Forbes list of the most valuable MLS clubs

The official stadium of Los Angeles FC, the most valuable MLS club as of the 2024 Major League Soccer season.

Forbes compiles the finances of all 29 ^[a] MLS clubs to produce an annual ranking of the best franchises in terms of valuation. The valuations are composed of various variables in financial information and transaction data reported by several club executives. ^[1] These areas are supported by applying financial metrics such as revenue and operating income to each one. ^[2]

The latest ranking reported that Los Angeles FC is the most valuable MLS franchise after the 2024 Major League Soccer season. ^[3] The fastest growing MLS franchise is Inter Miami CF with a 17% increase in valuation since the 2023 Major League Soccer season, largely in part by the widespread popularity of Argentine superstar and 2024 MLS Most Valuable Player Lionel Messi. Los Angeles FC became the new club for highest valuation after Atlanta United FC held the position in 2019. ^[4]

Several media outlets have referenced in related news or conducts analytic journalism when the ranking comes out, such as The Cincinnati Enquirer and American City Business Journals. ^{[5] [6]} MLS has consistently recognized the renditions of the ranking. ^{[7] [8]} The report has also applied more context to MLS trends, such as the decrease in valuation in relationship with the decrease in attendance for Chicago Fire FC. ^[9]

Ranking

Rankings as of March 2, 2025 (2024 Major League Soccer season)

Rank	Swing	Club	State/ province	Value [b]	Change [c]	Revenue [d]	Operating income [e]
1		Los Angeles FC	California	$1.25 billion	4%	$150 million	$12 million
2		Inter Miami CF	Florida	$1.2 billion	17%	$180 million	$50 million
3		LA Galaxy	California	$1 billion	5%	$102 million	$2 million
4		Atlanta United FC	Georgia	$0.975 billion	8%	$105 million	$10 million
5		New York City FC	New York	$0.875 billion	3%	$78 million	–$8 million
6	2	Austin FC	Texas	$0.825 billion	10%	$90 million	$4 million
7	1	Seattle Sounders FC	Washington	$0.8 billion	2%	$83 million	$2 million
8	1	D.C. United	Washington, D.C.	$0.785 billion	1%	$90 million	$10 million
9	6	Columbus Crew	Ohio	$0.735 billion	15%	$74 million	–$10 million
10	4	FC Cincinnati	Ohio	$0.73 billion	12%	$76 million	$3 million
11	2	Toronto FC	Ontario	$0.725 billion	0%	$70 million	–$12 million
12	2	Charlotte FC	North Carolina	$0.7 billion	1%	$81 million	$4 million
13	1	Philadelphia Union	Pennsylvania	$0.69 billion	3%	$72 million	–$8 million
14	3	St. Louis City SC	Missouri	$0.685 billion	1%	$75 million	–$2 million
15	2	Portland Timbers	Oregon	$0.67 billion	2%	$68 million	$1 million
16		Sporting Kansas City	Kansas	$0.65 billion	3%	$75 million	–$2 million
17		Minnesota United FC	Minnesota	$0.61 billion	2%	$63 million	–$12 million
18	1	New York Red Bulls	New Jersey	$0.58 billion	4%	$64 million	–$5 million
19	1	Nashville SC	Tennessee	$0.57 billion	0%	$53 million	–$8 million
20		Houston Dynamo FC	Texas	$0.55 billion	4%	$58 million	–$2 million
21	3	FC Dallas	Texas	$0.545 billion	9%	$54 million	–$15 million
22	1	San Jose Earthquakes	California	$0.54 billion	7%	$59 million	–$10 million
23	2	New England Revolution	Massachusetts	$0.535 billion	3%	$63 million	$5 million
24	2	Chicago Fire FC	Illinois	$0.53 billion	3%	$51 million	$2 million
25		Real Salt Lake	Utah	$0.5 billion	3%	$50 million	$0
26		Orlando City SC	Florida	$0.475 billion	0%	$50 million	–$3 million
27	1	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	British Columbia	$0.44 billion	5%	$40 million	–$10 million
28	1	CF Montréal	Quebec	$0.435 billion	1%	$45 million	–$7 million
29		Colorado Rapids	Colorado	$0.415 billion	4%	$42 million	–$8 million

Historical valuations

Historical valuations (in US$ millions) by MLS club ^[f]

Club	2024	2018
Los Angeles FC	1,250	475
Inter Miami CF	1,200
LA Galaxy	1,000	480
Atlanta United FC	975	500
New York City FC	875	385
Austin FC	825	405
Seattle Sounders FC	800	330
D.C. United	785
Columbus Crew	735	395
FC Cincinnati	730
Toronto FC	725
Charlotte FC	700	240
Philadelphia Union	690	390
St. Louis City SC	685	285
Portland Timbers	670	200
Sporting Kansas City	650	325
Minnesota United FC	610	300
New York Red Bulls	580
Nashville SC	570	290
Houston Dynamo FC	550	280
FC Dallas	545	245
San Jose Earthquakes	540	335
New England Revolution	535	275
Chicago Fire FC	530	220
Real Salt Lake	500	235
Orlando City SC	475	295
Vancouver Whitecaps FC	440	210
CF Montréal	435	215
Colorado Rapids	415	190

See also

• Forbes' list of the most valuable sports teams
• List of professional sports leagues by revenue

Notes

1. Expansion club San Diego FC, which began play during the 2025 Major League Soccer season, was omitted from the ranking.
2. Value of team (in USD) based on current stadium deal (unless new stadium is pending), without deduction for debt (other than stadium debt).
3. Change of valuation from the 2023 Major League Soccer season to the 2024 Major League Soccer season.
4. Revenue in USD.
5. Earnings (in USD) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
6. Financial data taken from the 2025 and 2019 Forbes valuations articles.

References

1. "Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Teams 2019: Atlanta Stays On Top As Expansion Fees, Sale Prices Surge". Forbes. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
2. "Major League Soccer's Most Valuable Clubs 2023: LAFC Is The First Billion-Dollar Franchise". Forbes . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
3. "LAFC". Forbes. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
4. "LAFC value hits 1 billion dollars, but who's buying?". World Soccer Talk. February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
5. "Report: FC Cincinnati's value climbed from $285M to $560M". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
6. "David Tepper MLS team Charlotte FC nearly doubles in value: Forbes". American City Business Journals . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
7. "Forbes releases annual MLS team valuations as Seattle and LA lead the way". Major League Soccer . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
8. "Atlanta United retain top spot in Forbes' annual MLS team valuations". Major League Soccer . Retrieved February 8, 2023.
9. "All-Time Attendance". Chicago Fire FC . Retrieved February 8, 2023.