The Most Popular Sport in Every Country Around the World

Sports are a universally beloved source of entertainment and pride across the globe. How many sports fans are there in the world? While it is hard to quantify just how many people are sports fans, one indicator of just how prevalent sports are in society is (how many people viewed the 2022 World Cup)! FIFA reported that an impressive 1.5 billion people tuned in to watch the final live. That’s around 20% of the world population! So what is the most popular sport in the world? You guessed it – soccer! Or association football as the majority of the world calls it. The team at AAAStateofPlay has created this fun, bold visualization of the most popular sport in every country across the globe. Let the games begin!

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I absolutely love the header! It’s unique, dynamic, and vibrant! The world map is informative, but my favorite part of this chart is the second visualization. I am not sure what this type of data viz is called – please let me know in the comments if you know! It really helps to convey just how much association football (soccer) dominates the world, but it also gives cricket, baseball, rugby, and basketball opportunities to shine. I want to visit Anguilla and witness boat racing at its finest – it is the country’s official national sport, after all! Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, which makes me wonder – is America missing out? We should start a petition to bring cricket to the United States!