Football - The Most Popular Sport In The World

According to the World Sports Encyclopedia (2003), there are more than 8,000 indigenous sports around the world. In every part of the world, different sports dominate the communities and sports celebrities are some of the most famous people in the world. In this article, we would discuss why football is commonly considered the most popular sport in the world.

Sport: Football (also called soccer in the United States and Canada)

Famous Teams: Barcelona FC, Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, Manchester United FC, Chelsea FC

Famous Players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Pele, David Beckham

Origin: England in the 12th century (also said to be played in China all the way back in 476 B.C.)

Worldwide Audience: ~ 4+billion

Structure: 90 minutes full game played by 22 players

Fun Fact: An average player runs almost 8-13 km in a game and field size varies around the world

Spectators

No other sports can rival football in terms of the number of spectators it has. Football is estimated to have more than 4 billion fans worldwide. The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia was watched by a record number of 3.5 billion fans and the actual number could be higher! That was almost 50% of the entire world’s population. If you find it exciting to watch players perform difficult moves with the ball, you are not alone. Its’ strategic nature and requirements of speed, precision, strength and passion make the sport entertaining to watch globally.

Participants

Football also has the highest number of participants in the world. According to a global research by FIFA, it was estimated that there are more than 265 million people who play the sport along with more than 5 million referees, which equates to approximately 4% of the world’s population.

Unlike other sports that require pricey equipment and proper facilities, all you need for football is a ball. I recall that many years ago as kids, my cousins would use their shoes to demark the two goal posts at opposite ends and play barefooted on the grass. Anyone, rich or poor, can enjoy the sport anywhere at any time.

It is played all over the world, but is particularly popular in Europe, Central and South America, and Africa.

Competitions

Football has the greatest number of professional leagues in the world. There is a major competition in every continent for football. Some of the highly followed leagues include the English Premier League (EPL), Bundesliga, La Liga, and Series A.

On the continental level, the UEFA Champions League in Europe is the most famous competition. In Africa, Asia and North America, the continental competition is also known as the Champions League. No other sport comes close to rivaling the level of competition at the continental stage.

Salaries

According to Forbes’ List in 2020, 3 out of the top 5 highest paid sportsmen are football players - Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar. In fact, Cristiano Ronaldo has been consistently ranked among the top 3 highest paid sportsmen since 2014. Apart from basketball, few sports can rival the pay check size in football.

—