Fewer things can stir a childlike happiness and bring people together than sports. Be it Kylian Mbappe’s curving shots in the back of the net or Cooper DeJean scoring a touchdown on his birthday, we can all agree that sports really can get our blood pumping.

So, let’s walk together through some of the most entertaining sports globally, ranked by viewership and fanbases, and explore sports through countries and cultures.

Soccer

It comes as no surprise that soccer would take the top of the table. Most of us have grown up watching legends like Pele, Maradona, Bale, Messi, and Ronaldo, who have massively shaped our love for the sport.

Soccer has the numbers to back it up, amassing a global viewership of up to 4 billion viewers worldwide. That’s close to half the planet! There’s probably no person on the glob that doesn’t know at least one player.

Among all the great players, as the game is becoming more advanced and talent-filled, the likes of Vinicius Jr. and Amad Diallo continue coming to the limelight and only getting better.

We haven’t even begun counting popular events like the FIFA World Cup, but the viewership shoots through the roof. Presently, we have the UEFA Champions League dazzling us with spectacle, and at the moment, there are sportsbook bonuses on offer for wagering fans looking to get in on the action. 

Cricket

Some probably weren’t expecting cricket to be second on the list, but yes, this popular game is actually a top contender with regard to viewership. The game’s history generally spread from the British Empire and swept through the entire globe, but found a great stronghold particularly in South and South East Asia.

With over 2.5 billion viewers, cricket is a big name in the viewership scene. As of February 11th this year, India currently takes the top spot in the men’s One Day International cricket team globally. 

Field Hockey

There’s just something about watching players dressed in heavy jerseys with wooden hockey sticks aggressively trying to put the ball in the back of the net. Hockey therefore scores third on the list, amassing a total of 2.2 billion viewers.

Currently, Canada boasts of having the world’s best team in both the men’s and women’s divisions. If you are a hockey fan, you are probably well acquainted with teams like the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Carolina Hurricanes. What makes hockey a really fun sport to watch is its competitiveness.

Tennis 

Arguably one of the world’s most loved sports, tennis comes in fourth in terms of viewership. This game has been around for centuries, and its fanbase has only continued to grow since. Most fans have heard of legends like Serena Williams, Sampras, Agassi, Nadal, and Federer, who have just displayed how far the talent barrier can be pushed. 

The 1 billion people who tune in to view this game are a testament to how popular tennis is, especially in modern-day sports culture.

Volleyball

You probably wouldn’t expect volleyball to even appear on the list as one of the most viewed sports in the world, were you? Well, it does end. What is even crazier is that it has a viewership of up to 900 million.

If you are unfamiliar with the game, volleyball is quite a simple sport with very few rules and quite enjoyable, hence explaining the numbers in viewership. But if you’ve played it maybe as a sport at school or even while traveling to the beach, you know just how fun the game can get. 

As sports keep captivating billions of fans, investments in nurturing emerging talent remain one of the most important areas that uphold future viewership and competitiveness.

While conventional sports like soccer and cricket boast huge global followings, focus on youth development varies significantly across nations, impacting their capacity to dominate at the international stage and attract even larger fan bases. The extent to which countries invest and focus on youth sports programs can effectively determine the next generation of sports’ most viewed and respected competitions.