Professional sports leagues are not only about the competition aspects but also have a significant impact on culture and the economy, and creating connections between people in different parts of the world. Elite sports represent a uniquely global and diverse domain with stadiums including a plethora of events – football, American football (lots of fans), cricket (giving off some mild glow in the night).

We will analyze the top global sports leagues for revenue, attendance, and international fan reach, and they will be presented in two parts, 20 – 11 and the top 10, before summarizing the data from each league.

20–11: Rising Powers and Niche Giants

While none of these leagues will appear at the top of the global charts on a regular basis, they remain tremendously important and influential in their markets and are seeing growth.

20. MLS (Major League Soccer)

• From the U.S. and Canada
• Major progress throughout the last decade
• Lionel Messi coming in introduced a new global attention
• Already have established base for youth talent development and investment on the franchise level

19. AFL (Australian Football League)

• Most attended sporting match in Australia
• Part of the cultural landscape in Melbourne and other cities
• It is difficult to export because of its unique rules and style, but the domestic piece is huge

18. ONE Championship (MMA)

• Asia’s UFC
• MMA, muay-thai, submission grappling
• Social-first and millions of viewers via livestream
• Growing extremely fast into newly Asian countries

17. Volleyball Nations League

• Started in 2018
• It is growing very fast, Brazil, Italy, and Japan are taking off
• It has a big social media following and large youth participation in the sport UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

16. UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

• Has gone from niche to global
• Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey have helped to upgrade the brand
• There is big money from ESPN and PPV deals
• They have international events running practices from Abu Dhabi to Brazil

15. Serie A (Italy – Football)

• Great teams
• Known for tactical sophistication
• The league has financial difficulties to other leagues but has a large fan base

14. NASCAR

• Used to be the second biggest league in America
• Has a very committed heritage following in the southern U.S. fanbase
• Recent initiatives to diversify the fanbase and driver pool

13. Premiership Rugby (England)

 

• One of Europe’s top three rugby leagues
• Players feed into international rugby powerhouse teams
• Some financial challenges

12. ATP Tour (Men’s Tennis)

• A truly global tour: Melbourne, Paris, New York
• Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic created a new wave of fans
• Currently focused on the next-gen stars

11. PGA Tour (Golf)

• Events like The Masters or U.S. Open
• Long-term sponsorships; prize money increasing
• Some competition from LIV Golf

10–1: The Global Heavyweights

These leagues are billion dollar enterprises, break attendance records, and capture the international news.

10. IPL (Indian Premier League – Cricket)

• Most popular league for T20 cricket
• 32,000 per game average attendance
• Huge following locally and in the diaspora
• Strong global broadcasting agreements and franchises with valuations exceeding $1B

9. Bundesliga (Germany – Football)

• Highest average stadium attendance worldwide
• Lowest ticket costs among the leagues
• Strong clubs include Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund

8. UEFA Champions League

• Annual tournament featuring Europe’s elite football clubs
• Watched globally-also hundreds of millions watch the finals
• The pinnacle in terms of what club football can win

7. La Liga (Spain – Football)

• Iconic clubs include Real Madrid and Barcelona
• Defined by Messi-Ronaldo era, moving to something else
• Exporting broadcast deals around Asia and North America

6. NHL (National Hockey League)

• Professional ice hockey league.
• Product is in the global market (players in Sweden, Russia, Canada, U.S. etc.)
• The Stanley Cup Playoffs provide unforgettable moments and action that carry incredible tension and stakes.

5. Formula 1 (Motorsport)

• Racing on all continents
• Has benefited greatly from the Netflix “Drive to Survive” docu-series
• Heavily relied on sponsorship, highly technology-focused.
• The Monaco Grand Prix and Silverstone, both legendary stops on the circuit

4. MLB (Major League Baseball – U.S.)

• Heavily tied to U.S. identity
• Massive venues, massive seasons, and massive rivalries
• Participants from all over the world, including Japan, Dominican Republic, and many more.

3. NBA (National Basketball Association)

• Huge demand in China and Africa & Europe
• LeBron, Steph, Giannis carrying the mantle for demand
• Pop culture crossover helps fuel this

2. Premier League (England – Football)

• The richest TV deals of any sport.
• Millions of viewers everywhere, broadcast to over 200 territories across the globe.
• Massive talent pool, historical rivalries.

1. NFL (National Football League – U.S.)

• Generates considerably more revenue than any other league.
• Super Bowl is the most watched single sporting event of the entire year globally.
• Absolutely dominating for revenue generation through sponsorships.

Top Global Sports Leagues – Revenue

Let’s stack them up against the revenues: TV rights, sponsorship, ticket sales and merchandise.

Rank	League	Sport	Revenue Notes	Score
1	NFL	American Football	$18B+ annually	10
2	Premier League	Football	Highest global TV rights	9
3	NBA	Basketball	~$10B in revenue	9
4	MLB	Baseball	Similar to NBA	9
5	Formula 1	Motorsport	Huge sponsorship deals	8
6	UEFA CL	Football	Broadcasted in 200+ countries	8
7	UFC	MMA	Big PPV and ESPN deals	7
8	IPL	Cricket	Surging media rights	7
9	Bundesliga	Football	Strong European market	6
10	La Liga	Football	Global reach, lower revenue	6

Fan Power: Attendance Rankings

It’s not just about revenue. Stadiums full of fans create unmatched energy and loyalty.

Rank	League	Sport	Average Attendance	Score
1	NFL	American Football	67,000+ avg	10
2	Bundesliga	Football	~43,000 avg	9
3	AFL	Australian Football	~35,000 avg	8
4	Premier League	Football	~39,000 avg	8
5	NBA	Basketball	~18,000 avg	8
6	MLB	Baseball	~28,000 avg	8
7	IPL	Cricket	~32,000 avg	8
8	NHL	Ice Hockey	~17,000 avg	8
9	La Liga	Football	~27,000 avg	7
10	Serie A	Football	~25,000 avg	7

Why These Leagues Dominate Globally

• Broadcast Reach – Premier League, NBA and F1 all made themselves global players with smashing smart knock off TV deals.
• Crossover Stars – Players like Messi, Lebron and Verstappen have crossed sport boundaries.
• Cultural Domination – Some leagues (even NFL and IPL) hit at the heart of a country, a nation’s identity.
• Digital Strategy – Promotions like UFC, ONE Championship, NBA are crushing it online with cross promotions from TikTok to YTube to Disney, etc.

The Global Reach of Sports Leagues Today

The top global sports leagues don’t only get ranked and evaluated by revenue. Leagues are evaluated on their influence, passion, and cultural relevance. The NFL clearly dominates today and is the best when it comes to revenue, but football/soccer remains the only truly universal sport. The Premier League, and immense competition from La Liga, Champions League and others have proven this is a sport we all have shared stake (and passion) in, no matter which corner of the globe we stand on.

Basketball (NBA), cricket (IPL), motorsport (F1), and even combat sports (via UFC) are also mapping out new territories, accesses, and until they create a new definition of what it means to be a global league.