David Beckham becomes UK's first billionaire sportsman, Rich List says

Sir David Beckham became the UK’s first billionaire sportsman as the combined wealth of Beckham and Victoria Beckham climbed to £1.185bn, a mark that captures how elite athletes now build fortunes through ownership, branding and family businesses rather than salaries alone.

The sharpest gains came from Beckham’s US interests. His stake in Inter Miami rose in value after Lionel Messi signed for the club until 2028, while a property development adjoining the team’s home ground added to the uplift. Inter Miami itself was valued at $1.45bn, underlining how Beckham’s post-playing career has been tied to the commercial rise of football in Miami as much as to his name on the pitch.

Victoria Beckham’s business also moved into a higher bracket. Her eponymous fashion line was said to have passed £100m in revenues, giving the couple two separate engines of wealth and helping to more than double their estimated fortune from £500m on the 2025 list. The rise places the Beckhams among the clearest examples of the modern sports corporate model, where global fame feeds investment stakes, consumer brands and cross-border ventures.

The family’s financial ascent sits against a public rift with their oldest son, Brooklyn Beckham. In January, he accused his parents of “trying endlessly to ruin my relationship since before my wedding” and said his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham, had been disrespected by the family. The dispute has unfolded while the Beckhams’ business empire has kept expanding.

Beckham still trails the family of former Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone in the sports-rich ranking, with their wealth estimated at £2bn. Other names on the list included Rory McIlroy at £325m, Lewis Hamilton at £435m, Harry Kane and Andy Murray at £110m each, and promoters Barry and Eddie Hearn with a combined £1.035bn.

Robert Watts, who compiled the 2026 Rich List, said the ranking reflected a “tale of two exoduses” as some long-standing wealthy families dropped off the table. The list counted 157 UK billionaires, 20 fewer than four years ago, and set the minimum entry level at £340m, a reminder that Beckham’s milestone is part of a broader reshaping of British wealth as sport, media and private investment converge.