City Football Group's Lommel SK purchase expands its empire to Belgium

City Football Group has purchased second-division Belgian soccer team Lommel SK, adding a ninth club to its worldwide portfolio.

Why it matters: CFG is run by the Abu Dhabi royal family and was recently valued at $4.8 billion, making it the second most valuable enterprise in all of sports behind the Dallas Cowboys.

"We were attracted to Lommel's culture, training facilities and commitment to youth development and we look forward to learning from their approach and helping the club to evolve in the months and years ahead."

The backdrop: After buying Manchester City in 2008 and quickly turning it into a juggernaut through massive spending, CFG has continued purchasing teams in key markets in hopes of building a global sports and entertainment giant.

• 2008: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester City FC
• 2013: 🇺🇸 NYCFC
• 2014: 🇦🇺 Melbourne City FC
• 2014: 🇯🇵 Yokohama F. Marinos
• 2017: 🇺🇾 Club Atlético Torque
• 2017: 🇪🇸 Girona
• 2018: 🇨🇳 Sichuan Jiuniu FC
• 2019: 🇮🇳 Mumbai City FC
• 2020: 🇧🇪 Lommel SK

Go deeper: Inside the City Football Group empire