions that do not end in a playoff tournament, like the Barclays Premier League.
The list:
1.UEFA Champions League - Soccer - $77 million
The most prestigious club soccer tournament in the world pays like it. The English side, Chelsea, beat Bayern Munich for the title this year, behind the head and foot of striker, Didier Drogba. Teams are paid for a) qualifying for the Champions League b) games they win during the tournament and c) for the size of their market. The latter is one reason why Chelsea made $33 million more than last year’s winner, Barcelona.
2. UEFA European Football Championship - Soccer - $33 million
Some claim that the quality of this tournament—which features only European national teams—is on par with the World Cup. Money-wise, it’s a bit better. Spain won in 2008. The 2012 tournament, starting June 8, will be held in Poland and the Ukraine. Total prize money had risen to $246 million, up from $230 million in 2008.
3. FIFA World Cup - Soccer - $31 million
One might think the most prestigious soccer tournament in the world—and perhaps the most prestigious sports tournament in the world, period—would offer the most prize money to its winner. It doesn’t. But the spoils aren’t bad at all. Spain also won this title, in 2010.
4. The Super Bowl - Football - $15.5 million
Quarterback Eli Manning led the New York Giants to thrilling 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in February. Each of the Giants took home $172,000. Players on teams are paid for wins in the playoffs, as well, which is part of this total. The Giants scored because they started as wild cards.
5. The World Series - Baseball - $14.8 million
The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers in seven games last October. Cardinals players each received $323,169 for their efforts.
6. FedEx Cup - Golf - $10 million
The four-event PGA Tour playoffs include the Barclays and ends with the Tour Championship, sponsored by Coca-Cola. The top 125 players on the Tour qualify initially. From there the field is whittled down to 30 players. The man who accumulates the most points during the four-tournament stretch wins the FedEx Cup—and an astounding $10 million check. Bill Haas did even better last year, winning the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup, pocketing $11.4 million along the way.
7. The Dubai World Cup Night - Horse Racing - $10 million
The winner of horse-racing’s richest crown was a horse—Monterosso—owned by a prince named Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, who happens to be the son of the founder of the race.
8. UEFA Europa League - Soccer - $9 million
Once known as simply “the UEFA Cup,” this tournament is billed as the second most-prestigious club tournament in the world, after the Champions League. The Spanish side, Atletico Madrid, won in 2012, beating Athletic Club behind a grand performance by the Colombian star, Falcao.
9. The World Series of Poker - Poker - $8.7 million
At last year’s event, a then 22 year-old with the name of a ketchup Pope—Pius Heinz—won the main event, the $10,000 Buy-In No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em.
10. ICC Cricket World Cup - Cricket - $4 million
There was a time when disgraced financier and cricket fanatic, Allen Stanford, hosted an even richer cricket tournament. But while Stanford sits in jail awaiting sentencing after his conviction as a Ponzi-schemer, the World Cup has become the sport’s richest event. India won in 2011. The next World Cup is in 2015.
The Ten Richest Sporting Events In The World - Forbes
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