Ranked: The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes in 2026

Key Takeaways

• Cristiano Ronaldo topped all athletes with an estimated $300 million in earnings, the only one above $200 million and roughly $130 million ahead of No. 2 Canelo Álvarez.
• Soccer and basketball each placed three athletes in the top 10, together accounting for six of the world’s highest-paid stars.
• Shohei Ohtani and LeBron James earned more off the field than on it in the 2025–26 season.

Elite sports earnings are increasingly concentrated among a small group of global superstars.

Across the 2025–26 season, the world’s 10 highest-paid athletes earned more than $1.4 billion combined from salaries, prize money, endorsements, appearance fees, licensing, and business ventures.

This visualization ranks the world’s 10 highest-paid athletes using data from Forbes, showing each athlete’s total earnings and how that income breaks down between on-field and off-field sources.

Read the full article here.