Highest paying sporting events: Since the beginning of mankind, sporting events have represented an important element of everyday life. With the advent of the media and the various channels, such as TV, newspapers, and the Internet, that allow millions of people to tune into one sporting event or another, prizes for winning these competitions have also risen quite considerably.
We would like to present you with a list we have compiled of the ten highest paying sporting events in the world. The events were ranked according to the amount of money paid to the winner and only annual, bi-annual, or quadrennial events were included in the countdown. It is in a style similar to our coverage of the strangest sports stories on record.
The best paying sport in the world?
Soccer.
Coincidence or not, it is also the most popular sport outside the US border, where it is commonly referred to as football. Four out of the top 5 events in our countdown are soccer tournaments. And by taking a quick look at them, it is more than obvious that European people really love their soccer – 3 out of these 4 tournaments are held on the continent. In the US, the highest paying sporting event is the World Series, with a prize of $19 million for the winner.
Curious to see who else has made the list? Let’s take a look at the countdown of the highest paying sporting events:
No. 10: FIFA Club World Cup
Prize: $5 million
FIFA Club World Cup is an annual soccer tournament that brings together club teams for all over the world. The last tournament was held in Japan and was won by Corinthians, a Brazilian soccer team.
No. 9: Dubai World Cup
Prize: $6 million
The Dubai World Cup, organized by UAE’s prime minister is the highest-paying horse racing tournament in the world. And considering the race lasts a little over 2 minutes, $6 million is an impressive prize.
No. 8: World Series of Poker
Prize: $8.5 million
Well, you might be inclined to say that poker is not exactly a sport, but most experts in the field seem to agree that it is; and a high paying one at that.
No. 7: FedEX Cup
Prize: $10 million
No, FedEx is not a package delivery competition. It is actually the highest-paying golf tournament in the world. Last year’s winner is Brandt Snedeker, but the tournament was also one by two of the biggest names in golf: Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh.
No. 6: Super Bowl
Prize: $11 million
Probably the most watched sporting event in the US, the Super Bowl, only ranked 6th in our countdown. This year’s winners were the Baltimore Ravens, whose players each made $172,000.
No. 5: UEFA Europa League
Prize: $12 million
UEFA Europa League, previously known as the UEFA Cup, is an annual soccer tournament for European club teams. Teams qualify according to how they perform in their own national league.
No. 4: World Series
Prize: $19 million
Baseball might not be as popular as football here in the USA, but it certainly pays better. Well, at least for the winners of the World Series. This year, the San Francisco Giants defeated the Detroit Tigers and each player earned about $377,000.
No. 3: UEFA EURO
Prize: $29 million
Also known as the UEFA European Championship, the UEFA EURO is a quadrennial soccer competition pinning together national teams from across the continent. The 2016 event will be hosted by France.
No. 2: FIFA World Cup
Prize: $31 million
The FIFA World Cup might be the most prestigious event in the world soccer, but it is only the runner-up in our countdown. It’s a quadrennial sporting event where national soccer teams from around the world compete against each other.
No. 1: UEFA Champions League
Prize: $65 million
The highest paying sporting event in the world has a prize that amounts to more than twice that of the runner-up. And it is also held annually. This year’s winner, the German soccer club Bayern Munich received a $65 million prize cash – and a shiny trophy.
