Edmonton Oilers tie for 3rd on Forbes's 2025 list of top-20 most profitable sports teams

The Edmonton Oilers were one of the most profitable franchises in all of sports last year, despite being considered less valuable than dozens of other clubs, Forbes magazine's annual analysis suggests.

The Oilers’ were estimated to have earned roughly $341.1 million — $244 million US — in operating income last year, tying the NFL's Los Angeles Rams for third on the magazine’s top-20 list of most profitable sports teams in 2025.

“On one hand it might feel like a surprise. But then, if you actually live in the city, you realize it really shouldn't come across as much of a surprise, because this is what we're all about — supporting the things we love,” Mayor Andrew Knack told CBC News Saturday, noting that Edmonton is the continent’s northernmost city with a population greater than 1 million people.

“The Oilers are part of our blood, they're part of our DNA,” Knack said. “But it also shows that it's not just the Oilers; it's how we embrace sport, how we embrace arts and culture in this city. It's really exciting to see.”

CBC News did not receive comment from OEG Inc., the company that owns the hockey team.

Forbes, a renowned American business magazine, annually evaluates the profitability and value of the world’s major professional men’s and women’s sports teams. According to its methodology, sources include team executives, sports bankers and league consultants, sponsorship and broadcasting industry executives and public documents — such as stadium lease agreements and credit rating reports.

Profitable rankings reflect Forbes’s estimate of a team’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, the methodology says.

Team values, it adds, represent enterprise values — equity plus net debt — and the