The Owners
Who controls sport, ranked by the value of everything they control.
Deals in flight
26 mid-sale or contested. Each stays with its current controller until the deal closes.
Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, ~$12.5bn, for Mark Walter's controlling stake, plus the Buss family's 17.8% that Jeanie Buss is contesting in court
Holds control today: Mark Walter · No NBA Board of Governors vote reported as of 19 Oct 2026; Kushner must first divest his Miami Heat stake · source
Marc Stad (Dragoneer) buying control from Marc Lore, $4.5bn valuation
Holds control today: Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez · No NBA Board of Governors approval reported as of 19 Oct 2026 · source
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment agreed to buy control from Arte Moreno at a record ~$4B valuation
Holds control today: Arte Moreno · Announced 1 Sep 2026; MLB owners' approval pending, closing expected early 2027 · source
Doug Ostrover-led group already holds the majority economic stake; Vinik keeps control and the governorship
Holds control today: Jeff Vinik · Control expected to pass around 2027 · source
The Friedkin Group exploring new investment, including a potential sale of a controlling interest
Holds control today: Dan Friedkin (The Friedkin Group) · Exploratory since 9 Oct 2026, no buyer named · source
Minority capital raise via Moelis; the Paul G. Allen estate's ~25% also for sale
Holds control today: Adrian Hanauer · No closing of the capital raise or the Allen estate stake reported as of 2 Nov 2026 · source
Kretinsky (1890s Holdings) agreed to buy shares taking him to ~46% and single largest shareholder; Staveley purchase blocked in pre-emption
Holds control today: No majority holder; David Sullivan largest shareholder · Agreement confirmed by the club 3 Sep 2026; completion not announced as of 19 Oct 2026 · source
Johnson, Harris and Blitzer all exploring a sale via Raine Group; a full club sale is among the options
Holds control today: Woody Johnson (largest shareholder) · Exploratory, no agreed buyer reported as of 2 Nov 2026 · source
No buyer named; Moelis running the process for John Fisher's controlling interest
Holds control today: John J. Fisher · Open; no buyer or MLS approval reported as of 2 Nov 2026 · source
Unnamed Western investment fund, letter of intent for ~85% of capital
Holds control today: No controlling shareholder; board bloc led by Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco · Not confirmed closed as of 28 Sep 2026. The September target reported by Spanish fan media has passed with no announcement from the club or a tier-one outlet; the same fan media now report the process paused with shareholders waiting for a higher valuation after the 2026/27 season. Single-source, so the row is unchanged. · source
Textor/Eagle Football's control of Botafogo is contested in Brazilian and Florida courts; a share-sale process has been temporarily blocked.
Holds control today: John Textor / Eagle Football · Ongoing; no resolution reported as of 19 Oct 2026 · source
Grant Gustavson-led group has bid for the club and would move it to Las Vegas
Holds control today: Greg Kerfoot-led group (Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, Steve Nash) · No sale agreed and no MLS decision reported as of 2 Nov 2026 · source
Marc Stad (Dragoneer) buying control from Marc Lore, $4.5bn valuation
Holds control today: Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez · No NBA Board of Governors approval reported as of 19 Oct 2026 · source
EQT deal for 80% of Melbourne Storm agreed 18-19 Aug 2026, not yet completed
Holds control today: EQT (agreed majority buyer, via EQT Mid Market) · Subject to Australian Rugby League Commission approval · source
Five Eleven Capital proposes buying 90% of a new SAF (about R$400m over 25 years; association keeps 10%, stadium and training ground stay with the club)
Holds control today: Esporte Clube Juventude (members' association) · Draft contract was due to go to club lawyers and the council in Feb 2026; no signing or member vote found since · source
Krause Group agreed to buy a majority of the SAD; formal and regulatory steps pending
Holds control today: Krause Group (Kyle Krause) · Agreed July 2026; closing not reported as of 2 Nov 2026 · source
Kretinsky (1890s Holdings) agreed to buy shares taking him to ~46% and single largest shareholder; Staveley purchase blocked in pre-emption
Holds control today: No majority holder; David Sullivan largest shareholder · Agreement confirmed by the club 3 Sep 2026; completion not announced as of 19 Oct 2026 · source
Kactus Capital buying 90% of a new SAF; members approved 14 Jul 2026, 60-day due diligence
Holds control today: Avaí Futebol Clube (members) · Closing not reported as of 2026-10-08 · source
House of Luxury LLC (US) announced its intention to take a 55% controlling stake; no price, completion not confirmed
Holds control today: Scarlets funding group (board shareholders) · Announced 8 Aug 2025; not confirmed as completed by Oct 2026 · source
Follows the men's club: TFG exploring a potential sale of a controlling interest in Everton
Holds control today: Dan Friedkin (The Friedkin Group) · Exploratory since 9 Oct 2026, no buyer named · source
Unnamed Western investment fund, letter of intent for ~85% of capital
Holds control today: No controlling shareholder; board bloc led by Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco · Not confirmed closed as of 28 Sep 2026. The September target reported by Spanish fan media has passed with no announcement from the club or a tier-one outlet; the same fan media now report the process paused with shareholders waiting for a higher valuation after the 2026/27 season. Single-source, so the row is unchanged. · source
Club held by TMSF after the owner's arrest; a TMSF sale tender is expected
Holds control today: TMSF (Savings Deposit Insurance Fund), receivership · Receivership since Nov 2025; no sale announced as of 2026-10-07 · source
Who controls the club company is not public
Holds control today: Controlling shareholder not publicly disclosed · Under review · source
Who controls the club company is not public
Holds control today: Controlling shareholder not publicly disclosed · Under review · source
Who controls the club company is not public
Holds control today: Controlling shareholder not publicly disclosed · Under review · source
Who controls the club company is not public
Holds control today: Controlling shareholder not publicly disclosed · Under review · source
How this is measured
A portfolio sums the full valuation of every franchise an entity controls, from the valuations board. It is not pro-rated by stake, because published stakes are often just “majority”. Read it as the value of the sport an owner controls. Minority stakes are shown, never summed.
One controller per franchise. Shared control names the co-controllers; an unresolved sale is marked rather than guessed.
500 of 836 rows link a primary source (league, club, filing or tier-one outlet). The rest are cross-checked against an ownership-change sweep and reviewed weekly.
Download the network
Who controls what, as owner-to-club links you can load into Gephi or a spreadsheet. Each ownership link names its evidence and, where there is one, its source.
- links.csvevery link, with evidence and source
- entities.csvowners, clubs and leagues
- gephi-nodes.csvnodes for Gephi
- gephi-edges.csvedges for Gephi
- README.txtwhat each file holds
- SHA256SUMS.txtchecksums
- sourced
- a primary source is linked: league, club, filing or tier-one outlet.
- cross-checked
- matched against the ownership-change sweep.
- contested
- disputed or mid-sale.
A link is a record of control, not a claim about anyone’s intent or conduct. Valuation figures are not included. Our compilation is released under CC BY-NC 4.0.