Saudi investment in LIV Golf reaches ‘US$5.3bn’

New capital investment continues high spending by Saudi wealth fund, which could reach US$6bn by the end of 2026.

• PIF reportedly approved US$266.6m investment into golf circuit earlier this month
• Series averages spend of US$100m per month
• LIV Golf CEO previously admitted competition would be lossmaking for next five to ten years

LIV Golf has now received a total of US$5.3 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) following a fresh cash injection of US$266.6m earlier this month, according to Money in Sport.

The breakaway golf circuit is entirely dependent on regular financing from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund given it currently spends US$100 million a month without significant commercial, broadcast or event-based revenues. 

Should this trend continue, then PIF will have to invest a total of US$1.2 billion during 2026 alone, bringing the total spent by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund to US$6 billion by the end of December. 

The reported figures come after LIV Golf chief executive Scott O’Neil recently conceded to the Financial Times (FT) that the circuit would be lossmaking for the next five to ten years.

LIV’s most recent accounts revealed that the series’ UK division recorded net losses of US$461.8 million in 2024, which means it has lost more than US$1.1 billion since being established in 2021. Financial figures for its US-based tournaments are held under a separate company, which is privately owned.

The circuit announced previously that the prize fund for this season would increase, with event purses growing to US$32.3 million from US$25 million. LIV noted that it would pay out a total of US$470 million to individuals and teams this year, with team payouts doubling from US$5 million to US$10 million.

In terms of generating revenue, LIV Golf’s president of business operations Chris Heck told SportsPro earlier this month that the circuit was adopting an “aggressive” sponsorship strategy, having secured US$500 million in revenue across multi-year deals.

LIV most recently added Rolex as its latest major commercial partner, with the watch brand joining the likes of HSBC, Salesforce, Qualcomm and MGM Resorts as additions to its roster.

The series also is eyeing the reported sale of stakes in its teams to help generate more funds. Citigroup has been hired to run the sale process for LIV, which is aiming for deals to value franchises at US$300 million.

Bringing on board new team owners would deliver a larger return for the PIF, which owns a majority stake in all of LIV’s 13 teams. Last year, it was reported the fund was reconsidering its outlay on sports investments, as some of its other projects remain in financial strife.

Credit: https://www.sportspro.com/news/finance-investment/liv-golf-saudi-pif-investment-funding-injection-february-2026/?utm_campaign=36834940-SportsPro%20Daily%3A%20February&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9KPVroJ2JVh9sWN2kgbImrxaKvm8DzWBOP7vQ_CeFeLothK38z6xwZNVyb_TO-ATvVLO9TUd6d-YRXt4ujK4ArZ5gNv2N3cAmDPl1t3jJjAOOO2S0&_hsmi=405333037&utm_content=405330425&utm_source=hs_email