The Richest Sporting Events in the World

A look at the sporting events that offer the highest purses

Sporting events have always had a “air” of fascination about them. A precedent set by the Olympics, sporting events pit players and teams against each other for a coveted prize. These events blend a combination of sport and society that seems to grow even more so as more tournaments are opening their “windows of opportunity” for the masses. Performing well in these sporting events will yield instant credibility.

In addition, sporting events draw a larger audience since the participants are courted by more representation. The best example of this is the World Cup, which occurs every four years and has more countries participating in it than any other sporting event besides the Olympics. Whether it’s football, horse racing or poker, sporting events that offer large amounts of money and prestige will only draw fascination for entertainment, pride and for ways to wager on gambling news they produce.

American Football, horse racing, golf make up the bottom half

The FIFA Club World Cup is a USD 5 million tournament that first took place in Brazil in 2000. The tournament, organized by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), has been held yearly since 2005. In this tournament, seven teams compete for the title at different venue for two weeks. The winners from the years top leagues including Champions League and Copa Libertadores compete in a single elimination tournament.

Dubai World Cup is the world’s richest horse race at USD 10 million. Created by UAE Prime Minister and Vice President, Ruler of Dubai an avid horse enthusiast Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 1996. The event takes place yearly on the last Saturday in March at the fabulous USD 1.25 billion Meydan Racecourse.

The FedEx Cup is the final event on the Professional Golf Tour with the winner recieving the championship trophy for the PGA Tour. The USD 10 million event was first awarded in 2007 and is sponsored by FedEx. In addition, the points accumulated in the FedEx Cup directly determine the 125 golfers who will retain their validity and PGA Tour privileges.

The National Football League Championship or the Super Bowl has always been hailed as one of the richer events in the world. At USD 11 million, the Super bowl makes far more money from endorsements and the gambling within and outside of US gambling laws. Also, the Super Bowl has been seen as the “holy grail” for U.S. marketing as a 30 second commercial spot can put advertisers as far back as USD 4 million.

Most wouldn’t guess that a card playing event could offer a purse higher than the Super Bowl, but the World Series of Poker definitely qualifies. This USD 10 million gauranteed event, takes place in Las Vegas annual. The event, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment, formerly known as Harrah’s Entertainment, started in 1970 when one guy invited seven of the best-known poker players at the time for a single tournament at the Horseshoe Casino.

Football tournaments dominate the top positions offering the highest prizes

The UEFA Europa League, a new version of the UEFA Cup is a USD 12 million tournament that has been around since 1971. The competing teams are determined by their regular season performance in their own national leagues and cup competitions. Some consider the cup a distraction from normal league play. The winner will qualify for the UEFA Super Cup and the Champions League.

Considering that baseball is the highest paid team sport in the United States, it’s no surprise that the World Series would offer one of the highest payouts in the world. The USD 19 million is over 100 years old. The New York Yankees have won the most World Series’ Titles with 27. The best of seven series pits the winner of the American League and the National League.

The UEFA European Championships were founded in 1960. Although the tournament only features four teams, it boasts a purse of USD 29 million. Originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, the tournament happens every four years between World Cup tournaments and has been newly expanded to 24 teams. The winner will be considered the Continental European Champion. The next event will make French gambling news.

The FIFA World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world. The event, happening every four years, is a competition between the national teams of each country. Teams have to play qualifying matches for three years in order to advance to the “tournament phase” in which 32 teams compete in a host country for four weeks time. Since 1930, Brazil, Germany and Italy have won the most times. The prestige from winning the World Cup is virtually unsurpassed, as well as its USD 31 million prize.

The UEFA Champions League offers the most expensive reward out of any sporting tournament in the world. At USD 65 million, there’s no wonder football clubs will go out of their regular season match play routines to play Champion’s League matches without complaint. Seen more as a “best of the best” tournament, the Champions League winners are better equipped to take their reward money and “recycle” it back into their programs creating stronger teams.