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| SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 06: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between USA and Belgium at Seattle Stadium on July 06, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Soobum Im - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) ... More FIFA VIA GETTY IMAGES |
According to a report early Monday from Sky Sports, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is part of a consortium that is nearing a purchase of one-third of Liverpool Football Club. The transaction will value the famous English Premier League outfit at about $6 billion, per that report.
With a current net worth estimated at $283.8 billion, Bezos is the world’s third-wealthiest man. And while Amazon Prime Video has become an increasingly prominent player in the world of live sports TV rights, the investment would be Bezos’ first directly into a major professional sports team.
Bezos wouldn’t be anywhere close to a majority investor in the club, given that there are several members of the consortium that would take one-third control of the 20-time English league champions.
Even so, it’s intriguing that Bezos might begin his dalliance in sports ownership in the Premier League, rather than an American league such as the NFL, where he was once linked to a potential purchase of the Washington Commanders.
Why might one of the world’s most influential businessmen think the Premier League is the right place to invest right now? Read on for four possible reasons.
Bang for the Buck?
While $6 billion is a substantial figure, it’s less than half of the going rate for the Dallas Cowboys, currently the world’s highest valued sports franchise at $13 billion.
Yet Liverpool has exponentially more followers worldwide, a figure estimated in the hundreds of millions thanks to the Premier League’s unrivaled global distribution.
Of course, the overwhelming majority of Cowboys and other NFL fans live in United States, the world’s wealthiest economy, and it’s the NFL’s domination of that economy that leads to the high valuation of the Cowboys and other franchises. But there’s still a case that global soccer entities like Liverpool bring more for their investment buck.
Unique Growth Potential
The immediate aftermath of the 2026 World Cup in the United States could prove uniquely favorable when it comes to global soccer brands growing their profile among American audiences.
For better or worse, the assumption among sports media types has been that fans newly infatuated with the sport will seek to continue their interest by watching the Premier League, rather than MLS or other domestic U.S. leagues. And there could be a lot of those folks if the TV numbers are any indication.
The final between Spain and Argentina on July 19 drew an audience of more than 60 million viewers in the United States, according to data provided by rights holders Fox and Telemundo. That made it the most-watched non-NFL sporting event in the U.S. since the Nancy Kerrigan-Tanya Harding scandal captivated audiences at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.
Premier League audiences on NBC have already proved sizable, rivaling national NBA or MLB regular season broadcasts on network TV.
More Revenue Control
Unlike NFL franchises, which operate with widespread revenue sharing between the 32 teams, Liverpool FC and other huge soccer brands have more control over their own revenue generation.
Money from the Premier League’s TV contracts are distributed partially by merit, meaning higher achieving clubs and those appearing in more televised games take in a larger share. And unlike the NFL, soccer clubs keep all of the revenue they generate from commercial partnerships, matchday revenue and merchandise sales.
If this is truly a watershed moment for major European soccer in the U.S., the revenue potential of that moment may be even larger than an equivalent opportunity within U.S. pro sports leagues.
Better Competitive Prospects
After a famously long drought, Liverpool have won two of the last seven English Premier League titles. And with Pep Guardiola departing as Manchester City manager following last season, it feels like there is an opportunity for another club to overtake City as the dominant force in English football.
Liverpool certainly won’t be the only team trying to do that. But they are among the clubs most suited to be successful, given the combination of their recent upward trends and history of success.
On the flip side, global soccer isn’t constrained by the same North American competitive models that create the parity of the NFL. Only seven clubs have won the Premier League since it split from the old English Football League in the early 1990s. So if Liverpool can emerge as the new dominant force, their place atop the English football pecking order could become relatively stable.
- Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes
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