See world’s top 10 wealthiest sports team owners

Sports team owners are some of the wealthiest people in the world, with some having amassed fortunes that surpass the GDP of small countries.

From football to basketball, baseball to soccer, these owners have made their fortunes in a variety of ways, from tech entrepreneurship to real estate development.

In this listicle, Sporting Tribune takes a closer look at the top 10 wealthiest sports team owners, exploring their sources of wealth and the teams they own. Whether you’re a die-hard sports fan or simply curious about the business of sports, this listicle is sure to be an interesting read.

1. Mukesh Ambani ($83.4bn)

Source of Wealth: Telecoms, Petrochemicals

Top of the list is Indian billionaire Ambani, managing director of multinational group Reliance Industries. It is through this group that the 65-year-old owns cricket franchise the Mumbai Indians, a founding member of the Indian Premier League who won a record fifth championship in 2020.

2. Steve Ballmer ($80.7bn)

Source of Wealth: Microsoft

Ballmer is closing in on a decade as owner of the LA Clippers, having purchased the basketball franchise in 2014. The California-based team is yet to win a conference title but reached the conference finals for the first time in 2021.

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3. Rob Walton ($57.6bn)

Source of Wealth: Walmart

If Ratcliffe is successful in his bid for Man Utd, he could set a new world record for the most expensive sports team purchase. That record is currently held by Walton, an heir to the Walmart fortune, who bought the Denver Broncos for $4.65bn in 2022.

4. Francois Pinault and family ($40.1bn)

Source of Wealth: luxury goods

Pinault, owner of Stade Rennais in Ligue 1, is the wealthiest European and wealthiest football club owner on the list. The 86-year-old is among the 50 richest people in the world, per Forbes’ 2022 list, but his Rennes side are currently poised to miss out on Champions League football yet again after reaching the group stage of the competition just once in their history.

5. Mark Mateschitz ($34.7bn)

Source of Wealth: Red Bull

The youngest man on the list at just 30, Mateschitz inherited stakes in multiple Red Bull sports teams when his father Dietrich died in 2022. These include RB Leipzig in Germany and MLS outfit New York Red Bulls, as well as Red Bull Racing in Formula 1.

6. Jim Ratcliffe ($22.9bn)

Source of Wealth: chemicals

Man Utd bidder and INEOS chief Ratcliffe has already dipped his toes into sports ownership through two clubs on the European mainland. OGC Nice have been a fixture in the upper echelons of France’s Ligue 1 for a number of years, while he also owns Swiss club Lausanne-Sport and has investments in other sports including cycling.

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7. Masayoshi Son ($22.4bn)

Source of Wealth: internet, telecom

One of only a handful of names on the list not from Europe or North America, Son is best known in the business world for his role at SoftBank. On the sports side, he owns the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, a baseball franchise that reached the 2022 playoffs in Japan.

8. David Tepper ($18.5bn)

Source of Wealth: hedge funds

Carolina Panthers owner Tepper has more recently dipped his toe into soccer through the MLS expansion side Charlotte FC. The team made its debut in the competition in 2022 but failed to reach the playoffs at the first time of asking.

9. Dan Gilbert ($18bn)

Source of Wealth: Quicken Loans

Perhaps best known outside sports as a co-founder of the company now known as Rocket Mortgage, Gilbert’s main sports investment is the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has owned the NBA franchise since 2005, bringing in star names including LeBron James, and oversaw the Cavs’ first NBA finals win in 2016.

10. Steve Cohen ($17.5bn)

Source of Wealth: hedge funds

Hedge fund billionaire Cohen has been the owner of the New York Mets in Major League Baseball since 2020, having been a minority owner for a number of years prior. The Mets made it to the 2022 postseason but lost in the wild-card round.

Source: Forbes