Sir David Beckham nets £38.5m after World Cup ad deals

Sir David Beckham has netted a £38.5m payout from his sports, fashion, and media business after the 2026 Men's Football World Cup helped it bring in record profits.

The former England star's DRJB Holdings, which includes the Beckham brand, reported an almost £50m profit in 2025, a 46% jump compared to a year earlier. Sales rose from £72.2m to £84m.

The rise was driven by a slew of advertising partnerships struck in the runup to the tournament, including with Bank of America, McDonald's, Verizon, and PepsiCo Lay's.

Sir David, Britain's first billionaire sportsman, was commonly seen in adverts during the summer's World Cup.

In the US, it was difficult for fans to watch a game without coming across Beckham in adverts for Stella Artois, Home Depot and Lay's crisps - known as Walkers in the UK.

Sir David also launched menswear collections for Hugo Boss last year, as well as a pair of Adidas Predator football boots and an eyewear range with Italian glasses maker Safilo.

Revenues at DRJB, of which Beckham owns almost half, were boosted by growth in Beckham's health supplements business too.

DRJB paid its shareholders £38.9m, followed by a special £46.6m payment after the end of the financial year.

Sir David's share of those dividends would have been around £38.5m due to how much of the company he owns.

The remainder of DRJB is owned by New York-based Authentic Brands Group, which also owns Reebok, as well as the rights to other celebrity brands such as comedian and actor Kevin Hart.

Authentic's entertainment chief executive Corey Salter said the performance showed Sir David's name is "one of the most powerful global brands in sport, lifestyle, entertainment and much more".

"It's been an outstanding year, from new partnerships to important philanthropic campaigns and overall brand growth," he said.

Sir David previously drew criticism for associating himself with a country where same-sex relationships are illegal by acting as an ambassador for the 2022 Men's Football World Cup in Qatar.

"It was an important competition and one I was proud to be part of," he said at the time, adding that he had engaged with the LGBTQ community during the tournament.