By JENSEN BIRD
Published: 22:15 EST, 14 January 2026 | Updated: 22:17 EST, 14 January 2026
The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Nuggets just became the largest private landowner in the United States.
Stan Kroenke, 78, bought a sprawling 937,000 acres of land in New Mexico this December, pushing California's Lumber Dynasty - the Emmerson family - from the top spot.
Fox2 reported his impressive purchase skyrocketed him from the fourth-largest landowner to number one.
The noncontiguous ranch made for the largest single land purchase in the country since 2011, according to The New York Times.
Kroenke's massive new acquisition spans four counties in New Mexico and equates to approximately 1.2 percent of the state altogether, per the Santa Fe New Mexican.
The price of the vast land acquisition has not been disclosed.
The sports tycoon owns roughly 2.7 million acres of land in North America and 60 million square feet of commercial space.
His newly acquired ranch was previously owned by the heirs to the tech company Teledyne.
Billionaire Stan Kroenke became the country's largest landowner with a 937,000 acre purchase
His ranch portfolio included the larges in Texas, the Waggoner Ranch
Kroenke made headlines for another massive ranch purchase in 2016 when he purchased the Waggoner ranch, which hadn't changed owners since 1849.
The 535,000-acre ranch is the largest in Texas, priced at more than $500 million.
Kroenke also owns thousands of acres of ranch land in Montana, Wyoming and Nevada, per the Land Report.
The outlet said Kroenke uses his extensive acreage for cattle ranching, hunting, wildlife habitats and renewable energy.
Before his most recent purchase, his ranch holdings reportedly totaled almost $4 billion.
Kroenke has 60 million square feet of commercial real estate on top of his 2.7 million acres of private land
Kroenke owns several sports teams including the Arsenal soccer club in the United Kingdom
Kroenke's commercial portfolio includes sports facilities in Inglewood, California and Denver.
He notably owns several sports teams in the states: the Rams, the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Rapids.
His financial ventures made their way abroad, as he is the owner of the Arsenal men's and women's soccer clubs in the United Kingdom.
His other prominent real estate holdings also feature the $25 million Malibu mansion once owned by Princess Diana's lover Dodi Fayed, according to The Mirror.
Bloomberg reported Kroenke's net worth is estimated at $26.8 billion.
Kroenke has an estimated net worth of more than $25 billion
Among his impressive portfolio is a Malibu mansion once owned by Princess Diana's lover Dodi Fayed
Kroenke wasborn in Missouri and married Ann Walton Kroenke, the heiress to Walmart.
The long time business man made his fortune embarking on various real estate and business ventures.
He came in at 47 on Forbes's 400 list ranking the wealthiest people in the world and was recognized as the ninth richest US sports team owner.
Other high-profile billionaires were nowhere near Kroenke when it came to acreage.
Jeff Bezos reportedly owns 462,000 acres and Bill Gates has only 275,000 acres.