What are the most watched sport events in the world?
April 11, 2024
Sports are a huge part of human culture, entertainment and history. Indeed, for as long as humans have been around, we’ve played sports in some way or another. For example, the Ancient Chinese had a kick-ball game similar to modern day football, and the Aztecs played a version of volleyball. The more things have changed, the more they stayed the same, and people to this day enjoy playing sports in some way or another.
However, thanks to the advent of radio, television, and streaming, sports are now more popular than ever. Online bookies have seen a growth in attendance, and the biggest sporting events are getting larger and larger crowd with every new installment. And, speaking of the biggest sport events in the world, some may wonder just what are they?
This article attempts to answer that question.
#1. The World Cup
Most sports have an event that is called ‘The World Cup’ so, it is an incredible achievement that, whenever somebody says those words, the first thing most people think about is football. Indeed, the FIFA World Cup has taken over the hearts and minds of fans and non-fans from around the world. Even people who don’t usually watch football, pay attention to the game during the World Cup.
According to stats from 2023, the World Cup of football is, by far, the most watched sports event in the world. Of course, the most watched game of the World Cup is the finale, with 2022’s World Cup Finals being some of the most watched and most popular in the whole history of the sport. With such immense popularity, it isn’t surprising that the World Cup also attracts a ton of punters.
Betting on the World Cup is a whole topic worth discussing in and of itself. Every four years, bookies, both land-based and online, prep well in advance to present the best and most accurate odds possible. All over the world, bookies like this site de Paris sportif do everything in their power to ensure that bookies will have the best possible experience when wagering on the World Cup.
#2. Tour de France
Cycling is one of the most popular sports in the world. According to the research done in 2022 by the European Parliament, there were around 1 billion bicycles worldwide, exceeding the number of owned cars. Which means that there are more people riding bikes than driving cars. Despite that, cycling as a sport is not as popular as one might expect. With one exception…
The Tour de France is the biggest cycling event in the world. The annual race takes place primarily in France, and is a road racing event, which has gone on for over a century. Thus far, there have been 110 editions of the Tour de France, and the event has been getting much more popular with each edition. The reason being, it is a cultural and societal landmark, which brings in fans that may not originally be interested in cycling as a sport.
The popularity of the Tour de France doesn’t seem to be declining either. In fact, with EuroSport’s recent expansion of cycling events, the whole sport may become a lot more popular. Some predict that cycling will become a lot more mainstream in the future, as more people move away from driving cars, and become more interested in bikes and cycling.
#3. Cricket World Cup
As we said, a lot of sports have a World Cup. Cricket is no exception. To people from the USA or Europe, cricket being as popular as it is may be bizarre. However, if you are Indian, Pakistani, Australian, English, or South African, this comes as no surprise at all. In fact, cricket enjoys over 2 billion fans worldwide, and is the favourite sport of many countries, especially in South-East Asia.
With so many fans around the world, is it any surprise that the World Cup of cricket is one of the world’s most watched sporting events? According to 2023 research, over 2.5 billion people watched the Cricket World Cup, breaking both broadcast and digital records. The next event is going to be taking place in 2027, and will be held in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia.
Like the football event, the Cricket World Cup is held every four years, making it all the more exciting when it comes around. Of course, like the Tour de France and the Football World Cup, the cricket tournament attracts a huge amount of non-fans and punters, who are interested in experiencing one of the most exciting sports tournaments.
#4. The Women’s World Cup
While women’s football often gets overshadowed by the men’s category, the World Cup seems to be immune from that. Though not nearly as popular as the Men’s World Cup tournament in football, the Women’s World Cup remains one of the biggest sports tournaments in the world.
In 2023, over 2 billion fans watched the 33rd installment of the Women’s World Cup, when Spain won their first ever title. Like the Men’s category, the Women’s Cup is held every four years, with the next one being scheduled to happen in 2027.
The 2023 installment of the Women’s World Cup edition was one of the most important in the history of women’s football, as it was the most attended edition in the tournament’s history. The event was also the first time that indigenous flags have been flow alongside the national flags. Indeed, it was quite an important social and cultural event.
#5. The Olympics
Finally, no list of the most watched sports events would be complete without bringing up the Olympics. The Summer Olympics are, perhaps understandably, the more popular choice for many. However, the Winter Olympics are close behind, with the difference in viewers between the two being so negligible, it might as well be non-existent.
Even folks who have no interest in sports tend to pay attention to the Olympics. Not because of the sports side of things, but rather because the Olympics are a cultural and societal touchstone. They’ve been played since the days of Ancient Greece, and carry with them a lot of history.