Oklahoma City has cracked a global top 100 list of sports cities for the first time, landing at No. 86 in Burson's 2026 Ranking of Sports Cities.

The city had never made the list. It was absent from both the 2024 and 2025 editions of the annual index, which ranks the 100 cities most strongly associated with sports worldwide. New York topped the 2026 list, followed by Paris, Los Angeles, London and Madrid.

Burson, a global communications firm based in New York, scores cities using a mix of digital media attention, editorial visibility and surveys of international sports federations, industry experts and sports media. The 2026 measurement window ran from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, a stretch that captured the Thunder's 2025 NBA championship and the buildup to OKC's international hosting slate.

The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber pointed to several factors behind the debut. Oklahoma City hosted the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships at RIVERSPORT OKC and the USA Softball International Cup at Devon Park during the summer of 2026. Both venues will host events during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, when OKC stages canoe slalom, kayak cross and softball.

The Women's College World Series drew more than 105,000 fans in 2026, according to the chamber. Youth and amateur tournaments, collegiate championships and entertainment events continue to support sports tourism and local hotels, restaurants and businesses.

Mayor David Holt has framed sports as central to OKC's broader economic story. "Sports are a prism through which we view a city's overall success," Holt told the New York Stock Exchange in July 2025, during the Thunder's NBA Finals run.

At his State of the City address on July 16, Holt highlighted the scale of construction underway downtown, telling the audience the city is building both an arena and a stadium within blocks of each other. The MAPS 4 multipurpose stadium and the Continental Coliseum are expanding OKC's capacity for professional sports, concerts and large-scale events, according to the chamber.

The Burson report stressed that lasting reputation depends on more than marquee events. One of its key findings: "Events come and go. The ecosystem is what stays — and what reputation is built on." The report also identified co-hosting arrangements as an advantage for smaller markets, noting that secondary hosts "have the most headroom" to build a distinct identity from a shared event.

OKC launched its "Team OKC" Olympic organizing brand at a rally on Aug. 25, according to Fox 25. The city will be the only host outside Southern California staging the entirety of a sport for the 2028 Games, covering two sports and seven events over 16 days, according to Holt. An athletic village will be set up at Oklahoma City University.

Sports Business Journal named OKC among its top cities for sports business in July, citing the city's Olympic role and infrastructure investments.