New York has claimed the top spot in the 2026 Global Sports Cities Ranking, while no Pakistani city has been included among the world’s 100 leading sports cities.
The Swiss-based Burson ranking placed Paris second and Los Angeles third. New York climbed from third place in the previous ranking to take the No. 1 position, while Paris dropped after holding the top spot for three consecutive years.
New York Moves to No. 1
The ranking evaluates 100 cities with strong connections to global sports. It incorporates views from experts, sports media professionals and international sports leaders, alongside analysis of media coverage and social media activity.
New York’s rise was attributed in part to major sporting events, including the NBA championship and the FIFA World Cup final.
London ranked fourth, followed by Madrid in fifth. Barcelona was sixth, Milan seventh and Lausanne eighth. Manchester ranked 10th, Washington 11th and Miami 12th.
Asian and Middle Eastern Cities
Tokyo was ranked 16th, while Sydney came 24th and Dubai 29th.
Mumbai was the highest-ranked South Asian city at 51st, followed by New Delhi at 65th. Riyadh ranked 68th, Cape Town 85th, Jeddah 98th and Sapporo 99th.
No city from Pakistan appeared in the 2026 top-100 ranking.