What is the most popular sport in the world?
We all have our favorite sports, but some sports enjoy more popularity than others. But how do we define popularity? Does it go automatically to the hardest sport in the world or the most dangerous sport?
The clear definition of popularity could mean the most watched, the most played, or the sport with the most fans. We have to marry all three in creating the list of the most popular sports in the world.
Football is clearly the most popular sport in the world when it comes to fan engagement. The FIFA World Cup, held every four years, has a huge TV audience, and is watched by billions.
In this article, we will provide a list of the most popular sports in the world.
10. Golf
Golf stands at 10th position when it comes to the most popular sports in the world.
Golf is a sport that is known for its graceful and precise movements. In this sport, players hit the ball into a small target from a long distance on a grass golf course.
There is a misconception about golf that it can only be enjoyed by high-income individuals, but that’s not the case. This beautiful sport can be played by people from different backgrounds and age groups.
The best part about playing golf is that you get to enjoy nature and beautiful scenery.
- Estimated Fans: 450 Million
- Popularity Regions: America, Oceania, Europe
- Most Famous Golf Players:
- USA — Tiger Woods
- USA — Jack Nicklaus
- USA — Sam Snead
9. Rugby
Now, we’ve come to the 9th most famous sport in the world.
Rugby is at times a violent sport that requires strength and extraordinary skill to compete with top athletes. Rugby is a combination of sports like football, soccer, and American football. This sport requires agility, speed, stamina, and most importantly teamwork if you want to excel at it. Post touchdown attempts in rugby are known to increase adrenaline in the fans and are easily the highlight of any game.
It is one of the most famous sports in the world with strongholds in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The limited exposure has hindered Rugby Union’s exposure and growth in regions, but still maintains over 475 million fans.
- Estimated Fans: 475 Million
- Popularity Region: Oceania, South Africa, England
- Most Famous Rugby Players:
- New Zealand — Jonah Lomu
- England — Johnny Wilkinson
- South Africa — Bryan Habana
- Ireland — Brian O’Driscoll
8. Baseball
Baseball is often referred to as America’s pastime for people from all walks of life. It holds a special place for people all over the world. The sport literally enjoys over 500 million fans.
However, the game is not quite popular in countries like India and China, both nations have about one and a half billion people. But still, baseball enjoys a huge number of fans worldwide. Top baseball-playing countries are the United States, Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan, and more.
- Estimated Fans: 500 Million
- Popularity Region: America, Japan
- Most Famous Baseball Players:
- USA — Babe Ruth
- USA — Willie Mays
- USA — Cy Young
7. Basketball
Basketball is the 7th most popular sport in the world according to the number of fans engaged with the sports entertainment. Basketball enjoys a massive fan base of over 800 million supporters.
The NBA is one of the most popular basketball leagues in the United States. NBA also boasts a significant number outside the USA. In 2022-2023, the NBA generated over 32 billion video views across all platforms.
The sports require people to have physical endurance to play the game for hours.
- Estimated Fans: 800 Million
- Popularity Regions: America, Oceania, Middle East
- Most Famous Basketball Players:
- USA — LeBron James
- USA — Micheal Jordan
- USA — Larry Bird
- China — Yao Ming
6. Table Tennis
Table tennis is also one of the most popular sports in the world and boasts over 850 million fans worldwide. Certain events like the World Championship and Olympic Games attract millions of fans to the sport, including the TV viewership.
Table tennis is popular in a lot of Asian countries like India, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The simple rules of the sport make it one of the most appealing sports of our time. However, you must not mistake it for an easy sport, it will take a lot of agility and athleticism for this sport.
- Estimated Fans: 850 Million
- Popularity Regions: Europe, Africa, Asia, America
- Most Famous Table Tennis Players:
- China — Fan Zhendong, Xu Xin
- Croatia — Zoran Primorac
- China — Ma Long
5. Volleyball
Volleyball is a sport that promotes socialization, fitness, and cross-cultural harmony. It is a sport that can be enjoyed whether you are on the beaches or in grand sports halls.
