🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
Football leads as world's most-watched sport, new data reveals
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
A recent global sports analysis has identified the world's most popular sports by estimated fan base, confirming football as the undisputed leader with an estimated 3.5 to 4 billion followers worldwide. The ranking, based on global viewership data, participation rates, and industry reports, places football far ahead of other sports due to its universal appeal and major international competitions like the FIFA World Cup. Cricket ranks second with over 2.5 billion global fans, thriving in South Asia, Australia, the UK, and emerging African markets. Basketball follows with 2.2 to 2.4 billion fans, driven by the NBA and FIBA competitions. Hockey, combining field and ice variations, has 1.3 to 2 billion fans, while tennis attracts 1 billion. Volleyball is popular with 900 million fans, and table tennis, dominated by Asia, has 850 million. Baseball garners 500 million fans, primarily in the United States, Japan, and Latin America. Golf has 450 million fans, and American football, while strongest in the United States, has 400 million global fans.
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