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 | 2025 Value | 2024 Value | $ Change | # Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | LAFC | $1.28 billion | $1.15 billion | + $130 million | – |
| 2. | Inter Miami | $1.19 billion | $1.02 billion | + $102 million | + 1 |
| 3, | LA Galaxy | $1.11 billion | $1.00 billion | + $110 million | + 1 |
| 4. | Atlanta United | $1.08 billion | $1.05 billion | + $30 million | - 2 |
| 5. | New York City FC | $1.00 billion | $840 million | + $160 million | – |
| 6. | Austin FC | $865 million | $800 million | + $65 million | – |
| 7. | Seattle Sounders | $825 million | $795 million | + $30 million | – |
| 8. | Columbus Crew | $730 million | $650 million | + $80 million | + 5 |
| 9. | FC Cincinnati | $725 million | $645 million | + $80 million | + 5 |
| 10. | Toronto FC | $725 million | $725 million | – | - 3 |
| 11. | Portland Timbers | $720 million | $710 million | + $10 million | - 1 |
| 12. | DC United | $720 million | $720 million | – | - 2 |
| 13. | Charlotte FC | $705 million | $655 million | + $50 million | - 1 |
| 14. | Philadelphia Union | $700 million | $685 million | + $15 million | - 3 |
| 15. | St. Louis City | $655 million | $625 million | + $30 million | + 3 |
| 16. | Minnesota United | $655 million | $640 million | + $15 million | – |
| 17. | Sporting Kansas City | $650 million | $630 million | + $20 million | – |
| 18. | NY Red Bulls | $645 million | $615 million | - $30 million | + 1 |
| 19. | Nashville SC | $640 million | $635 million | + $5 million | - 3 |
| 20. | San Jose | $600 million | $560 million | - $40 million | – |
| 21. | Houston Dynamo | $580 million | $550 million | - $30 million | – |
| 22. | Chicago Fire | $575 million | $540 million | - $35 million | – |
| 23. | FC Dallas | $540 million | $520 million | - $20 million | – |
| 24. | Orlando City | $540 million | $505 million | - $35 million | + 1 |
| 25. | New England | $535 million | $500 million | - $35 million | + 1 |
| 26. | Real Salt Lake | $525 million | $510 million | + $15 million | - 2 |
| 27. | Colorado Rapids | $475 million | $460 million | + $15 million | + 1 |
| 28. | Vancouver Whitecaps | $470 million | $470 million | – | - 1 |
| 29. | CF Montréal | $450 million | $440 million | - $10 million | – |
1. NYCFC are hottt
New York City's $160 million increase in valuation is the largest in the league, with the club out-performing the other heavy hitters in the Billionaire's Club.
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.
Just 18 of the league's 29 teams in 2025 increased in value. Three remained unchanged, while eight fell in value, including Orlando City (-$35 million) and Red Bulls (-$30 million). Clearly, on-field performances don't correlate with club valuations: Orlando enjoyed one of their best seasons in history, and Red Bulls made it to the 2024 MLS Cup Final.
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 | $680 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 20254was 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.
