Highlights
- David Beckham became Britain’s first billionaire sportsman per the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List.
- The Beckhams’ combined fortune hit £1.185bn, doubling from £500m in just one year.
- Inter Miami’s $1.45bn valuation and Victoria’s fashion revenues fueled the historic wealth surge.
He bent it, he branded it, and now he’s banked it. Sir David Beckham has officially made history as Britain’s first billionaire sportsman, according to the newly released 2026 Sunday Times Rich List, and the numbers are nothing short of staggering.
The former England captain and his wife, Lady Victoria Beckham, now boast a combined fortune of £1.185 billion, a remarkable leap from the £500 million estimated just a year ago on the 2025 list. In short, the Beckhams doubled their wealth in twelve months.
Beckham’s financial ascent has been bolstered by his role at Inter Miami, which is currently valued at $1.45 billion, making it the most valuable club in Major League Soccer. That is not a coincidence, and Beckham has never been shy about the vision behind it.
When Lionel Messi signed with the club, a beaming Beckham declared, “Ten years ago, when I started my journey to build a new team in Miami, I said that I dreamt of bringing the greatest players in the world to this amazing city.” He added, “Today that dream came true.”
Victoria has been equally vocal about her husband’s grind. When Messi’s deal was sealed, she took to Instagram to say, “I don’t have enough words to express how proud I am of David Beckham. I have watched you work so hard to make this moment a reality and it’s finally here!!”
The billionaire milestone was not built on football nostalgia alone. The major uptick in wealth is attributed to Beckham’s investments in the US, as the signing of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami until 2028 has lifted the value of his stake in the club, and a vast property development adjoining Inter’s home has provided another windfall. Meanwhile, revenues at Lady Beckham’s eponymous fashion line topped £100 million.
It was a prophecy that skeptics once laughed off. As one insider put it back when Beckham first purchased the club: “Everyone laughed when David said he was buying a football club. But he’s showing that it’s becoming a success, and it’s only going to get bigger as more top players join.”
The collective wealth of the Beckhams placed them second in the Sunday Times‘ list of wealthiest sportspeople, behind the family of ex-Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, whose wealth was placed at £2 billion.
Beckham is not the only sports figure making a splash in the UK billionaire club. Beckham is joined in the billionaire bracket by sports promoters Barry and Eddie Hearn, whose combined Matchroom Sport empire is valued at £1.035 billion.
The wider Rich List paints a competitive picture among British sports royalty. The list also highlights the growing wealth of active British athletes, with heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua ranked eighth with a £240 million fortune, ahead of rival Tyson Fury at £162 million. Other notable figures include Sir Lewis Hamilton in fifth place at £435 million.
The number of billionaires recorded by the list increased to 157 for the year, nudging up from 156 a year ago after a recent period of decline. The Beckhams are the most glamorous additions to that exclusive club.
The milestone arrives against a complicated personal backdrop. The revelation comes amid the couple’s feud with their oldest son, Brooklyn, who accused his parents of “trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding, and it hasn’t stopped” in a lengthy social media post in January. Business, it seems, has been very good even as family matters have grown thorny.
What Beckham has built, from a $25 million contract option on a Miami soccer franchise to a billion-pound empire, is one of the most remarkable second-act stories in sports history. The boy from Leytonstone who once wore a sarong and made the back page of every UK tabloid has now made a very different kind of headline.
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