The world’s 50 highest-paid athletes combined to rake in an estimated $4.1 billion over the past 12 months before taxes and agent fees, and while that total represents a slight step down from 2025’s record $4.2 billion, three superstars set new earnings highs for their respective sports this year.

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton became the first Formula 1 driver to reach nine figures with an estimated $100 million in income from his on-track salary and his endorsements, appearances and other business endeavors off the grid. Meanwhile, Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo, at $300 million, bested the soccer mark he himself had established last year. And after New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto stole baseball’s earnings crown from Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani last year, Ohtani snatched it right back, ratcheting up the MLB record to $127.6 million.

Here are some of the other most eye-popping figures from the 2026 ranking of the world’s 50 highest-paid athletes.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s estimated earnings from the past 12 months.

The 41-year-old Portuguese soccer star’s 2026 total ties him with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s haul from 2015 for the largest for an active athlete ever tracked by Forbes, dating to 1990 (unadjusted for inflation).

The number of times Ronaldo has led the ranking across his career, including the last four years straight.

He is now level with NBA icon Michael Jordan for the second-most years at No. 1 on the Forbes athletes ranking. Only Tiger Woods, who topped the ranking 11 times from 2002 to 2013, has claimed the earnings crown more often.

The number of years since Tiger Woods last failed to appear in the Forbes athletes ranking.

The 50-year-old Woods, who earned roughly $46 million over the past 12 months, according to Forbes estimates, landed about $8 million shy of this year’s cutoff. He had appeared on every edition of the list since turning pro in 1996........

© Forbes