Skip to content

New York City FC valued at $1 billion

Major League Soccer now have five clubs worth $1 billion according to Sportico: The average team is now worth $721 million, up from $678 million last year.

Just think what NYCFC will be worth when they own their home | Courtesy newyorkcityfc.com

Finally, New York City FC are a billion-dollar club.

At least that's according to Sportico, the sports business publication. Every year they issue valuations of all Major League Soccer clubs, and the 2025 edition puts NYCFC at a clean $1 billion. That makes them the fifth team in the league to cross the billion-dollar mark. They join LAFC ($1.28 billion), Inter Miami ($1.19 billion), LA Galaxy ($1.11 billion), and Atlanta United ($1.08 billion).

NYCFC's valuation climbed $160 million, up from the $840 million published by Sportico last year. That's the biggest year-over-year increase of any club in the league.

The league average is now $721 million, up from $678 million in 2024, but not all clubs increased in value. Eight clubs dropped in value including New York Red Bulls, who fell from $645 million to $615 million, a loss of $30 million.

Here are five takeaways about this lucrative league's latest figures.

Sportico | 2025 MLS Club Valuations

Club Valuation $ Change % Change Place Change
1 LAFC $1.28 billion $130 million 11.3%
2 Inter Miami $1.19 billion $170 million 16.7% + 1
3 LA Galaxy $1.11 billion $110 million 11.0% + 1
4 Atlanta United $1.08 billion $30 million 2.9% - 2
5 New York City FC $1.00 billion $160 million 19.1%
6 Austin FC $865 million $65 million 8.1%
7 Seattle Sounders $825 million $30 million 3.8%
8 Columbus Crew $730 million $80 million 12.3% + 5
9 FC Cincinnati $725 million $80 million 12.4% + 5
10 Toronto FC $725 million 0.0% - 3
11 Portland Timbers $720 million $10 million 1.4% - 1
12 DC United $720 million 0.0% - 2
13 Charlotte FC $705 million $50 million 7.6% - 1
14 Philadelphia Union $700 million $15 million 2.2% - 3
15 St. Louis City $655 million $30 million 4.8% + 3
16 Minnesota United $655 million $15 million 2.3%
17 Sporting Kansas City $650 million $20 million 3.2%
18 NY Red Bulls $645 million $30 million 4.9% + 1
19 Nashville SC $640 million $5 million 0.8% - 3
20 San Jose Earthquakes $600 million $40 million 7.1%
21 Houston Dynamo $580 million $30 million 5.5%
22 Chicago Fire $575 million $35 million 6.5%
23 FC Dallas $540 million $20 million 3.9%
24 Orlando City $540 million $35 million 6.9% + 1
25 New England $535 million $35 million 7.0% + 1
26 Real Salt Lake $525 million $15 million 2.9% - 2
27 Colorado Rapids $475 million $15 million 3.3% + 1
28 Vancouver Whitecaps $470 million 0.0% - 1
29 CF Montréal $450 million $10 million 2.3%

1. NYCFC are hottt

New York City's $160 million jump in valuation is the second-largest in the league, after Inter Miami's bump of $170 million. It's the largest in terms of growth, with the club's 19.1% increase year-over-year greater than Miami's 16.7%.

Give credit to last December's ground breaking at Etihad Park, the $780 million stadium set to open in 2027. Sportico doesn't disclose their formula for arriving at these numbers, but "Team-Related Businesses and Real Estate Holdings" figure into the valuations.

All but three the league's 29 teams in 2025 increased in value, but most of it was modest. Only six teams experienced double-digit growth, with values climbing over 10%: New York City (19.1%), Inter Miami (16.7%), FC Cincinnati (12.4%), Columbus Crew (12.3%), LAFC (11.3%), and LA Galaxy (11.0%).

2. $500 million buy-in

New York City's valuation has been on a steady upward trajectory since 2018, when they were valued at $278 million by Forbes. That was only slightly higher than the $275 million valuations in 2016 and 2017.

One way to look at it: New York City is a $500 million club in a league with a $500 million buy-in.

New York City FC | Valuation by Year

Year Publication Valuation MLS Rank
2025 Sportico $1 billion #5
2024 Forbes $850 million #5
2024 Sportico $840 million #5
2023 Forbes $800 million #4
2022 Sportico $690 million #4
2021 Sportico $655 million #5
2019 Forbes $385 million #7
2018 Forbes $278 million #7
2017 Forbes $275 million #4
2016 Forbes $255 million #3

Some of that is due to the MLS expansion fee, which is now $500 million. Every club in the league should be worth at least that.

But three clubs that fall under that sum: Colorado Rapids ($475 million), Vancouver Whitecaps ($470 million), and CF Montréal ($450 million.) Vancouver is for sale, and the reported asking price ranges from $420 million to $500 million.

3. Revenue only counts for so much

New York City's revenue in 20254 was estimated to be $79 million, up from $67 million in 2023. That's good for joint-10th place in the league.

It's well behind that of Inter Miami ($190 million), LAFC ($142 million), Atlanta ($131 million), LA Galaxy ($110 million), and Austin ($96 million).

That will change when NYCFC open Etihad Park, and will benefit from ticket and sponsorship revenues. Until then, New York City will continue to look up at clubs such as Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati, which both pulled in $84 million in 2024.

4. The Big Five

Does MLS now have a Big Five?

The clubs at the top of the valuation table have many obvious advantages. LAFC, LA Galaxy, and New York City are in the two largest media markets in the country; Inter Miami not only has Lionel Messi, but they are based in a city that functions as the capital of Latin America; and Atlanta consistently lead the league in attendance.

Will the gap between these clubs and the rest of the league grow? A regional club like Austin FC will have a hard time bridging the gap between them and New York City. Seattle Sounders might have one of the most devoted fan bases in MLS, but they're in a mid-sized media market.

Although you shouldn't sleep on the Ohio teams. Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati both added $80 million in value and climbed five spots on the table Both have dedicated fans, play attractive football, and own state-of-the-art stadiums that regularly sell out.

While once-mighty clubs like Toronto FC look to be rudderless and continue to fall down the list (ranked #5 in 2022 at $705 million, they're now #10 at $725 million), and popular teams such as Portland Timbers seem to be getting the most out of their mid-market settings (they went from $685 million in 2022 to $710 million this year, but fell from #8 to #11), there could be room for the Hell Is Real pairing of Cincinnati and Columbus to increase in value.

Whether or not they catch up to the Big Five is another question.

5. The numbers are made-up

Finally, we will cut and paste the disclaimer we use every year: These numbers are make-believe.

As we wrote last year, "both Sporitco and Forbes claim that they survey MLS executives and gain insider information based on granting anonymity. But neither publication publishes the raw numbers."

Are New York City worth more than Austin? Seems likely, and it passes the smell test. Are they worth exactly $5 million less than Atlanta? It could be, although that seems awfully specific, which makes it a little suspect.

Comments

Latest