Cornhole growth: From garden games to 85 million in prize money in 2024

Published by: Noah Gustafsson
Last updated: April 8, 2025

Image borrowed from our partner American Cornhole League™

Cornhole has long been a popular backyard game in the U.S., but it’s now evolving into a professional sport with serious money on the line. In 2024 alone, a whopping 7,71 million EUR (7.7 million USD) was awarded in prize money to pro players.

The sport is now making its way into European backyards across the continent. We even visited Europe’s biggest Cornhole tournament in Germany in 2024 and witnessed firsthand how fast the sport is growing.

The question is: how far off are we from seeing Cornhole dominate the scene in both Sweden and the rest of Europe? We believe it’s only a matter of years before several European players can go full-time in the game

TV broadcasting and increased exposure

The American Cornhole League (ACL) has secured broadcast deals with ESPN and CBS Sports, which has significantly boosted the sport’s visibility.

In 2024 alone, over 300 hours of Cornhole content aired on ESPN, along with several tournaments and matches broadcast on CBS Sports.

Here’s a great clip that shows the high level of the professional players.

The increased TV exposure has helped attract more players and sponsors to the sport. Cornhole tournaments are no longer just broadcast in the U.S. Interest has spread internationally. Several European countries have started airing tournaments, and there’s growing speculation that the sport could soon be included in major international events like the World Games.

20% of players can live on earnings from cornhole

För de flesta ACL-spelare är cornhole en passion vid sidan av ett annat heltidsjobb. Ett exempel är Jeremiah Ellis, fyrabarnsfar och UPS-anställd, som trots sitt hektiska schema lyckades tjäna ca 675.000 kr (61 458 dollar) i prispengar under 2024. Han beskriver utmaningen så här:

“Det är brutalt. Jag känner mig helt utmattad för det mesta. Men sinnet är starkare än kroppen.”

Idag är ungefär 20% av ACL:s spelare heltidsproffs. ACL:s kommissionär Stacey Moore hoppas att alla spelare ska kunna leva på sporten inom tre till fem år. För att detta ska bli verklighet arbetar ACL aktivt med att bredda sportens kommersiella potential genom att attrahera fler sponsorer, öka publikintresset och skapa fler turneringar med högre prispengar.

For most ACL players, Cornhole is a passion pursued alongside a full-time job. One example is Jeremiah Ellis, a father of four and UPS employee, who despite his hectic schedule managed to earn around 61,500 USD in prize money during 2024. He describes the challenge like this:

“It’s brutal. I feel completely exhausted most of the time. But the mind is stronger than the body.”

Today, around 20% of ACL players are full-time professionals. ACL Commissioner Stacey Moore hopes that within three to five years, all players will be able to make a living from the sport. To make that vision a reality, ACL is actively working to expand Cornhole’s commercial potential by attracting more sponsors, increasing fan engagement, and creating more tournaments with bigger prize pools.

...all players should be able to make a living from the sport within three to five years.

Stacey Moore

Sponsorship - an important source of income

To make a living from Cornhole, sponsorship is key. Cheyenne Bubenheim, the top-ranked female player, earned around 54,650 USD in 2024 and has been a full-time pro for three years. She emphasizes the importance of sponsorship:

“The biggest thing for me is sponsorship, just because it’s a guaranteed monthly payment.”

Visa detta inlägg på Instagram

Ett inlägg delat av Cheyenne Bubenheim (@cheyennebubenheimaclpro)

Her main sponsor is Titan Cornhole Bags. In addition to sponsorships, some players also earn income through advertising and product placement on social media—an increasingly important revenue stream as the sport continues to grow in the digital space.

Bubenheim previously earned $90,000 in prize money during 2022 and holds sponsorship deals worth around $20,000 per year, according to Forbes.

The highest-ranked female player earned around €600,000 in 2024

Social media creates new opportunities

Many players use social media to build their careers and generate income beyond prize money. Adrian Johnson, one of ACL’s standout personalities, has nearly one million followers across platforms, including 295,000 on TikTok. He shares Cornhole videos and motivational content.

“I’ve put myself in a position where I don’t have to rely solely on prize money. It’s up to us to market ourselves in different ways.”

It’s clear that Cornhole has become a marketing opportunity for the players themselves. By building their personal brands and collaborating with companies, they can create additional revenue streams while also boosting the sport’s overall popularity.

The business model behind the American Cornhole League

Unlike many other sports leagues, the ACL doesn’t build its financial model on media rights. Instead, it relies on:

Sponsorships
Licensing
Memberships

Commissioner Stacey Moore explains:

“We believe we deserve a significant rights fee for the number of viewers we’re drawing, especially on the streaming side. But we’re not building our business model based on rights fees.”

The ACL has also focused on attracting younger players and creating a clearer path from amateur to pro. By offering local tournaments and qualification opportunities, more players can break into the bigger leagues and eventually go full-time.

Additionally, the ACL works with product licensing, approving gear that passes their quality standards. Here at Cornholebutiken.se, we are Europe’s only licensed retailer of American Cornhole League–approved products. Feel free to explore our Cornhole boards and bags.

We believe we deserve a significant rights fee for the number of viewers we attract, especially on the streaming side. But we’re not building our business model around media rights.

Stacey Moore

The future for professional cornhole

It’s clear that Cornhole is no longer just a backyard pastime. With rising media exposure, larger prize pools, and growing sponsorship opportunities, the sport has the potential to become a full-time career for even more players.

Looking ahead, one of the big questions is whether the sport can expand on a global scale. Interest is already picking up in several countries, and if that trend continues, we could see major Cornhole tournaments across Europe and Asia within just a few years.

For the players, this means that professional Cornhole is no longer just a dream—it’s a growing opportunity for a sustainable, long-term career.

Source: FrontOfficeSports.com

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Cornhole growth: From garden games to 85 million in prize money in 2024

TV broadcasting and increased exposure

20% of players can live on earnings from cornhole

Sponsorship - an important source of income

Social media creates new opportunities

The business model behind the American Cornhole League

The future for professional cornhole

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