Real Madrid have topped American Business magazine Forbes’ list of the world’s most valuable sports teams for a third straight year.
The Spanish giants head the world rankings with a value of $3.26 billion (£2.08bn), ahead of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees — both valued at $3.20bn (£2.04bn).
Manchester United have dropped from third in 2014 to fifth but still remain England’s most valuable club at $3.10bn (£1.98bn), clear of Premier League rivals Manchester City ($1.39bn or £890m), who are 29th overall, Chelsea ($1.37billion or £877m), who sit 31st, and 36th-placed Arsenal ($1.31bn or £839m).
Fourth-placed European champions Barcelona ($3.16bn or £2.02bn) complete the top five while American sports dominate the rest of the top 10.
The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, the New England Patriots and Washington Redskins of the NFL, and baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers all make the top 10.
Formula One team Ferrari ($1.35bn or £865m) rank 32nd — Europe’s only non-football representative.
American business magazine Forbes has been valuing teams in the major sports leagues since 1998 and the average current value of a team on the list is $1.75bn (£1.12bn) — the highest ever, and a 31 percent increase from last year.
The NFL landed the most teams in the top 50 with 20 franchises, followed by Major League Baseball (12), National Basketball Association (10) and football (7).
Formula One’s most storied squad, Ferrari, made the cut at No. 32 worth $1.35 billion and the NHL landed one team on the list with the Toronto Maple Leafs tied for No. 37 at $1.3 billion.
There are 51 teams this year thanks to a three-way tie at No. 49 with the Atlanta Braves, Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Vikings all worth $1.15 billion by our count.
There are 62 sports franchises globally worth at least $1 billion.