Real Madrid top Forbes' most valuable teams list

Spanish soccer club Real Madrid retained top spot on a list of the world`s 50 most valuable sports teams, according to a Forbes poll released on Wednesday that was made up mostly of National Football League franchises.

The value of the 10-times European champions fell five percent from last year to $3.26 billion due to a drop in the euro versus the U.S. dollar, but revenue of $746 million, the highest of any team, kept them top, Forbes said in a statement.

The NFL`s Dallas Cowboys, up three spots from last year, and Major League Baseball`s New York Yankees, up from fourth place in 2014, were tied for second with a value of $3.20 billion.

Global soccer powers Barcelona ($3.16 billion) and Manchester United ($3.10) rounded out the top five.

The NFL led all sports with 20 franchises in the top-50, followed by MLB (12), the National Basketball Association (10) and soccer (7).

Formula One`s Ferrari (1.35 billion) were ranked 32nd while the Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.3 billion), tied in 37th, were the only National Hockey League team on the list.

According to Forbes, which began valuing sports franchises in 1998, the world`s 50 most valuable teams are worth an average $1.75 billion, up 31 percent from 2014.

Forbes also said the minimum valuation to make the cut rose to $1.15 billion, up from $856 million a year ago, due largely to the soaring worth of NBA and MLB teams.
The 10 most valuable teams (in billions):

1. Real Madrid (Soccer) - $3.26

2. Dallas Cowboys (NFL) - $3.20

2. New York Yankees (Baseball) - $3.20

4. Barcelona (Soccer) - $3.16

5. Manchester United (Soccer) - $3.10

6. Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) - $2.60

6. New England Patriots (NFL) - $2.60

8. New York Knicks (NBA) - $2.50

9. Los Angeles Dodgers (Baseball) - $2.40

9. Washington Redskins (NFL) - $2.40