Why Aryna Sabalenka is the world’s most marketable athlete of 2026

Who are the most marketable athletes in the world? Which sports stars are hot property right now? And who has already reached their commercial ceiling? In this special edition of the SportsPro Podcast, Michael Long and Katie Preston join Sam Carp to unpack the 17th annual list of the world’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes, powered by NorthStar Solutions Group. On the back of 12 months that included the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and a Fifa World Cup, the trio run through the top ten before picking out the biggest storylines from this year’s ranking. And as the concept of athlete marketability continues to evolve, NorthStar founder, president and CEO Chris Collins dials in to explain how the methodology behind the list has developed. Download the expanded top 150 and more from this year’s ranking at: https://www.sportspro.com/projects/50-most-marketable/

Formula One has confirmed a long-awaited return to Africa, with a ten-year deal to stage a race in Rwanda from the early 2030s.BlackBook Motorsport editor Cian Brittle joins the show to break down what we do and don’t know about the African Grand Prix so far, why the series is so keen to race on the continent, and some of the concerns surrounding the deal. Later in the show, SportsPro editor Steve McCaskill dials in from Sportel Monaco to dig into Netflix's move for Fifa World Cup rights in Spain and Andorra and what it says about the streamer's sporting ambitions. There’s also time to discuss Uefa's decision to hand its national team rights to Relevent, and how the agency is becoming increasingly influential in the commercialisation of European football.

Few people know the business of event hosting quite like Esther Britten. As UK Sport's deputy director and head of major events and external affairs, Britten has overseen more than 100 major international sporting events and plays a key role in deciding which ones the country should bid for.  SportsPro head of editorial Sam Carp sat down with Britten at the SportAccord Forum in Lausanne to discuss how UK Sport's hosting strategy has evolved over the last two decades, and how it now assesses which events are the right fit for the nation.  There was also time for an update on a potential bid to bring the Olympics and Paralympics to the north of England in the 2040s, reflections on the race for the 2029 World Athletics Championships, a look ahead to Euro 2028 and the prospect of hosting the 2035 Fifa Women's World Cup. 

Since its launch in 2010, On has grown from a Swiss running startup into one of the world's fastest-growing sportswear brands. The company generates more than CHF 3 billion in revenue, has nearly 100 stores worldwide and recently announced a move into football with France and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé.  It's impossible to talk about that growth story without mentioning technology. And in this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Sam Carp sits down with On's CTO Narek Verdian to discuss how his team supports the business, what expanding into football means behind the scenes, and what he learned from working on the brand's Regent Street shop floor.  Recorded at the London Stadium during SportsPro AI + Tech, the pair also cover where AI is making a genuine impact across the business, Verdian's frustration at how the tech is being adopted, and how AI agents helped On complete a project expected to take two years in a fraction of the time.

Kylian Mbappe stunned soccer last week by announcing that he was ending his 20-year partnership with Nike to become the face of Swiss sportswear brand On’s move into the sport.This week, Steve McCaskill dials in from New York to join Sam Carp to unpack why the France and Real Madrid star made the switch, how the reported equity component could benefit both sides and what this deal says about the trajectory of On and Nike.They also consider whether On, a premium brand whose growth story has been built around product innovation, can recreate the success it has seen in running in a sport that has long been dominated by Nike and Adidas.Meanwhile, with the new NHL season fast approaching, the pair also take a look at the growing business of the North American ice hockey league and preview some of the key media developments that are likely to dominate the headlines during the 2026/27 campaign.  

