The eyes of the world have been on Qatar recently thanks to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. OddsChecker, which compares soccer odds and offers, had made Argentina the second favourites for glory in the desert this winter, and they lived up to the billing. The tournament represented the crowning moment of their captain, Lionel Messi. The 35-year-old was at his dazzling best as he led the Albiceleste to a first FIFA World Cup trophy since the days of Diego Maradona.
But the world of soccer has been transformed in recent years. In the last five years alone, we have seen players transfer between clubs for astronomical fees. Neymar left Barcelona for Paris Saint Germain in 2017 for €222m, and Kylian Mbappé joined him in Paris – initially on loan – permanently the following summer for €180m. Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann both headed to the Camp Nou for fees well in excess of €100m, while Joao Felix traded Benfica for Atlético Madrid for a similar price in 2019.
The influx of cash into soccer can be traced back to the foundation of the English Premier League in 1992. The English top flight broke away from the English football league that year on the back of a megamoney TV deal offered by Rupert Murdoch and his BskyB cable TV company. The rest, as they say, is history.
Football is one of the most popular sports in the world and has some of the most lucrative TV deals as well. Here are the top 5 football leagues that have the most lucrative TV deals.
- Premier League – England
The English Premier League (EPL) is the most profitable football league in the world. The EPL has had a very successful TV deal with Sky Sports, with a reported £5.1 billion deal in place for the 2016-2019 seasons. This deal has seen the EPL become the highest revenue-generating league in the world.
The reigning champions of the Premier League are Manchester City. They battled back from two goals down on the final day of last season to win 3-2 and secure the title in dramatic fashion. They have a challenge on their hands this season, however, and if they are to retain their crown, they will need to overturn a five-point gap to league leaders Arsenal.
2. La Liga – Spain
La Liga has recently signed a new five-year domestic TV deal worth €2.65bn with Mediapro. This deal will see La Liga become the second most lucrative league in the world. The domestic TV deal with Mediapro began in the 2019-20 season and should ensure that La Liga remains one of the most profitable leagues in the world.
Real Madrid are the current Spanish Champions. They completed back-to-back titles back in May.
3. Bundesliga – Germany
The Bundesliga is one of Europe’s most successful leagues and has signed a very lucrative deal with Sky Germany. The deal is worth €4.64bn and will run from the 2017-18 season until the 2020-21 season. This deal will make the Bundesliga the third most profitable league in the world.
Bayern Munich have won the Bundesliga title in each of the last ten seasons, and they are odds-on favourites to make it 11 this season.
4. Serie A – Italy
Serie A recently signed a new three-year deal with Sky Italia and Mediaset worth €1.7bn. This deal will ensure that Serie A remains one of the most lucrative leagues in the world and will be the fourth most profitable league in the world.
5. Ligue 1 – France
Ligue 1 is the fifth most profitable league in the world and has recently signed a new three-year deal with beIN Sports worth €1.15bn. This deal will ensure that Ligue 1 remains one of the most lucrative leagues in the world.
These are the top 5 football leagues that have the most lucrative TV deals. All of these leagues have very profitable deals in place that ensure that they remain the most popular leagues in the world.