Top 50 Athletes Earn $4.1 Billion as Ronaldo Hits $300 Million and Hamilton Reaches $100 Million
Updated
Updated · Forbes · May 22
Top 50 Athletes Earn $4.1 Billion as Ronaldo Hits $300 Million and Hamilton Reaches $100 Million
8 articles · Updated · Forbes · May 22
$4.1 billion flowed to the world's 50 highest-paid athletes in the 12 months to May 1, 2026, just below 2025's record $4.2 billion.
Cristiano Ronaldo led the ranking at $300 million—tying Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s 2015 mark for the biggest haul by an active athlete tracked by Forbes—while Lewis Hamilton became Formula 1's first $100 million earner and Shohei Ohtani set an MLB record at $127.6 million.
$1.1 billion came from off-field income, a record for the top 50, with Ohtani alone generating $125 million away from the field despite taking only $2.6 million on it because most of his Dodgers salary is deferred.
$54.6 million was enough to make the list, a new high cutoff, while Tiger Woods missed the ranking for the first time in 30 years after earning about $46 million.
20 NBA players made the top 50—the league's highest count since at least 2012—and 20 athletes were new to the ranking, underscoring how fast the earnings mix is shifting.
As Saudi Arabia pivots its sports strategy, will the financial bubble for elite athletes burst or simply shift to new ventures?
Women's sports viewership is surging, so why does the massive gender pay gap for top athletes still persist?