What happens when a football league needs to broadcast its own live games? In the latest episode of our New Economics of Fandom miniseries in partnership with Genius Sports, Chris Stone and Nick Meacham are joined by Cyprien Castanedo, head of media platform and innovation at LFP Media, to explore the launch and growth of Ligue 1+, the league's direct-to-consumer streaming platform. After the LFP lost its domestic broadcast partnership, Castanedo explains how Ligue 1+ was built in a matter of months, reached one million subscribers within three weeks, and drove revenue through both subscriptions and major distribution partnerships.  As the league adopted the mindset of a modern media business, the conversation also covers pricing, churn, piracy, first-party fan data, and what Ligue 1's experience suggests about how DTC and traditional broadcast might coexist in the future. The New Economics of Fandom is produced in partnership with Genius Sports and explores how sport's commercial future is being reshaped by technology, data and changing fan behaviour. Key Points:How Ligue 1+ was built and launched at speedDelivering one million subscribers within three weeks and objectives for year twoThe role of distribution partners like Prime VideoHow Ligue 1+ approaches pricing, churn and piracyWhat DTC means for fan data and future media rights negotiations

The US Open just wrapped up three weeks that delivered US$108 million in prize money, record viewership on ESPN and the tournament's first American male finalist since 2006. However, the conversation was also dominated by rising ticket prices and a backlash over the unescapable presence of influencers.In this episode of the SportsPro Podcast, Sam Carp and Steve McCaskill take a look at the continued commercialisation of the tournament and consider how the event compares to tennis’ other Grand Slams.Also in this episode, the pair review the first edition of World Athletics’ Ultimate Championship and what it revealed about the governing body’s efforts to retain interest in the sport outside of the Olympics.There’s also time to look back on some of the major stories from the past week, including what LIV Golf’s bankruptcy filing reveals about the tour’s business model and news that Chelsea shareholders Todd Boehly and Mark Walter are on their way out of the club.

Sports organisations have spent years talking about data as the key to growth. But what if most are approaching it the wrong way? In the latest episode of our New Economics of Fandom miniseries, Chris Stone and Nick Meacham are joined by UEFA Chief of Marketing and Digital, CMDO, Roman Putsch to explore how one of the world's leading sports properties approaches fan engagement, first-party data and commercial growth. Putsch explains why UEFA views data as "crude oil, not gold", how the organisation measures audience quality rather than simply audience size, and why creating value for fans must come before collecting information from them. The conversation also explores sponsorship activation, media rights, and the capabilities sports organisations need to build for the future. The New Economics of Fandom is produced in partnership with Genius Sports and explores how sport's commercial future is being reshaped by technology, data and changing fan behaviour. Key Points:How are sports organisations are thinking about data the wrong way.How fan value creates data value, not the other way around.The best metrics for evaluating audience quality.Why "owning the fan" may be the wrong objective for sports organisations.How to build the capabilities needed for sport's next commercial era.

In the space of a few short years, Just Eat went from a sports sponsorship newcomer into a major partner for Uefa’s club and international competitions.The relationship spanned everything from the Champions League to the Women’s Euros, helping the newly-merged Just Eat spread its message across an entire continent and elevate it in a food delivery market increasingly dominated by global players.But how did the partnership come about, what did it achieve and how are these big ticket sponsorships activated?Marijn Luchtman, global head of sponsorships at Just Eat, explains how the deal evolved, why it was more than just a logo slap, and why the company is walking away after seven years.

Three promotions. A fanbase that's grown from 116,000 to 27.6 million in five years. Wrexham AFC director Sean Harvey sits down with SportsPro's CEO Nick Meacham to unpack what's actually driving the club now that the Hollywood novelty has worn off. Harvey walks through how Wrexham has built out a full executive structure to support its growth, including a CEO handling day-to-day operations and the deliberate tension between staying "different" and moving into football's mainstream. He breaks down the commercial engine behind the club: record sponsorship revenue from brands like United Airlines, Meta Quest and HP, why the US market is now the primary growth audience, and how family companies tied to the ownership group handle sponsorship inquiries directly. The conversation also covers the investment side - new capital from Apollo and private family offices, and what Harvey calls "the Wrexham effect" on other US buyers entering English football, plus his take on football's incoming independent regulator, visibility gains through AFL's streaming platform, and what the future of Ryan Reynolds and McElhenney's ownership actually looks like.