The list of different sports is incredibly long. But the number of people who watch sport – the spectators – is truly staggering. As fans, billions of us around the world regularly follow a team or a particular individual, whether competitively or at an amateur level. But which sports are the most popular and what viewership numbers do they attract?
Click on to discover the most watched sports in the world, sorted in this ranking.
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10. Golf
Golf has an audience of over 450 million fans worldwide. It is a sport that originated in Scotland in the 15th century. In 1764, the first 18-hole golf course was built in St. Andrews.
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10. Golf
Scottie Scheffler of the United States celebrates his victory on the 18th green during the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia. Scheffler is currently ranked number one in the world.
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10. Golf
Nelly Korda, also from the USA, is the number one in women’s golf.
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9. Rugby
Rugby is said to have originated in 1823 at Rugby School in Warwickshire, England. Today, over 475 million fans worldwide follow the sport.
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9. Rugby
The most important tournament in this sport is the Rugby World Cup. Pictured is the quarter-final match between France and South Africa at the Stade de France on October 15, 2023 in Paris, France.
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9. Rugby
The emergence of women’s rugby has significantly increased fan numbers. Pictured: New Zealand players perform the haka after defeating Australia in the Women’s Cup Final on day three of the HSBC SVNS Singapore at the National Stadium on May 5, 2024 in Singapore.
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8. Baseball
Baseball is one of the most popular sports in the United States, but the game is popular worldwide and has a fan base of over 500 million fans.
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8. Baseball
Baseball evolved from older bat and ball games played in England in the mid-18th century. The first organized game in America took place in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1846.
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8. Baseball
While baseball is largely a male sport, the United States has a women’s national team. Elsewhere, women’s baseball is played in several other countries, notably Australia and Japan.
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7. Basketball
Basketball is another extremely popular sport in the United States and many other countries around the world, with an estimated 800 million fans around the world watching the game.
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7. Basketball
A form of basketball was introduced in the United States in 1891. The first game played under the auspices of the NBA took place in 1946. Pictured is LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the game’s superstars.
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7. Basketball
The Women’s National Basketball Association was founded in 1996. Despite record-breaking ratings, women’s basketball is still struggling financially, so players, according to NBC News lag far behind their male colleagues in terms of remuneration.
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6. Table tennis
Surprisingly, table tennis has a fan base of over 850 million people worldwide, many of whom are Chinese. In fact, China has established itself as the most popular country in table tennis and has a long history of success in the sport.
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6. Table tennis
Wang Chuqin from China is currently the world number one in this sport.
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6. Table tennis
The number one in the women’s world rankings is Ding Ning, also from China.
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5. Volleyball
Volleyball originated as a sport in 1895, when the first recorded game took place in a gymnasium in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Today, over 900 million fans enjoy this dynamic sport.
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5. Volleyball
Here, Kimberly Hill of the United States shoots during the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Women’s World Championship 5th place match between Japan and the USA at Yokohama Arena on October 19, 2018 in Yokohama.
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5. Volleyball
The picture shows Brazil’s Wallace De Souza against Poland’s Mateusz Bieniek and Artur Szalpuk during the final between Brazil and Poland at the 2018 FIVB Men’s World Championship.
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4. Tennis
Tennis has a long history. The game’s origins can be traced back to a 12th-13th century handball game called Jeu de Paume, played by European monks for entertainment at ceremonial occasions. Today, the sport has an audience of over a billion fans. Pictured is Court Philippe-Chatrier, the main clay court at Roland Garros. The venue hosts the French Open.
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4. Tennis
The current world number one in tennis is Novak Djokovic, seen here in action at Wimbledon.
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4. Tennis
The current number one tennis player is Iga Swiatek, here celebrating her quarterfinal victory at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow during the 2022 US Open.
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3. Field hockey
The third most popular sport in terms of fan base is hockey, with over two billion fans of the game worldwide. According to the International Hockey Federation, the origins of the game can be traced back almost 4,000 years, with historical references in Iran, Egypt and Greece.
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3. Field hockey
Pictured are Justine Rasir of Belgium and Eva de Goede of the Netherlands during the 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup match at Wagener Hockey Stadium on July 12, 2022 in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.
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3. Field hockey
In this photo, Cassiem Mustaphaa of South Africa celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the FIH Men’s Indoor Hockey World Cup Pool B match between Australia and South Africa at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria, South Africa on February 5, 2023.
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2. Cricket
The second most popular sport in the world by fan numbers is cricket, with a global audience of around 2.5 billion people. The sport has a well-known history dating back to late 16th century England. In addition to the UK, cricket is also popular in India, Australia, Pakistan, the West Indies, South Africa and New Zealand.
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2. Cricket
Babar Azam of Pakistan is bowled by Kuldeep Yadav of India during the group stage match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 at Old Trafford, England on June 16, 2019.
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2. Cricket
Believe it or not, women have been playing cricket for centuries, dating back to 1745. Admirers of the women’s game now make up a sizeable portion of the sport’s fanbase. Here, Ellyse Perry of Australia is bowled by Lauren Bell of England during the Women’s Ashes 1st Vitality IT20 match at Edgbaston on July 1, 2023.
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1. Football
There are no prizes for guessing which sport is the number one sport! Yes, football, has an incredible 3.5 billion fans worldwide. Modern football originated in Great Britain in the 19th century. According to World Population Review The “beautiful game” is now played in over 230 countries around the world, but football is most popular in Brazil.
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1. Football
Over the years, the game has produced some truly gifted players. The late Pele is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have their own legions of fans.
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1. Football
More and more fans are following women’s football, which has become a growing phenomenon, breaking down social barriers and stereotypes historically associated with the sport.
Quellen: (World Atlas) (World Rugby) (USA Baseball) (Lord’s Cricket Ground)
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2024-05-27 07:49:15
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