UAE Capital x American Soccer
UAE capital. American soccer. A lasting economic partnership.
For more than a decade, UAE-backed investment has shaped the growth of soccer in the United States. Funding a club. Building pitches. Anchoring a $3 billion stadium development. Three threads, one of the most consequential foreign investments in US sports history.
Club: NYCFC
In 2013, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan — UAE Deputy Prime Minister and majority owner of City Football Group — paid a then-record $100 million MLS expansion fee to found NYCFC, taking an 80% controlling stake alongside the New York Yankees.
By 2024, NYCFC and its forthcoming Queens stadium were valued at $1.5 billion — a 15x return on the original expansion fee, with CFG’s broader portfolio valued at $4.8 billion across 13 clubs on five continents.
$100m
Original 2013 MLS expansion fee
$1.5b
NYCFC + stadium valuation, 2024