While sports such as baseball, basketball, and tennis have long been popular both inside and outside the United States, three sports in particular-soccer, cricket, and football-have seen exponential growth in worldwide viewership. Today, these sports are even more popular than they were years ago.
The US is by far the most popular destination for international sports fans, with soccer being by far the most popular sport. In 2007, World Cup soccer was watched by over 3 billion people, which makes it the most-watched event in history. It surpassed the previous record holder, the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, which was watched by nearly 900 million people.
In addition to having the largest fan base, soccer is also the most popular sport in the world among children. There are currently over 500 million children and teenagers between 5 and 19 years old living in countries where soccer is popular. That's about one in five children on our planet.
Another reason why soccer is so popular all around the world is because it is easy to play. Anyone can do it, from kids to adults. You don't need much space or equipment. You just need a ball usually made from synthetic materials (not real leather), a field with markings for goalposts, and some empty space between players. That's it!
Outside of the United States, the sport is less well-known. Basketball, football, and baseball are all more popular across the world than American football. However, a few countries consider American football to be one of their most popular sports. These include Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, and Venezuela.
In Europe, American football has largely been overshadowed by soccer. The only country that actively promotes its football league system is England, where the NFL's regular season game schedule overlaps with the Premier League's yearly calendar. In addition, several former European colonies have adopted rugby union as their primary sport; these include Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, France, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam.
In Asia, basketball is widely accepted as America's first sports. It is played by men in almost every country except Afghanistan and Iraq. Baseball was once popular in China but is now dominated by basketball and football. American football remained relatively unknown in Asia until 1995, when California became the first foreign team to win an NFL game. Since then, the game has become increasingly popular in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
The World's Most Popular Sports
| Rank | Sport | Estimated Global Following |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soccer (Association Football) | 4.0 Billion |
| 2 | Cricket | 2.5 Billion |
| 3 | Hockey (Ice and Field) | 2 Billion |
| 4 | Tennis | 1 Billion |
Soccer is the world's most popular sport.
| Rank | Sport | Estimated Global Following |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soccer (Association Football) | 4.0 Billion |
| 2 | Cricket | 2.5 Billion |
| 3 | Hockey (Ice and Field) | 2 Billion |
| 4 | Tennis | 1 Billion |
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