Top 10 Richest Sporting Events in the World

Here’s a list the Top 10 most richest sporting events in the World. The list is made on the basis of the amount paid out to the winner of the event or tournament.

This can come as news for those who did not think Football was the king of the sporting world.

10. ICC Cricket World Cup – $4 million

The premier international cricketing event of the men’s One Day International. The event hosts several National teams and is organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The first event was held in in England in 1975. The current champion’s title is held by India.

The Indian Cricket team after winning the ICC World Cup

9. The World Series of Poker – $8.7 million

This is a series of Poker tournaments held every year in Las Vegas, and is sponsored by Caesars Entertainment. The event’s origins goes back as far as 1970, when a man named Benny Binion invited all the best Poker players to the Horshoe Casino for a single event. The most recent Poker champion is Greg Merson.

8. UEFA Europa League – $9 million

The UEFA Europa League, previously called the UEFA Cup, is the second most prestigious club tournament in the world after the UEFA Champions League. The current champion is Atletico Madrid. The clubs qualify for this tournament based on their performance in their respective national leagues and cup competitions.

7. The Dubai World Cup Night (Horse Racing) – $10 million

This is a thoroughbred race held annually at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. Monterosso is the name of the horse that won the recent event, and is owned by Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. The Prince is the son of the founder of the event.

6. FedEx Cup – $10 million

The top 125 golf players in the world qualify and play a four event tournament. The players are whittled down to 30 players, and the player accumulating the most number of points wins the FedEx Cup. The current champion is Brandt Snedeker.

5. The World Series – $15.5 million

The annual event is played by teams of the North American Major League Baseball (MLB). The champions of the American League (AL) and National League (NL) champions have been playing against each other since 1903. The champion is decided by a best-of-seven playoff and is also awarded the Commissioner’s Trophy. Last October, the St. Louis Cardinals beat The Texas Rangers, and each player of the Cardinals was awarded $323,169 for their efforts.

4. The Super Bowl – $15.5 million

The annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), it is the highest level of professional football in the United States. The first ever Super Bowl was held in 1967. Quarterback Eli Manning of the New York Giants led his team to win last February. The win saw each player being awarded $172,000.

New York Giants quarterback, Eli Manning, after winning the Super Bowl

3. FIFA World Cup – $31 million

The tournament, held once every four years, involves 32 teams competing, at venues of the host nation. Teams qualify during the three year period before the actual event. The first World Cup was held in 1930, which saw Uruguay win the title. The current title is held by Spain, who won the World Cup held in South Africa. The most successful team is Brazil, who have won the title 5 times.

2. UEFA European Football Championship – $33 million

The tournament is seen to be in par with the World Cup, but features only the national teams from Europe. The event was originally called UEFA European Nations Cup, but was changed to the current name in 1968. The Soviet Union was the team to win the first tournament, which was held in France in 1960. The current champion is Spain, who have won the title 3 times. Germany have also won the title 3 times.

1. UEFA Champions League – $77 million

The Chelsea team with their Champions League Trophy

The Champions League, earlier called the European Champion Clubs’ Cup or European Cup, is the most prestigious club soccer event in the World. The annual event, which was started in 1955, sees top clubs in Europe competing against each other. The clubs qualify on the basis of their performance in their respective National league events. The current champion is English club Chelsea. The most successful club in this competition is Real Madrid with 9 titles.

Source-Forbes