ROMA (ITALPRESS) – The communication agency Burson has published its 2026 Sports City ranking, which sees New York at the top of the world. Paris slips in second place after driving the chart for three consecutive years, while Los Angeles takes third place. London remains stable in fourth place and Madrid completes the Top 5.
The annual Burson ranking identifies the top 100 cities in the world with the strongest link to sport. Now in its 15th edition, it is based on both perception and an in-depth quantitative analysis, which includes contributions from international sports leaders, sports media representatives and industry experts, as well as insights from social media and media coverage.
Overall, these indicators return a complete view of how cities develop visibility and influence through sports. The 2026 Sports City Classifies highlights four key dynamics, which show how today cities build and consolidate their sports reputation.
Co-hospitality generates new winners: the reputational advantages of great events are increasingly distributed among the host cities. Milan has earned two positions in the last year and 20 from 2024, conquering the 7th place after the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, but some of the major advances in the standings have been recorded by lesser known destinations.
Interesting the rise of Cortina d’Ampezzo, which reached the 37th place, climbing 10 positions compared to last year and 45 compared to 2024. The cities that hosted the FIFA World Cup 2026, including Vancouver (35a, +14), Atlanta (28a, +12), San Francisco (33a, +12) and Houston (32a, +9), have also made significant progress on last year’s ranking, demonstrating how global events can value cities beyond traditional sports capitals.
Few cities combine visibility and influence: the ranking shows an increasingly marked gap between visibility and influence. Cities such as Washington (11a, +1), Miami (12a, -4) and Mexico City (18a, stable) benefit from strong visibility at the general public, while Lausanne (8a, +3) and Monaco (25a, +5) owe much of their position to recognition by federations, experts and specialized media.
The results show that visibility can be achieved thanks to peaks of attention, but the influence is built over time and tends to last. Female sports and emerging disciplines create new opportunities: the ranking shows that cities no longer need a mega-event to strengthen their sports reputation.
The evolution of the sports-trained scene from the growth of women’s sports, the emergence of new public, the development of emerging disciplines and the spread of innovative formats for events – offers cities new opportunities to build visibility, differentiate and obtain international recognition. Zurich (49a, +21) and Geneva (67a, new entry) benefited from the momentum generated by UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, while Innsbruck (42a, +18) owes its rise to sports climbing and Shanghai (41a, +22) to an annual eSport and emerging sports calendar.
The reputation is based on an ecosystem: the ranking shows that the world’s leading sports cities are rarely defined by a single event. On the contrary, their position is supported by the presence of clubs rooted in the territory, by recurring international competitions and by a constant dialogue with the global sports community. Madrid (5th, stable), Barcelona (6th, stable) and Manchester (10th, stable) have maintained their respective positions this year, demonstrating the value of building a lasting sports ecosystem, able to remain relevant between a great event and another.
-Foto leader Burson-
(ITALPRESS).
