The Most Popular Sport in Every Country

Here at AAA State of Play, we are passionate about all forms of play, even professional! Playing sports and watching sports have been a global pastime since ancient times. How many kinds of sports are there? According to the World Sports Encyclopedia, there are more than 8,000 sports and sporting games! The most popular sport in the U.S. is football, but it is by far in the minority compared to the rest of the world. Here is the ultimate guide to the most popular sport in every country:

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What Is the Most Popular Sport in the World?

The world’s most popular sport is soccer.

How Many Soccer Fans Are There Worldwide?

Although it would be challenging to provide a precise number for how many fans soccer has, the World Atlas reports that there are more than 3.5 billion fans around the globe. This makes soccer the most watched sport in the world! This is further confirmed by how many people watched the World Cup in 2022 — FIFA claimed that around 1.5 billion people tuned in to experience the final live. They also stated that the tournament generated almost six billion engagements on social media. Considering that the world population is around 8 billion people, it is safe to say that soccer rules the world.

Why Is it Called Association Football, and Why Do Americans Call it Soccer?

Professor of sports economics Stefan Szymanski says that the term “soccer” originated in 19th century England as a way of differentiating between variants of the game, which at the time lacked an overall consensus on the rules of play.

In the early 1800s, football and rugby existed as different versions of the same game. In 1863, the Football Association formed to create concrete rules so that aristocratic boys from different schools could play against each other. By 1871, the Rugby Football Union also established a set of rules, so these two sports officially became known as “rugby football” and “association football.” Students came up with shortened names for the two sports: “rugger” and “soccer.” At the time, it was a fad at Oxford and Cambridge to use “-er” at the ends of words, and because “association” did not flow properly with an “-er,” it was shortened, donating its “soc” to create “soccer.”

The name “soccer” became widely recognized in England, and the popularity of the word was further fueled by American soldiers in England, who took a liking to the sport during World War II. However, by the 1980s, the British people began turning against the name because the penetration of the game into American culture led to a backlash. Americans kept the name, and the rest is history.

Here are the most popular sports in the 30 most populous countries:

China: Basketball
India: Cricket
United States: Football (NFL)
Indonesia: Soccer
Pakistan: Cricket
Brazil: Soccer
Nigeria: Soccer
Bangladesh: Cricket
Russia: Soccer
Mexico: Soccer
Japan: Baseball
Ethiopia: Soccer
Philippines: Basketball
Egypt: Soccer
Vietnam: Soccer
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Soccer
Turkey: Soccer
Iran: Soccer
Germany: Soccer
Thailand: Soccer
England: Soccer
France: Soccer
Italy: Soccer
Tanzania: Soccer
South Africa: Soccer
Myanmar: Soccer
Kenya: Soccer
South Korea: Soccer
Colombia: Soccer
Spain: Soccer

It comes as no surprise that the most popular sport in America is football (the American kind) — in fact, it’s the only country where football is the most popular sport. There are also plenty of cricket lovers, making cricket the second most popular sport in the world, with 2.5 billion fans! Shout out to Anguilla for being the only country where boat racing is the most popular sport. It is so cherished in Anguilla that it is the official national sport!

All in all, we just love the fantastic variety of ways that humans can play around the globe. Whether professional or for fun, sports help make the world a more playful and active place. Sports can be wonderful for children as well. The benefits of sports for kids, even just during recess, are plentiful!