Top 10 Most Popular Sports In the World By Participation

Sport is a trait that unites people regardless of colour, caste, religion, and ethnicity. Sports not only give us entertainment but also help us to stay healthy and boost our immunity. As per some research, there are approximately 8,000 sports that are played around the globe but an international governing body recognizes an estimated 200 sports. Among sports, it has been learned that outdoor games are played and watched more than indoor games. In this article, we will discuss the world’s top 10 most popular sports by participation.

Most Popular Sports In the World By Participation

Check out Top 10 Most Popular Sports In the World By Participation here –

Football 

Football is the most popular sport in the world. According to the famous football league, Bundesliga, it is played across 200 plus nations by more than 250 million people. In South America, Europe, and whole Africa it is fondly popular. Currently, the craze of this game is uphill in North America, East and South-East Asia too. If we talk about the nature, Football is a team game played by two teams consisting of 11 players each. The most prominent tournament in this hugely participated game is the World Cup which started in 1930 and Uruguay became the maiden winner by beating Argentina in the finals. Brazil has won the most titles (5), followed by Italy and Germany with 4 each. Players like Pele, Maradona, Messi, and Ronaldo have made people fall in love with this skillful game. 

Cricket 

Cricket is the 2nd most popular sport in the world. It is widely played in Southeast Asia like in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Apart from Asian teams, Australia, England, South Africa, West Indies, and New Zealand also have a strong participation in this team game. There are an estimated 4500 professional players around the world however the approximate number of registered players is 30 million. The game has a fanbase of around 2.5 billion and is played in three formats at the highest level- T20, Test, and ODI. Mumbai-born Sachin Tendulkar is the biggest cricket player the world has ever seen, however, Pakistan’s Wasim Akram, Australia’s Shane Warne, and Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan also made the game of their own with their superb skill and performance in their lifetime. In a mega event like the World Cup, Australia has the most trophies, winning it five times, followed by India and West Indies (2). 

Hockey 

Hockey comes 3rd on the elite tally of most popular sports in the world by participation. Over 127 countries are affiliated with the International Field Hockey Federation and more than 30 million people play the game across the globe. Field Hockey is mostly famous in Europe. Asia, Africa, and Australia while Ice Hockey is played in North Europe and North America. According to some reports, the USA has solely more than 5.5 lacs registered Ice Hockey players. This amazing game which is played using sticks has a fan base of roughly 2 billion. 

Tennis 

Tennis is an individual sport and is not played with numerous players like cricket, football, and hockey. However, it has created an estimated 1 billion followers. The reason for this game to attract a lot of fans around the world is its unpredictable and competitive nature. Both the participants try their level best to showcase their skills to beat each other and eventually win the battle. The action in tennis is always on and their tricks are openly visible. Over 87 million people play this beautiful sport from all walks of life. The biggest tournament in this sport is the Grand Slams like the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, etc. are the legends of this game. 

Volleyball 

Watching or playing volleyball is an absolute treat. The exciting game brings your fitness, acrobatics, and reflexes into check. Approximately 800 million people from different parts play this sport. This game is played by two teams consisting of 6 players each. The team who scores 25 points first is declared triumphant in a match. Volleyball is popular in Europe and America. With a fan base of an estimated 900 million of this game, the USA has the biggest number of participants, a staggering 37 million roughly combining local and professional players. 

Table Tennis 

Table Tennis has probably got the designation of the biggest indoor sport following its participation of over 300 million people on earth. This rousing game is a part of massive sporting events like the Olympics, Asian Games, and World Championship. Table Tennis is majorly played in Asia but some European and American nations also play it actively. China is the top team in the Table Tennis. Their skill and determination for this team is second to none. Merging the men’s and women’s singles, China has won the most gold medals in the Olympics’ history (15) in table tennis.

Basketball 

Basketball is surely one of the most eminent sports in the world. Each team plays with 5 members in this game and within 48 minutes containing 4 quarters the team with the most points wins. Basketball is insanely popular in America and Europe. The participants in Basketball are approximately 450 million spread across 200+ countries. The biggest Basketball franchise league is the NBA in the USA. So they have dominance over this sport, producing some worldwide influencing names like Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Larry Bird, etc. 

Rugby 

Rugby is world’s one of the most entertaining games. A person is supposed to be physically very strong to play this game. For the snatching and running through the opponent’s defense portion the sport makes the fans enthusiastic about it. This game has 500 million fans and over 18 million people play it from different parts of the world. The game has its highest supremacy in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. In fact, New Zealand’s national sport is Rugby. Lately, the game has witnessed a surge in interest in countries like Japan, Spain, Uruguay, etc. 

Baseball 

Baseball is a perfect blend of athleticism, power, and skill. In Baseball, each team can place up to 9 players at a time and the team with a higher score registers a victory. This is a proper team game and each player has to play their role effectively to win a match. The United States of America is the top nation in this game. Other baseball-playing countries are Japan, Canada, Cuba, Puerto Rico, etc. The female version of baseball is called softball. As per the World Baseball Softball Confederation, roughly 65 million people this game across 140 countries. 

Golf 

Golf is considered to be the rich people’s game in our society but in reality, the case is completely different. People from every background play it, approximately 60 million people take part in this sport. Golf is played in a huge green area and players have to put the ball by hitting it hard with a stick in holes situated at different locations on a golf course in as less attempts as possible. It has a fanbase of estimated 450 million. Some popular golf players are Mark Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Sam Snead, etc.