Manchester United, Barcelona top 2017 Forbes most valuable soccer teams

Forbes ranked Manchester United as the most valuable soccer team in the world. Other familiar names followed on United’s heels.

Forbes released its annual 50 most valuable sports teams in the world list on Wednesday. Manchester United came in at the top spot for a soccer team, and third overall, being valued at $3.69 billion. They narrowly missed second overall as the Yankees just managed to clip them at $3.7 billion.

Most soccer fans can probably guess the other teams included in the list. After Untied, Barcelona ($3.64 billion) and Real Madrid ($3.58 billion) came in fourth and fifth overall, respectively. The soccer clubs are the only sports teams outside of the big three American professional sports leagues to make the list.

NFL, MLB and NBA teams occupy the vast majority of the spots on the Forbes top 50 list. The Dallas Cowboys are ranked number one with a whopping valuation of $4.2 billion. The top NBA team is somehow the New York Knicks, coming in seventh place at $3.3 billion. That is a testament to the power of branding and location because they are not good at basketball.

Bayern Munich are the next soccer club on the list after Real Madrid, coming in 15th place with a valuation of $2.7 billion. You then have to scroll all the way down to number 35 to get to Manchester City at $2.083 billion.

Arsenal at 43 ($1.93 billion) and Chelsea at 46 ($1.845 billion) round out the soccer clubs who made the cut. Forbes also provides the percentage change the teams had from last year to this year. Manchester United increased 11 percent while Barca rose 2 percent compared to last year.

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However, the only two teams to decrease in value on the entire list were soccer clubs. Real Madrid lost two percent while Arsenal decreased in value by four percent, which is fitting for a club that, this past season, failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in almost two decades.