The world’s 50 top-paid athletes earned a combined $4.1 billion over the past 12 months, marking the first decline in eight years, Forbes reported on May 22, 2026. The 3% drop from 2025’s record $4.2 billion ended an unbroken streak of rising incomes that began after the pandemic-driven slump of 2020.
Athletes collected $3 billion from salaries, bonuses, and prize money, with another $1.1 billion flowing from endorsements, appearances, memorabilia, and other ventures. The dip stems partly from fewer massive NFL contracts signed over the past year compared to previous cycles.
Record Floor and Familiar Face at the Top
Cristiano Ronaldo led all athletes for the fourth consecutive year with an estimated $300 million, equaling the best single-year figure Forbes has ever recorded. The Portuguese soccer star earned $235 million on the field and $65 million off it.
Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez ranked second with $170 million, followed by Lionel Messi at $140 million. LeBron James claimed fourth place with $137.8 million, while Shohei Ohtani rounded out the top five at $127.6 million.
The cutoff to make the top 50 rose to a record $54.6 million, up from $53.6 million in 2025. Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner claimed the 50th spot.
Basketball Adds Four Seats to Earnings Elite
Twenty NBA players appeared in the 2026 rankings, up from 16 the previous year. The league’s rising salary cap drove the increase, with players like Jayson Tatum ($82.2 million) and Giannis Antetokounmpo ($99.2 million) posting nine-figure totals.
Soccer remained well represented with multiple entries, while football, golf, boxing, auto racing, baseball, and tennis rounded out the eight sports featured. Athletes from 18 countries made the list, with 29 coming from the United States.
Jake Paul ranked 23rd with $70 million in earnings, primarily from boxing. The influencer-turned-fighter earned $60 million on the field and $10 million from endorsements and other ventures.
Second-Best Year Still Signals Strength
Despite the decline, the $4.1 billion total represents the second-highest athlete earnings figure Forbes has measured without adjusting for inflation. The streak of growth that began in 2018, when the top 50 earned $2.6 billion combined, reflects years of expanding league revenues and investor interest across professional sports.
Global leagues continue posting record revenues as investors pour capital into expansion opportunities. The temporary 2020 dip, when empty stadiums forced by the Covid-19 pandemic cut into earnings, proved short-lived.
No female athletes cracked the top 50 for the third straight year, even as the WNBA attracts surging investment and implements higher salary caps. Three athletes in their 40s made the list, but Tiger Woods failed to appear for the first time in three decades.
The 2026 rankings featured 20 newcomers, signaling turnover as younger stars command larger contracts and endorsement portfolios. With NBA salaries continuing to climb, the league may add even more representatives to next year’s list and help reverse the one-year earnings dip.
