Basketball icon Michael Jordan, Sportradar founder and CEO Carsten Koerl, and DraftKings co-founder and CEO Jason Robins will headline the opening keynote at SBC Summit 2026 in Lisbon. Organizers have called it “one of the most high-profile keynote sessions ever staged in Europe,” bringing together three key figures in global sports business.
The session, titled “Leadership in Sports Business”, will take place on Sept. 29, the opening day of the conference, and will be hosted by broadcaster and former Sky Sports News presenter Kirsty Gallacher.
The keynote will examine how sports, technology, media, data and fan engagement have evolved, drawing on the perspectives of the three speakers, who have played prominent roles across professional sports, sports data and online sports betting.
The discussion will also explore the relationship between sports betting and iGaming, focusing on how the two sectors increasingly operate alongside and collaborate with each other. Broader topics will include building global businesses, leadership under pressure and managing change in rapidly evolving sports and technology markets.
“This is the kind of conversation that transcends our industry. To have Michael Jordan, Carsten Koerl, and Jason Robins on stage together is something truly special,” SBC Chief Executive Officer and founder Rasmus Sojmark said.
“These are individuals who have each changed the way people engage with sports and business in completely different ways — through performance, technology, innovation, and vision. Bringing them together at SBC Summit reflects both the scale of where this industry is today and where it is heading.”
SBC Summit 2026 will be held in Lisbon and is expected to attract more than 40,000 attendees from the sports, betting, gaming, payments, marketing, affiliation, technology and media sectors.
Further details on the keynote session, including timing and attendee access, will be announced in the coming months.