Is Saudi investment in NFL next?

In stunning news Tuesday, the PGA Tour announced a “merger” with the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV Golf Tour, which is funded by the country’s wealthy Public Investment Fund. Former NFL executive Andrew Brandt believes the NFL will eventually be targeted by the Saudis, too.

“Saudi money, Qatari money and other Middle Eastern investment are coming to bigger American sports,” the ex-Packers vice president wrote for Front Office Sports.

Data recently released by the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute revealed the PIF is worth $607.42B — or about four NFLs — and is the sixth-largest SWF in the world. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman reportedly wants the fund to grow to at least $2 trillion by 2030.

As detailed by Amnesty International, the Saudis have an atrocious human rights record, and the country may have ties to the 9/11 attacks on the United States in 2001 as well.

In 2016, declassified documents from a 2002 congressional hearing on the attacks indicated “an indirect link previously hidden from the American public between [an] alleged al Qaeda operative and a key member of the Saudi royal family.” (h/t CNN)

In 2018, journalist Jamal Khashoggi  — a Washington Post Global Opinions contributing columnist  —was murdered in Istanbul, Turkey. Per the CIA, bin Salman ordered his execution. (h/t The New York Times)

In addition to essentially owning the major men’s professional golf tour in the United States, Saudi Arabia also owns Newcastle United of the English Premier League and “committed more than $2B to new-long term [soccer] sponsorship deals [in 2022],” per Financial Times. 

The Saudis’ entrance into the NFL will not be easy. Per the Washington Post, NFL team ownership rules are “the most restrictive in sports.”

If the NFL expands to Europe — which seems like an inevitability — it must change its rules blocking sovereign wealth funds from owning any share of a franchise.

The pending sale of the Commanders could be the impetus for change in those rules, with Brandt noting prospective buyer Josh Harris is having difficulty securing financing for the $6B purchase.

Per Pensions & Investments, an international newspaper of money management, a faction of NFL owners is intent on relaxing rules on who can bid on NFL franchises. A relaxation of those rules could allow private equity firms and institutional investors to buy into the league.

“The NBA has loosened investment restrictions to allow for sovereign wealth funds,” Brandt wrote. “Other leagues will soon follow.”