Most popular sports in the world


Football (Soccer)

Soccer (more popularly known as Football in many regions) is a team sport that is popular in almost every country in the world. The huge fan following is perhaps due to the fact that at an amateur level, it requires very little equipment and effort to learn the basics. It starts with as simple as driving the ball into the opponent's goal post and preventing the opponent from doing so. Kids from all walks of life start playing soccer at an early age and go on to become ardent followers of the game. Soccer is also the highest paying team sport at professional level. The prize money for the winning team at the 2010 soccer world cup was US $30 million. The synonym of enthusiasm and zeal, soccer or soccer posses the number 1 ranking in the world's most popular sports. Learn more about this game which has taken the world by storm.



English version of American softball? Close but not quite. The third most popular sport in the world is also a team sport. Cricket's number three spot in terms of number of fans is thanks largely due to its popularity in the Indian sub-continent. It is popular in Asia, Australia, Middle-East, England and few selected countries, but is slowly expanding its reach to other countries. Cricket is a rather interesting sport with many formats - from test matches which last for as long as 5 days to the more recent 20-20 format which has a duration of about 3 hours. The original format of the game (5 days) and the somewhat involved rules and skills required meant that Cricket was popular among a few selected countries to begin with. However, the introduction of the 20-20 format has resulted in many more countries participating in the sport at an international level.



Basketball is an action packed game combining the display of skills, strategy and athleticism in one of the shortest duration as compared to contemporary sports. Basketball gives you one of the most rigorous indoor exercises. The game originated in Canada and has a huge fan following in North America. However, it has gained worldwide popularity rather quickly - the Federation Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) ranking list has 82 countries with non-zero points after the 2012 London Olympics. Top Basketball players in the world are rewarded handsomely. In 2004, Michael Jordan made 35 million dollars.



Tennis is one of the top 5 most popular sport in the world, but is the most popular individual sport. Tennis can be played between two single players or two teams of a pair of players each (doubles variant). It is a sport which is equally popular among men and women. Lawn tennis is a very high paying individual sport - individual players have made more than $40 million in a year alone. Tennis is a fascinating game as well as exercise. The fact that there is no fixed time limit in the game means a player has to work hard on his/her stamina - matches between professionals often turn out to be a test of endurance. The only limiting factor in the popularity of the game is the availability of affordable tennis courts for common public. Everyone should try Lawn Tennis - the world's most popular individual sport atleast once!



Baseball, the national pastime of the United States, is one of the top 10 most popular sports in the world. Baseball is also a very high paying sport at the professional level - the total prize money for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) tournament standing at $14 million, and individual players in the United States earning as much as $33 million in a year.


Table Tennis

Table-Tennis is another individual/pair sport which makes it to the top 10 most popular sports list. Informally, table-tennis is also known as ping-pong. One of the advantages of the game is that it requires relatively lesser space, so many clubs, schools and recreational centers have a table-tennis court. Though it appears that there is relatively less running in the sport, a serious game of table-tennis can be a very good exercise due to the swift movements required.



Golf is the most popular sport which can be played solo (without requiring a partner). It is a game where focus is completely on individual brilliance - ones performance in Golf is not influenced by the opponent's. A golf course can offer unique scenic beauty and natural environment unmatched by any other sport. As golf courses are often rare even in big cities, many people first try their hands on an alternative form - mini golf. Though the sport is played regularly only by the wealthier class, people love to watch golf. Golf has the record for an individual sports-person earning the highest amount of money ever. As of 2010, Tiger Woods has earned close to $900 million in his career so far. He has earned around $90 million in 2010 from winnings and endorsements alone.



Volleyball is also a team sport which is popular across the globe, partly due to its different variants (it can be played indoor as well as outdoors). Volleyball is popular among men as well women. Officially, the sport is played between teams of six players each. Volleyball was invented in 1895, in Massachusetts by Dr. William Morgan and beach volleyball caught up a couple of decades later.



Badminton is not only a popular professional sport, but also a popular fitness activity across all age groups.




Field Hockey

A flick, a hit and the goal - you guessed right, its Hockey! Field hockey is another team sport with reach across the globe. It is played in over 100 countries (members of the International Hockey Federation). Matches at the professional level have a duration of about 1 hour 15 minutes, making hockey a short and action packed sport. Field hockey is one of the most popular team sport for women and also one of the popular team events in the Olympics.


Motor Sports


American Football

Football is one of the most intensive contact sports. In the US, it is simply called Football (and "Football" is called "Soccer"), while in the rest of the world, it is often more commonly known as Gridiron.


Ice Hockey


Water Sports


Winter Sports



Squash, like other racquet and ball games, is played usually between 2 players (singles) or 4 players (doubles). It is played within an enclosure of 4 walls. Apart from being a professional sport, Squash is a popular fitness activity, especially because it can also be played solo for practice.




Air/Wind Sports


Mind Sports






Martial Arts






Canadian Football


Australian Football


Gaelic Football






Team Handball


Cue Sports

Cue Sports are a group of sports, more popularly known as Billiards and Pool





Fencing is a one of the earliest Olympic sports. It is a combat sport with 3 main variations - Foil, Épée and Sabre. Though its roots date back to medieval period or possibly even earlier, it was converted into a sport around the 18th century and today has primary relevance as a traditional art and sport.










Adventure Sports




Roller Hockey (Quad)

Wish Ice hockey could be played all the year round? Well - roller hockey - also known as quad hockey or rink hockey, is a decent substitute. One of the most enthralling and fast paced sports, roller hockey is famous in many European countries and is in-fact one of the top 10 sports in countries like Spain.



Chess is the most popular mind sport with passionate following among intellectuals, geeks and nerds of all countries.



Archery, an ageless art of combat and defence, is today practised primarily as a sport and is a regular Olympic competition.

Ha ha ha! Where does badminton stand!
Football not Soccer
First of all its not soccer its football! Surely an American has written this.
idiot 5
Its ninth
U love IPL T20 cricket
No basketball is huge in Europe, South America, and China too.
no Football is number 1 game in the World
I agree with most, but rugby is a bit more popular than table tennis.
Concerned Cricket Fan
No way, federer, murray?