2026: Look Ahead in Sports (Everything You Need to Know)

Breaking down the core themes with our Profluence insights attached. 2026 is going to be a big year in sports!

Jan 08, 2026

You know what I think about every day?

How awesome it is to be building in sports during such a transformative time.

I’m especially grateful for the 1000+ Profluence Members, who are a pleasure to innovate alongside every day.

As opportunities continue to unfold across sports, I want to look back at 2025 (and give a sneak peek at where 2026 is headed).

Let’s Dive In 👇

Top Five Market Briefings From 2025

One advantage of the Profluence platform is our ability to stay deeply embedded in the sports ecosystem through ongoing research, media, and direct engagement with founders, operators, & investors.

A look at the growth of our reach thanks to the deep insights we provide weekly:

Below are the most-read pieces we published in 2025: (which do a nice job recapping many of the core themes as well)

• The Youth Sports Industrial Complex
An in-depth look at how youth sports has evolved into a full-scale economic engine, spanning media, data, infrastructure, events, and services, and why it continues to attract both strategic and financial capital.
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• Breakdown of US Sports Leagues
A structured overview of the U.S. sports league landscape, including incumbents, challengers, and emerging leagues, with a visual map highlighting where value and opportunity are forming.
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• Fitness Country Club: Rise of the New Third Space
An examination of how premium fitness, wellness, and social clubs are converging into a new category that blends health, community, and lifestyle economics.
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• Inside the Smart Court Revolution
A deep dive into how sensors, cameras, and software are transforming courts into data and media engines across tennis, pickleball, basketball, and emerging sports.
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• The Great Aggregation Race: Building the Best in Sports
An exploration of the different aggregation strategies across the sports ecosystem.
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I don’t want to understate the value of these briefings.

Firms pay consultants thousands of dollars to create these…and we give you 50+/year (on top of everything else included in the membership).

Key Themes & Insights 2025 to 2026

More Pick & Shovel Plays

The “league” model is fragile, while the “support the leagues” model is antifragile.

We’ll continue to see more innovations built for emerging sports leagues and IP.

Here’s why:

Diversified upside: Dozens of small contracts vs. one big swing.
Standardization edge: Every new client makes onboarding easier.
Acquisition potential: Infrastructure players are prime targets for exits.
Data flywheels: The more leagues they serve, the better their product gets.

I think some acquisitions will start to take place in this category in 2026/2027.

Thematic Funds

While I felt it heavily in 2025, it’s been a multi-year trend of thematic funds across sports:

women’s sports
minority team stakes
multi-club ownership
athlete investor groups

Also - it’s interesting to see Arctos get acquired by KKR for $1B+ (congrats to their partners on the massive exit).

While raising capital remains challenging for early-stage companies, I would argue there’s more capital than ever looking to deploy into the sports industry.

It will be interesting to see how this continues to evolve as investors take different strategies within sports.

The PE Investor Map

This image tells a big part of the story:

(because understanding who the main players are, what their strategies look like, and where their portfolios are shifting gives you a front-row seat to how sports are evolving).

For example:

CVC Capital is stacking league ownership (LaLiga, WTA, Rugby, IPL teams).
Silver Lake is betting on multi-club ownership (Diamond Baseball Holdings, City Football Group).
Ares and Arctos/KKR are making big bets on major teams and integrating them with global IP.

I could go on and on about the different portfolio strategies…but I will save those for future briefings.

Quick Hitters: 2026 Watchlist

1. 2026 FIFA World Cup
The biggest test yet of soccer’s true penetration in America. I have my eye on attendance, media consumption, sponsor activation, and spikes in youth participation.

2. College Sports Post-Settlement Reality
Revenue sharing, NIL normalization, and operator consolidation will accelerate. Expect clearer winners and more professionalized infrastructure behind athletic departments (i.e. private capital).

3. Creator-Owned Sports IP
More creator-led leagues, teams, and formats will launch. Most will fail. A few will prove that distribution-first sports models can scale faster and cheaper than traditional league builds.

4. Venue Monetization 2.0
Stadiums and arenas will increasingly act as data platforms, media hubs, and experiential campuses, not just game-day assets.

5. Globalization of U.S.-Born Sports IP
Expect more intentional export of U.S. formats (pickleball, flag football, niche leagues) with infrastructure-first strategies rather than pure fandom bets.

6. AI Moving Behind the Curtain
Less “AI for fans,” more AI for ops, pricing, scouting, media workflows, and scheduling. Quiet adoption is already happening.

High Level-Market Landscape 2025 to 2026

1. Fundamentals Matter Again: Founders, investors, and acquirers are now aligned around more rational pricing, with far more emphasis on revenue quality, margins, and capital efficiency. While this has slowed deal velocity, it is creating healthier long-term entry points for early-stage capital.

2. Media Rights & Distribution Are Fragmenting Further: Leagues, teams, and emerging properties continue to experiment with distribution beyond traditional broadcast deals. Creator-led media, league-owned channels, and platform-native content are gaining relevance, especially for youth/emerging sports. This fragmentation is creating opportunity for new infrastructure, tooling, and IP-driven businesses that sit behind the scenes.

3. Operational Discipline Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage: Across the private sports market, companies that raised aggressively in prior years are now focused on right-sizing, extending runway, and proving durability. Conversely, leaner operators with real revenue and focused product roadmaps are pulling ahead. This environment favors disciplined early-stage companies and patient capital.

4. Strategic Buyers Are Watching: Strategics and well-capitalized operators remain active in diligence, but are taking a measured approach to M&A. Many are prioritizing tuck-in acquisitions, IP expansion, or capabilities that unlock efficiency rather than headline-grabbing growth deals. We expect this to continue into 2026 as balance sheets strengthen and confidence improves.

Overall, this environment continues to favor capital-efficient operators building real businesses across the sports ecosystem.