This exciting and dynamic sport boasts more than 900 million fans. Not a small number by any means, spectators love this sport. This is a sport that tests your hand-eye coordination and strong reflexes.
- Estimated Fans: 900 Million
- Popularity Regions: Europe, Australia, Asia, America
- Most Famous Volleyball Players:
- USA — Misty May-Treanor
- Turkey — Mellisa Vargas
- Brazil — Giba
- Italy — Paola Egonu
4. Tennis
Next, we come to a sport enjoyed by over a billion fans, tennis. Known for its fast-paced action, Tennis is one of the favorite sports of many people from all age groups. Everybody loves tennis stars like Roger Federer, Rafel Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Whether you are an avid player or just an admirer of the sport, there are many reasons why tennis is revered as one of the best sports in the world. One of the main reasons for its popularity is the availability of tennis for all age groups.
You also don’t require expensive equipment to play tennis. Just start with a tennis racket and a ball.
- Estimated Fans: 1 Billion
- Popularity Regions: Asia, America, Europe
- Most Famous Tennis Players:
- Serbia — Novak Djokovic
- Switzerland — Roger Federer
- Spain — Rafel Nadal
3. Hockey
Just like football, this fast-paced and action-packed sport requires a lot of skills and precision, though it can be fun for both players and spectators. Modern hockey was invented or became mainstream in 18th-century England.
The UK established the first-ever hockey association and then created the rules and regulations to play the sport. Now, it has become so popular that over 2 billion fans enjoy hockey all over the world.
Hockey is famous in Europe, Australia, Asia, and Africa. Germany, Australia, and the Netherlands have won the Men’s Hockey World Cup three times, while Pakistan clinched it four times.
- Estimated Fans: 2 Billion
- Popularity Regions: Europe, Asia, Africa, America
- Most Famous Hockey Players:
- United Kingdom – Sean Curly
- India – Dhyan Chand
- Australia – Jamie Dwyer
- Pakistan – Hassan Sardar
2. Cricket
With an estimated 2.5 billion fans, cricket is the second-most popular sport in the world. Its history dates back to the 13th century when it was played on village greens and in fields across England.
Today, Cricket is extremely popular in Asia (particularly South Asia), Australia, and the UK. Cricket has gained huge popularity in South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
Approximately 90% of the cricket fans reside in South Asian countries. It is one of the most popular sports in India.
There are multiple formats of a cricket game, but the T20 format dominates the game today. With the demand for more fast-paced games, T20 has become more popular than the other two formats.
- Estimated Fans: 2.5 Billion
- Popularity Regions: Asia, Australia, UK
- Most Famous Players in Cricket:
- India – Sachin Tendulkar
- Australia – Ricky Ponting
- England – Sir Ian Botham
- West Indies – Sir Vivian Richards
- Pakistan – Shoaib Akhtar
- South Africa – Jaquess Kallis
Also Read: TouchCric: A Heavenly Platform Made for Cricket Heads
1. Football/Soccer
With more than 3.5 billion fans worldwide, football enjoys the tag of the world’s most popular sport. One reason for this popularity is Europe’s “Big Five” professional leagues that showcase the dazzling appeal of the game better than anywhere else on the planet.
The game also has active players in almost every country in the world. Most countries also have an active professional football league. English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga are two of the most popular leagues.
It will be hard to say which country enjoys the greatest number of fans in football, though we can estimate that based on the most popular players in the world.
- Estimated Fans: 3.5 Billions
- Popularity Regions: Europe, Asia, and America
- Most Famous Football Players
- Argentina – Lionel Messi
- Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo
- Brazil – Pele
- France – Zinedine Zidane
- Holland – Johan Cryuff
- England – Harry Kane
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Conclusion
The popularity of a sport can also depend from country to country, but we’ve tried to be objective in this assessment and based this list on the greatest number of fans in the world.
According to our list, the top popular sports in the world are football, cricket, and hockey.
What do you think about our list? Give us your thoughts in the comments.
