Sports Ticker #144 - Football Money League leaders and prediction market parlays - a speed read of commercial updates from the sports world

In a fortnight that saw Wales legend Liam Williams' retirement from international rugby union, European gold medallist Robert Paxton securing his second title at the 2026 World Bowls Championships, and Scottie Scheffler's 20th PGA tour win, we bring you news of the Deloitte Football Money League's major movers, the San Francisco event set to be the largest in boxing history, and Ford's long-awaited F1 return.

As always, if there are any issues on which you’d like more information (or if you have any questions or feedback), please do let us know or get in touch with your usual contact at RPC.

English Women’s football hits £21 million money milestone
Two English women’s teams have surpassed £20 million in annual revenue for the first time as confirmed in Deloitte’s Football Money League, highlighting the rapid growth of the women’s game. Champions League winners Arsenal lead the rankings with £21.5 million, narrowly ahead of current WSL Champions Chelsea on £21.3 million. Commercial income was the primary growth driver, accounting for 72% of revenue across the top 15 clubs. Deloitte noted that several major women’s football markets – including the US – were excluded due to a lack of available data. Meanwhile, Real Madrid topped the men’s list with €1.161 billion in revenue, recording a 23% increase in commercial revenue. In another English first, Liverpool became the highest-earning English men’s club, placing fifth overall with €836 million in revenue. There were no English sides in the men’s top four, underscoring the widening spread of financial power across Europe’s elite clubs.

NBA Eyes Europe Expansion Plan
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is exploring the creation of ‘NBA Europe’, potentially launching as early as 2027. The proposed league could feature up to 16 teams, including franchises in London and Manchester. Plans involve a mix of new and existing basketball teams, and football clubs with or without basketball operations. Silver referenced discussions with major football clubs in a bid to “tap into” European football culture in the new league's creation. EuroLeague, currently Europe's biggest basketball competition, includes powerhouse teams such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the latter indicating intentions to renew its EuroLeague license for another 10 years. EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejunas voiced confidence the league's future, commenting, “having a theory is one – and making it work is two…. We’ve been here for 26 years. We know how Europe functions.” Silver reiterated the NBA’s commitment, focusing on learning from football clubs’ experience to grow basketball and the live-sports entertainment ecosystem across the continent.

Dual Départs: UK gears up for Historic Tour de France double
Organisers have revealed historic plans for the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes to both begin in the United Kingdom. Plans for dual Grand Départs in July 2027 will mark the first time both races start in the same country outside of France. The men’s race will begin in Edinburgh on 2 July, heading south through Liverpool, with the final stage finishing in Cardiff across challenging climbs. The women’s Tour will launch on 30 July from Leeds, proceed to Manchester, and conclude with a London stage. Simon Morton, director of UK Sport, stated that the route aims to “reach, unite and inspire people right across the country”. Organisers and local leaders have highlighted opportunities to inspire greater participation in cycling and deliver lasting social and economic benefits. The last British Grand Départ, 12 years ago, attracted around 3.5 million spectators and generated approximately £128 million in economic benefits for host cities.

YouTube to stream record-setting San Francisco boxing spectacle
Global sports marketing company iVisit Boxing (iVB) is gearing up to stage what could become the most attended boxing event in history. San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza will be transformed into an open-air arena for the event, happening on 11 July. The current attendance record of 135,132 was set at a 1941 bout between Tony Zale and Billy Pryor in Milwaukee. iVB CEO Ed Pereira revealed that the majority of tickets would be free, saying the event “belongs to its fans, its fighters and its communities.” Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Deontay Wilder have been linked to the event, though there is no agreement in place. The London-based company has plans for 24 boxing cards over the next year. The first show will be revealed next month at a Las Vegas press conference. Boxing fans will be able to watch on YouTube, which has agreed a deal with iVB to stream the series, billed as “iconic.”

High stakes: prediction markets chase parlays to boost betting
Kalshi and Polymarket, two of the world's fastest-growing prediction market providers, are striving to accumulate enough liquidity to offer multi-leg sports betting to their users. Known as “parlays” in the US, or “accumulators” in the UK, these multi-leg bets offer greater payouts if a series of predictions come true. Prediction markets have traditionally provided participants with the opportunity to bet on binary outcomes – such as the result of a football match. Prices and odds are determined by how other users are betting. However, parlays will require prediction markets to offer liquidity pools for each bet, whereas conventional sports betting groups have previously been able to offer bundled preset odds cheaply. As covered in Sports Ticker #140, Kalshi reportedly handled $1 billion in weekly sports volume at the end of 2025. Parlays will provide the opportunity to entice customers from traditional gambling sites, in an attempt to further disrupt the $14bn US sports gambling industry.

Extra time...

…and finally, automobile pioneer Ford has announced its return to F1 from next season, following a 22-year absence from the sport. Once F1 juggernauts, having won 176 races and 10 World Constructors’ Championships, the seasoned brand is targeting a triumphant homecoming through an engineering partnership with Red Bull Racing. While full details remain under wraps, the pair are expected to collaborate on the development of next generation hybrid power units for both Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri cars from 2026 until at least 2030. The partnership aligns with incoming hybrid power regulations, requiring units three times larger than those currently in use. Described by Red Bull’s chief engineer as “the biggest shift in regulations the sport has ever seen”, next season promises to be a spectacle fans can’t a Ford to miss.