00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 sporting events
00:08that either day-to-day or cumulatively are the most expensive in the world to hold.
00:18Number 10, UEFA Champions League.
00:28As one of the most frequently held contenders for the top prize, the UEFA Champions League runs between September and
00:33May every season,
00:34not counting the qualification rounds in July and August.
00:37It's a multi-territory, high-density broadcast and commercial ecosystem that needs to factor in a wide range of stadiums
00:43for around 125 or more matches every year.
00:51And it's been a five-star show.
00:54Its production costs range in the billions each season, but of course, its revenues from ticket sales, sponsorships, and broadcast
01:00rights are truly gargantuan.
01:02Despite being Eurocentric, it is undoubtedly the pinnacle of club football.
01:06And emotional moments of glorious triumph for Barcelona.
01:10Number 9, The Masters.
01:12When it comes to the highest levels of golf, it's the small details that really count.
01:16For the Masters, maintaining a controlled environment is absolutely crucial.
01:31The tournament is always held in Augusta, Georgia, which does help to some degree.
01:35However, its cost intensity lies in the millions that go into course maintenance, grandstand construction, security, and hosting hospitality areas.
01:51Although there are no publicly released records of the production costs, estimates put it close to over $100 million for
01:57the week.
01:58It all gets recouped by sales and broadcast rights, but this is undoubtedly one of the most expensive weeks in
02:02all of sports.
02:13Number 8, NBA Finals.
02:15With as few as four and as many as seven games, it's understandable that the exact costs of the NBA
02:20Finals have been known to fluctuate.
02:23Jordan, open, Chicago with the lead!
02:26In those relatively few nights of the year, though, no stone is left unturned in this two-city project.
02:32No expense is spared in the transformation of the arenas themselves, while every effort is made to provide the teams
02:37and the VIPs with a secure and luxurious experience.
02:40Allen on the drive, gets to the basket, lefty layup, banks it in!
02:44And it's a five-point game with 16.4 remaining.
02:47The revenues generated from the broadcast, sponsors, and sky-high ticket prices make it more than worth the NBA's while
02:53in the end.
02:53It's over! It's over! McVans, this is not a dream! Your long, long wait has ended!
03:01Number 7, Tour de France.
03:02When it comes to logistics, the Tour de France is an annual event that pulls off a far more impressive
03:07feat than most tournaments.
03:17Overall, it's expensive not because of venues, but because it's a three-week, continuously-moving mega-event, spanning thousands of
03:23kilometers.
03:23Schmidt checks again. Abrahamsen refuses to go through. He plays poker with the best poker face in the business.
03:31That's the type of setup that invites catastrophe, and yet, maintaining a high-quality broadcast with constant security and support
03:37is a mission that they generally succeed in.
03:40Exact production budgets are not made public every year, but maintaining an operation like this over three weeks is always
03:45going to be costly.
03:46Pogaccio goes for the finish line now. It's going to be 100 career wins.
03:51Number 6, Super Bowl.
03:53The costs of the yearly Super Bowl halftime show alone be enough to put it in contention for a spot
03:57on this list, with some sources putting it at $1 million per minute.
04:01Goes to the back of the end zone, and it is caught for a touchdown!
04:06The event as a whole combines many other factors, making it one of the most, if not the single most
04:11expensive night in sports, period.
04:13The NFL put tens of millions into ensuring the show runs as it should, while the host city also shoulders
04:18some of the financial burden.
04:19As Winterspoon came under pressure, and Uchida Nwosu is going the distance for a touchdown!
04:26Even getting your advert run in the middle of the show costs an astronomical amount.
04:30While the exact costs will vary year to year, even the cheapest Super Bowls cost a small fortune to put
04:35together.
04:42Number 5, ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.
04:45Any worldwide broadcast that takes place over 6 weeks is going to cost some serious money.
04:51In the air, gong, straight to mid on.
04:55However, many of you might be genuinely shocked to find out just how pricey the Cricket World Cup actually is
05:00relative to other major sporting tournaments.
05:05Got him! Smith goes!
05:07We don't have the exact figures, but the revenue generated from the 2023 World Cup made it the biggest World
05:12Cup of all time.
05:13The fact that it's a sponsorship juggernaut certainly helps to offset some of the costs, and its major presence in
05:18South Asia cannot be understated.
05:20He's got it! England have won the World Cup by the barest of margins!
05:25Number 4, Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix.
05:28Here come the lights for the Monaco Grand Prix!
05:31If you know anything about Formula 1, you won't be surprised to hear that the Monaco Grand Prix is one
05:36of the most expensive single-race events in global sport.
05:39Synonymous with luxury and exclusivity, the festivities that build up to the Monaco Grand Prix are often just as desirable
05:45for those who attend.
05:46The costs of setting up this track and all of its amenities were high enough to begin with, and the
05:50$20 million paid by Monaco to Formula 1 is no small thing.
05:53George Russell finally gets by because Lando Norris is retiring from the Grand Prix by the looks of things.
06:00F1 street circuits typically require tens of millions per race in setup, security, and logistics, with Monaco clearly among the
06:07highest due to geography and prestige constraints.
06:09It's a tightly run operation that justifies its price tag with its enormous revenue.
06:13Technicalities! Penalties! Contact! And in the end, Kimi Antonelli, a Mercedes-Mile clear of anyone else.
06:22Number 3. UEFA European Championships
06:25Like the World Cup, the UEFA European Championships represents a real peak for international football, and there aren't too many
06:31differences between the Euros and their global cousins.
06:33What kids! Bang on 90 minutes!
06:39The fact that it's a European competition is of course what drops it down a peg or two.
06:42Staging the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament cost UEFA approximately €645.5 million, which covered stadium rentals, staffing, ceremonies, transport, and
06:52event production, among other things.
07:04The recoup was truly massive though, both for UEFA and in terms of the economic boost given to the host
07:09nation.
07:09It's a level of extravagance in football that can of course only be bested by one other tournament.
07:22Number 2. FIFA World Cup
07:24Production costs that number in the tens of billions are not uncommon for World Cups these days.
07:28Not only do FIFA put forth a huge production budget every four years, but the host country themselves tend to
07:33break the bank to ensure that they fulfill their duties well.
07:41The 2022 World Cup in Qatar had its estimated costs reported to be as high as $200 billion, just to
07:47get the infrastructure where it needed to be.
07:49Building new stadiums specifically for the World Cup is not out of the ordinary for host nations.
08:00Fortunately for them, this five-week tournament is among the most-watched sporting events in the world.
08:04A money-printing machine from its start right up to the eventual final.
08:09And in 2022, the world champions are Argentina.
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08:27Number 1. Olympic Games Summer and Winter
08:30When it comes to large-scale operations, the Olympic Games simply cannot be matched in terms of the overall costs.
08:44Unlike league-based competitions, they require host cities to temporarily operate as multi-sport hubs,
08:49with dozens of venues, athlete villages, and other networks working for weeks on end.
08:54Billions of dollars are spent every four years to keep things running smoothly, day-to-day.
08:58Across the wide range of sports that take place.
09:00Bolt going very near, here comes Usain Bolt!
09:03Usain Bolt storming through, he takes it again, Blake gets the silver!
09:07While the Summer Games are more expensive with costs between $10 and $20 billion on average,
09:11combined with the Winter Games, it takes its final placement to another level.
09:15The benchmark for sporting production globally.
09:23But what's your own personal favorite sporting event in the world?
09:26Let us know in the comments below.
09:33All right.
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