San Francisco 49ers Top NFL Earnings in 2024 with Record $176 Million in Ticket Sales
The San Francisco 49ers have once again proven their strong local market appeal, as they generated the highest NFL ticket revenue for the third consecutive year in 2024, despite a mediocre home record of 4 wins. This is according to the annual data on gross ticket revenue, net revenue, and total tickets sold shared by the NFL with its 32 teams.
The Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, and Indianapolis Colts found themselves among the teams with the lowest gate receipts last season, positioning them near the bottom of the ticket revenue rankings.
The NFL distributes national revenue sharing equally among all teams, which was about $432.6 million per team in 2024. This equal distribution of large shared revenue streams like TV contracts ensures that ticket revenue differences do not directly translate into large financial disparities between teams. However, ticket revenue rankings still matter for local income streams and in-stadium revenues, impacting team finances and local market strength.
Compared to previous years, ticket revenue rankings have seen some shifts. The 49ers have consistently remained at the top for at least the last three seasons, despite varying team performance. On the other hand, the New York Giants fell out of the top five in ticket revenue last year, after several years near the top, correlating with their poorer on-field results.
The Tennessee Titans remain near the bottom in ticket revenue, which affects their relative position compared to wealthier clubs. However, equal league revenue sharing mitigates the impact on overall financial power.
The Green Bay Packers posted a record revenue of $719 million in 2024, an increase of 10%. This record revenue was primarily due to a 100% increase in regular-season ticket prices. The Packers' high revenue does not affect the San Francisco 49ers' three-year reign as the NFL team with the highest ticket revenue.
The San Francisco 49ers had the highest ticket revenue in the NFL in 2024, generating $176 million. The Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, and Miami Dolphins rounded out the top five in NFL ticket revenue for 2024.
The Philadelphia Eagles ranked third in 2024 net gate receipts despite losing a home game when they "hosted" the Packers in Brazil last year. The NFL now pays teams' travel expenses for their international game instead of making up the shortfall in local revenue.
Every NFL team will play internationally at least once every eight years due to the expansion to a 17-game schedule. The San Francisco 49ers' high ticket revenue is attributed to the demographics in and around Santa Clara, California.
The NFL did not respond to a request for comment on the contents of the 2024 ticket revenue report.
In contrast to their strong local market appeal, the Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, and Indianapolis Colts found themselves among the teams with the lowest ticket revenues in 2024, relegating them to the bottom of the NFL ticket revenue rankings. Despite the equal distribution of national revenue sharing among all NFL teams, these differences in ticket revenue rankings still impact team finances and local market strength.
