World’s ten most popular sports revealed with host of shock entries including hockey THIRD and volleyball in top five
THE world’s top ten most popular sports have been revealed.
And it includes a host of shock entries in the list.
A new piece of research has been completed to draw up the latest numbers of fans.
And it sees approximately half of the 7billion world population watching the No1 sport.
The figures – compiled by World Atlas – delve into the figures to work out which events get the most eyeballs on them.
So, which sports make the top ten?
10. Golf – 450m
Tiger Woods may no longer be at his prime but an estimated 450million tune in to watch golf – thanks in part to dominant American world No1s Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda.
This autumn’s team events – the Solheim Cup and the Presidents Cup – offer a different format for fans to support teams rather than individuals.
9. Rugby – 475m
South Africa won the 2023 Rugby World Cup in thrilling fashion with one-point victories over France, England and New Zealand in the knockout stages.
The sport is immensely popular across the world – from Fiji to Wales to Argentina to Japan although England, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia are the only World Cup winners.
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8. Baseball – 500m
Unlike rugby, baseball has a high concentration of its fans in one country, the US.
So much so that the so-called World Series is made up of the MLB teams – 29 from America and one from Canada – although matches have been played outside of North America including at the London Stadium.
7. Basketball – 800m
Basketball also has big appeal for its American league – the NBA – but the sport is also incredibly popular in Europe.
The scale of its appeal at the 2024 Olympics was clear to see as the all-star American side featuring LeBron James and Steph Curry pipped Serbia and then won gold against hosts France.
6. Table Tennis – 850m
The first surprising sport to make the top ten is table tennis in sixth.
Massive in China, the game has spread throughout Asia and beyond – and is helped by its simple rules and accessibility to play.
5. Volleyball – 900m
To think volleyball has 900m fans and is the fifth-biggest sport in the world is extraordinary.
But it is such a dynamic sport to watch and is particularly enjoyed on the European continent, Central and South America – with Brazil winning three men’s world championships in a row. Philippines host next year’s event.
4. Tennis – 1bn
Another sport with truly worldwide appeal – helped by the fact the sport follows the sun throughout the year and is played in some of the biggest cities plus anyone can give it a go at their local courts.
Tennis world No1s have been from Scotland, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, America, Romania, Australia, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Chile, Brazil, Russia, Italy, Belgium, France, Denmark, Japan, Belarus, Poland and more.
3. Hockey – 2bn
Again, this could be one to raise a few eyebrows but hockey is adored in India, where there is a population of nearly 1.5bn.
The game originated in England in the 18th Century but it is now the Netherlands who are the dominant nation across men’s and women’s hockey.
2. Cricket – 2.5bn
For similar reasons, cricket takes second spot thanks to its outrageous popularity in India with Virat Kohli boasting 270m Instagram followers.
World Cup winners have also come from Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and England – with the next men’s event hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
1. Football – 3.5bn
And unsurprisingly, top of the pile is football.
The global game truly is exactly that with huge viewing figures across the world.
So much so that approximately half of the entire population is estimated to watch football – with tournaments such as the World Cup, Euros, Champions League and Premier League providing box-office viewing.
No fewer than 48 teams from six confederations will compete at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
And that top ten means there is no space for boxing, MMA, Formula One or horseracing.