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In this post, we will check out the top 10 most popular sports in the world in 2023

Sports have been an integral part of human culture and society for thousands of years.

They bring people together, foster a sense of community, and provide an opportunity for physical activity and competition.

In today’s world, there are countless sports to choose from, each with its own unique rules, objectives, and fan base.

Here, we’ll take a look at the top 10 most popular sports in the world as of 2023. These sports have a global following, with millions of fans tuning in to watch the biggest events and matches.

Whether you’re a player or a spectator, these sports are sure to captivate and entertain.

Top 10 Most Popular Sports In The World 2023

1 Football

Football Commonly known as soccer is one of the most popular sports around the world. The game is played in over 200 countries making it the world’s most popular sport.

Now if we talk about fans, football has around 3.5 billion fans across the world. The sport has no boundaries and is played in almost all the countries around the world.

The regions where the game is more prevalent are Europe, Africa, Central, and South America. Football is also considered one of the most-watched and rich sports around the globe.

Football is also some of the most renowned leagues in the world. FIFA world cup 2018, has brought 7.7 million fans to Russia to watch the game. The stats are just incredible for any world cup event ever in the history of the sport.

Ease of play, leagues, history, passion, and the fans made this game a “Beautiful Game” on the planet. Football is number 1 in our list of top 10 most popular sports in the world.

2 Cricket

Cricket is the 2nd most popular sport in the world with over 2.5 billion fans around the world. The major places where Cricket is most prevalent are Asia, England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, and New Zealand.

The fan base of cricket in Asian countries is immense. A large number of people follow and watch the game. Though soccer is played in almost all countries, however, the craze of cricket in Asia is just great.

Over the last decade, the game evolved a lot and there is some major popular league around the world. IPL is the biggest league of all of them. The league is gaining popularity and the short format(T20) of the game is a new trend in Cricket.

Cricket is known as the gentleman’s game. There are reports which claimed that they will be adding the shorter format(T20) of the game in the Olympics as well. The game is expanding and more countries started to participate in the game.

The most followed league in cricket is the Indian Premier League, rated as the first in the top 10 Cricket Leagues in the World.

It’s safe to say that cricket will gonna rule in the future but it would be exciting to see that could it break the popularity of Soccer around the world.

3 Basketball

Basketball does not need any introduction in this list. The game is one of the most popular sports in America. It has also been one of the top sports in countries like Australia, Canada, and the Philippines.

The estimated fan base of the game is somewhat around 2 to 3 billion. The league is constituted of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.

The game is operated under the National Basketball Association. NBA players are the world’s best-paid athletes comparing the average annual salary of other athletes from different sports.

Basketball is facing stiff competition from cricket for a couple of years in terms of popularity, however, this year Basketball is number 3 in the ranking of popular sports. The game has more than 100 leagues in the world.

Basketball never gonna fade away in the minds of sports fanatics and the game will continue to dominate in the future in terms of popularity.

4 Hockey

Hockey is one of the sports which is widely popular but still underrated. The game has a good reputation in Asian countries which include Pakistan, India, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Malaysia, and the Netherlands.

Another form of Hockey is ice hockey which is popular in Canada and the USA. The total number of fans including both forms of hockey is around 2.2 billion.

Field hockey is played on a field while ice hockey is played on an icy field. Comparing the participation of the country in the game, Field hockey is widely popular compared to Ice Hockey.

Both forms of hockey are major events in the Olympics. Hockey is number 4 in our list of top 10 most popular sports in the world.

5 Tennis

Tennis is the fifth most popular sport in the world with more than 1.5 billion fans. The game has seen some global stars like Federer and Nadal.

There are more than 8 Major Tennis Tournaments across the world. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played in different nations and followed by billions of fans. 

This is more kind of an individual, however, you can also play the game with a member which is formally called doubles.

The game requires grit, hard work, and stamina to propel it to the next level. The game has seen some elegant, classy, power hitter, stylish kinds of players in recent years.

The new players keep on emerging and showing the world what they are capable of. Thus it increases the thrill and the competition in the game.

Tennis has been played by both males and females. Tennis is number 5 in our list of top 10 most popular sports in the world.

6 Volleyball

Volleyball is an adrenaline sport that requires power, class, and technique to execute properly. The game has been a part of the Summer Olympic Games since 1964.

It has 900 million fans around the world and is one of the classiest games of all time. The sport has vast popularity in different countries which including Brazil, Russia, Japan, China, Italy, and Cuba.

It’spouparlity increasing year after year and we will notice a huge increase in its followers in near future. A number of techniques required in volleyball include spiking, blocking, passing, and setting.

Volleyball is also one of the most-watched events in the Olympic games. Volleyball is number 6 in our list of the top 10 most popular sports in the world.

7 Table Tennis

Table Tennis is known as Ping Pong in many countries. The game is identical to Lawn tennis, the difference is that table tennis is played on a table while lawn tennis is played on a tennis court.

It can be played by single players or a team consisting of two players. Play is fast and needs quick reactions. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory and limits an opponent’s options, giving the hitter a great advantage.

The game is getting very popular as an indoor game and is played in a lot of countries. It is played in over 50 countries, dominated by nations in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. It is particularly more notable in China and Korea.

The table tennis fan base has increased to a global following of 875 million. Table Tennis is number 7 in our list of the top 10 most popular sports in the world.

8 Baseball

Baseball is a primetime sport in America, but it is also most prevalent in the Dominican Republic, Canada, and Cuba. Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two competitive teams who take turns batting and fielding.

The game progresses when a player on the fielding team, described as the pitcher, throws a ball that a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat.

Major League Baseball is the crest of baseball leagues globally. The game has more than 500 million fans around the world. Baseball is popular in North America and parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia as well.

The Baseball game also has great sponsorship deals and is one of the most-watched sports in the United States. Baseball is number 8 in our list of the top 10 most popular sports in the world in 2023.

9 Rugby

Rugby is the 9th most popular sport in the world. The sport has 500 million fans around the world. Rugby is also been a part of the Olympics which ultimately increase its fan base and popularity across the globe.

Rugby as a world cup event and the participation in the Olympic games surely made this sport one of the most popular sports in the world.

The sport is much popular in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. South Africa is without a doubt the most competitive rugby nation. Africa is home to almost 650,000 registered rugby players

The big tournament in rugby brings top brands and significant funds for sponsorship. The game requires energy and power with pace to excel at the highest level.

10 Golf

The last spot goes to Golf. The game has around 300 million fans across the world. The game is more prevalent in the US, Canada, and Europe. Golf has a global fan base and is most popular among the riches.

The fact is that rich people are attracted to golf because they can afford to overcome its many expensive hurdles to entry like Equipment and Lessons.

Golf is a single-player game and requires precision and technique to be the best. The game of golf was created in Scotland during the 15th century.

Some of the well-known golf tournaments include PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, European Tour, and PGA tour champion. The most popular player to ever grace the game of Golf is Tiger Woods.