Sport – an activity involving physical exertion and skill which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. The key word in all of this? Entertainment.
Played at the highest level, the special few across the globe live out their dream as professional athletes in their sport, inspiring the next generation as well as making or breaking the hearts of fans.
From sports that challenge the mindset and skill level to those that push the body’s conditioning to its very limits, the biggest sporting events can elevate the relatively unknown to stardom status, whilst also humbling the icons of our time.
But which sporting events grab our attention the most? Whether it’s huge names finally facing off, a competition with jeopardy like never before, or the rise of the latest global superstar that’s attracting big brands deals, we’re finding out the who and why.
The data has spoken, so let’s dig into the sporting spectacles everyone’s watching and talking about online and find out what are the biggest sporting events in the world!
The Biggest Sporting Events in the World
Already got an idea of what’s taken the top place? If you guessed the UEFA Champions League, you’d be spot on. With a score of 7.55/10, the Champions League is the biggest sporting event in the world. Pitting Europe’s footballing best against one another, the tournament has gained even more intrigue in the 2024-25 competition with a revamped format, moving from pools to a league table.
And it’s a full football podium with the Premier League in second on 6.23 and the Spanish top-flight La Liga in third with 5.38.
The Premier League has been wagered as ‘the best in the world’ due to the level of quality and competition, with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal having long histories in the first division and huge fan bases, while newcomers Man City have continued to break records.
La Liga is home to arguably the two greatest club sides in the world in Real Madrid and Barcelona, with legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the front and centre of a battle that spanned a decade.
To show how massive football is as a sport, it dominates the rankings with 12 out of 20 positions and eight of those in the top 10! The only other events to feature in the top 10 are the Olympics in ninth and the NFL in fourth.
It’s not just the NFL that grabs the attention stateside, football (soccer) has drastically improved in popularity across the nation, with the MLS ranking above the most historic club competition in the UK, the FA Cup. With the likes of David Beckham, David Villa, Thierry Henry and more recently Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez playing in the league, the MLS is on the charge.
Outside of the top 20 events, the women’s EUROs ranked bigger than both the British Grand Prix and the World Darts Championship.
Now we know the biggest events, but which are the most searched for on Google?
The Most Searched Sporting Events
To no surprise, the Premier League is the most searched sporting event, averaging 68 million every month.
Serie A takes the second-most searched spot on 56 million, followed by the NFL on 37 million and La Liga on 30 million.
Breaking into the top 10, Major League Baseball averages the same number of searches per month as the FIFA World Cup, which occurs just once every four years.
Despite being the biggest sporting event of all, conversely the UEFA Champions League is only searched 7 million times.
In a head-to-head of iconic British sporting events, Wimbledon is a more popular search term than the FA Cup. It seems lush green lawns, all white outfits, and strawberries & cream draws the attention more than rain-soaked pitches, muddy third strips, and half-time cups of Bovril.
As one of the fastest growing social media platforms, TikTok has captivated the Gen-Z audience in recent years. With sporting organisations using it as a driving force to connect to the next generation, who’s coming out on top?
The Biggest Sporting Events on TikTok
The UEFA Champions League is back in first place with 1.7 billion likes on its videos, while the NFL is the second-most liked sport with 1.1 billion. Taking the bronze medal position is the FIFA World Cup with 604 million.
With the EUROs in fourth, the MLB breaks up the run of football events sitting in fifth ahead of La Liga (sixth) and the Premier League (seventh).
The Olympics is the only other non-football event in the top 10, with 286 million likes in eighth.
Let’s look to other social media platforms to see if the trend continues.
The Biggest Sporting Events on Instagram
Over on Instagram, it’s the familiar face of the UEFA Champions League as the biggest sporting event with 118 million followers, with the Premier League shooting back up in popularity to second with 77 million. La Liga sits in third with 51m, just ahead of the FIFA World Cup with 50m.
Equating to just under 10% of the US population, 31 million people follow the country’s biggest sport, the NFL, on Instagram.
With a big population and a competitive league that features European giants Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga has a million more followers than the Olympics (16m v 15m).
The Biggest Sporting Events on Facebook
La Liga finally takes the top spot on Facebook, with 78 million likes. Despite being knocked off its pedestal, the UEFA Champions League doesn’t fall far behind with 71m, while the FIFA World Cup sits in third with 50m and the Premier League fourth with 47m.
The Olympics jumps up a couple of places, on the 2004-born social media site, with over 22.4m likes in fifth.
Outside of the top 10, we begin to see the shift of fans’ attention towards the MLS as its 3.9m likes dwarfs the FA Cup page with just 2.3m.
Gear Up for Your Sport
Was your favourite event or league featured in any of the tables? It’s clear from the evidence that football is the most popular sport with its multitude of club and national competitions played year in year out.
With a draft system aimed at levelling the playing field for highly competitive divisions, the NFL’s popularity won’t be faltering any time soon. While the variety of sporting events and rarity of the occasion makes the Olympics a huge spectacle every time it comes around.
Whether you’re watching from the stands or at home, have a passion for it already, or are ready to try something new, our sports and fitness collections are packed with the latest essentials to get you prepped.
