Forbes' 2026 Highest-Paid Athletes List Drops, Rankings for LeBron James, Steph Curry, More Revealed

For a fourth consecutive year, international soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2026.

Forbes' Brett Knight released the publication's annual ranking of the 10 highest-paid athletes in sports Friday, and Ronaldo maintained his spot on top. The full top-10 list is as follows:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo, $300 million

2. Canelo Álvarez, $170 million

3. Lionel Messi, $140 million

4. LeBron James, $137.8 million

5. Shohei Ohtani, $127.6 million

6. Stephen Curry, $124.7 million

7. Jon Rahm, $107 million

8. Karim Benzema, $104 million

9. Kevin Durant, $103.8 million

10. Lewis Hamilton, $100 million

Basketball and soccer tied for the most representation within the top 10, as LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets were part of the list, along with soccer icons Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema.

Ronaldo has now been atop the list six times in the past 11 years, and his total compensation of $300 million in 2026 is his highest compensation yet.

Playing for Saudi Arabian soccer club Al-Nassr, Ronaldo is making $235 million in on-field earnings this year to go along with another $65 million in off-field earnings.

Messi, who topped the list in 2019 and 2022, is third this year at $140 million. The Inter Miami star's earnings are a perfect 50/50 split between on-field and off-field.

Since 2016, a combat sports athlete has twice ranked No. 1 on sports list, and while that is not the case in 2026, boxer Canelo Álvarez is No. 2 at $170 million on the strength of money earned from his massive fight against Terence Crawford.

Although he is 41 years of age, James reportedly remains the highest-paid NBA player and the fourth-highest-paid athlete in the world at $137.8 million.

The majority of those earnings ($85 million) are off the court in nature, as he has investments and endorsement deals with brands such as DraftKings, Hennessy and Richard Mille.

Both Curry and Durant have close to even splits when it comes to their on-court and off-court earnings. Curry has deals with Chase, Google and Rakuten, while KD is partnered with CeraVe, Dick's Sporting Goods and FanDuel, in addition to owning the media company Boardroom.

Perhaps the most unique entry on the list is Los Angeles Dodgers superstar designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani at No. 5.

Ohtani signed a historic 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in 2023, but the vast majority of that money is being deferred until 2034.

Because of that, he only has $2.6 million in on-field earnings this year, but his $125 million in off-field earnings thanks to deals with myriad companies from his home country of Japan allowed him to crack the top five.