Beckham Takes Home Rp800 Billion Dividend from 2026 World Cup, His Business Sets Record

David Beckham took home a dividend of about US$51 million (equivalent to Rp800 billion) from his business empire, DRJB Holdings, after a series of sponsorship deals during the 2026 World Cup in the United States. The former England national team captain appeared in around 12 advertising campaigns for global brands such as Lenovo, McDonald's, Bank of America, Verizon, and Lay's.

Financial reports to be published by Companies House next week show DRJB Holdings' revenue jumped 20% to US$110.5 million last year, up from US$92.3 million in 2024. Profit before tax also set a record at US$65.7 million, growing 46% compared with the previous period. The company paid a total dividend of US$51.1 million to shareholders last year, plus a special dividend of US$61.6 million this year.

Beckham holds only a 45% stake after selling 55% of his business to Authentic Brands Group in 2022 for £200 million. Even so, that portion is enough to place the 51-year-old former player among the celebrities with the largest passive income in the sports world.

Beyond advertising contracts, Beckham expanded his portfolio through the launch of a Hugo Boss menswear collection, Safilo eyewear, and a limited-edition Predator football boot with Adidas. He also signed a deal for the Beckham & Friends Live event on Paramount+ that airs around the UEFA Champions League, and appeared in a Stella Artois campaign with actor Theo James.

"What these results show is that behind the Beckham brand there is a strong and highly effective team inside Authentic, with financial discipline and solid fundamentals to keep growing profitably through 2026 and beyond," said Corey Salter, CEO of entertainment at Authentic Brands.

DRJB Holdings oversees three divisions: DB Ventures, which handles brand partnerships; Seven Global, which manages licensing with Adidas; and Studio 99, which produced the Netflix documentary Beckham (2023) and the Victoria Beckham documentary. Beckham is also listed as an investor in supplement company IM8 and honey-based snack maker BeeUp.

Indonesian Context

For the Indonesian market, Beckham's story mirrors how athletes and public figures can turn popularity into long-term business assets. At a time when the domestic league and national team are starting to attract major sponsors, the post-retirement monetization model that Beckham runs is still rarely adopted by local players. Yet with a large fan base and a young consumer market, the opportunity to build a personal brand—from product licensing to digital content—is wide open.

The government and domestic sports industry players can take lessons from the DRJB Holdings structure: a clear separation of business lines between licensing, content production, and investment. This approach allows revenue not to depend on a single source, making it more resilient to fluctuations in the competition season or on-field performance.

Going forward, the question is no longer whether Indonesian athletes can imitate Beckham, but who dares to take the first step to build a tidy and sustainable business ecosystem. Without that, the economic potential of sports popularity will only flow to foreign sponsors, not to local players.