Did you know there are over 8,000 indigenous sports in the world? Different people like specific games better than others. The most popular sports in the world are enjoyed by people from different parts of the world.
Source: UGC
Participating in sports often leads to higher self-esteem and better social interaction. Some games are indoors, while others are outdoors. The most popular sports in the world are played and enjoyed all over the world.
Most popular sports in the world in 2023
Below is a compilation of the best sports in the world in 2023. Numerous people love watching and playing them.
20. Badminton
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1873
- Governing body: Badminton World Federation (BWF)
- First Olympics: 1992
- Famous players: Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Lee Chong Wei, Howard Bach, and Mathew Fogarty
Badminton is one of the world's famous sports. The game is also known as court or lawn game, and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) is its international governing body. Badminton is played with lightweight rackets and a shuttlecock.
19. Field hockey
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1895
- Governing body: The Fédération Internationale de Hockey
- First Olympics: 1908
- Famous players: Dhyan Chand, Sohail Abbas, Ric Charlesworth, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Hassan Sardar
In field hockey, two opposing teams of 11 players each use sticks curved at the striking end to hit a ball into their opponent’s goal. It is played on a field, unlike ice hockey. The game was invented in England, and the British army spread it in India and the Far East.
18. Mixed martial arts (MMA)
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 648 BCE
- Governing body: International Mixed Martial Arts Federation
- First Olympics: 776 BC
- Famous players: Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, José Aldo, Jon Jones, and Conor McGregor
Mixed martial arts incorporate techniques from judo, boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, jujitsu, and karate. MMA is one of the world’s fastest-growing spectator sports in the early 21st century. MMA fighters compete in a ring or a fenced area. They fight using padded fingerless gloves but do not wear shoes.
17. Bowling
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 5200 BC
- Governing body: International Bowling Federation
- First Olympics: 1988
- Famous players: Pete Weber, Jason Belmonte, Earl Anthony, Norm Duke, and Mark Roth
Bowling, also known as tenpins, is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins. A heavy ball is rolled down a long, narrow lane toward a group of pins. The aim is to knock down more pins than an opponent.
16. Handball
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1917
- Governing body: International Handball Federation
- First Olympics: 1936
- Famous players: Mikkel Hansen, Nikola Karabatić, Thierry Omeyer, Arpad Sterbik, and Luc Abalo
Handball is one of the oldest ball games, and its history can be traced back to the baths of Rome. The game is played in a standard four-wall court measuring 40 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 20 feet high. It also features a back wall measuring 12 -14 feet high.
15. Athletics
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 776 BC
- Governing body: World Athletics
- First Olympics: 1896
- Famous players: John Capel, Darvis Patton, Wallace Spearmon, Usain Bolt, and Eliud Kipchoge
Athletics is a group of gaming events that involve competitive jumping, running, walking, and throwing. The most common types of competitions are racewalking, track and field, cross-country running, and road running.
14. Lacrosse
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1100 AD
- Governing body: World Lacrosse
- First Olympics: 1904
- Famous players: John Grant Jr., Michael Powell, Paul Rabil, Dave Pietramala, Paul Gait, and Brodie Merrill
Lacrosse is a modern version of baggataway, a popular North American Indian game. In this game, two teams use long-handled crosses to catch, carry, or throw a ball down the field or into the opponents’ goal. A crosse is sharply bent at the top to form a hook to enable catching and carrying.
13. Cycling
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1817
- Governing body: The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
- First Olympics: 1896
- Famous players: Eddy Mercx, Lance Armstrong, Marco Pantani, Sean Kelly, and Chris Froome
Competitive cycling consists of professional and amateur races. Cycling as a sport officially began on 31st May 1868. The game is governed overall by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) based in Switzerland.
12. American football
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1869
- Governing body: International Federation of American Football
- First Olympics: 1904
- Famous players: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Jerry Rice, Aaron Donald, and Lawrence Taylor
American football is also known as gridiron. It is the most played sport in America and is a crossbreed of soccer and English rugby. Players are permitted to touch, throw, and carry the ball with their hands, unlike soccer.
11. Formula 1/ Grand Prix racing
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1946 (official definition)
- Governing body: Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)
- First Olympics: 1900
- Famous players: Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Alain Prost
Formula 1 is also known as Grand Prix racing. The game involves automobile racing on closed highways or other courses. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) sets the specifications for all racing-car classes.
10. Baseball
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1846
- Governing body: International Baseball Federation
- First Olympics: 1904
- Famous players: Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Stan Musial
Baseball is played with a bat, ball, and gloves. Two teams of nine players each compete on a field with four white bases laid out in a diamond. The game's rules closely resemble rules for rounders.
9. Boxing
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1681
- Governing body: The International Boxing Association (IBA)
- First Olympics: 1904
- Famous players: Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and George Foreman
Boxing is one of the most-viewed sports in the world. It involves attacking and defending with fists. In this combat game, two people throw punches at each other for a set amount of time in a boxing ring.
8. Rugby
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1823
- Governing body: World Rugby
- First Olympics: 1900
- Famous players: Richie McCaw, Jonny Wilkinson, Jonah Lomu, Dan Carter, and Michael Jones
Rugby is a game played with an oval ball by two teams of 15 players. It is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. It is based on running with the ball in hand.
7. Volleyball
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1895
- Inventor: William G. Morgan
- Governing body: Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB)
- First Olympics: 1964
- Famous players: Karch Kiraly, Kim Yeon-koung, Sheilla Castro, Saeid Marouf, and Lorenzo Bernardi
Volleyball is popular in different parts of the world. Two teams of six each use their hands to bat a ball back and forth over a high net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organised rules.
6. Ice hockey
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1875
- Governing body: International Ice Hockey Federation
- First Olympics: 1920
- Famous players: Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux, and Alexander Ovechkin
Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates on an ice skating rink. Two teams of six each propel the hockey puck past a goal line and into a net guarded by a goaltender. The game made its Olympic debut in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium.
5. Tennis
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1873
- Inventor: Major Walter Clopton Wingfield
- Governing body: International Tennis Federation (ITF)
- First Olympics: 1896
- Famous players: Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams, and Jim Courier
Tennis is a racket game played individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players each. Points are awarded to a player or team whenever the opponent fails to return the ball within the prescribed court dimensions.
4. Golf
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1764
- Governing body: International Golf Federation (IGF)
- First Olympics: 1900
- Famous players: Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Phil Mickelson, Seve Ballesteros, and Arnold Palmer
In golf, players use clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course. Players with the fewest successful strokes are declared winners. The game was established in the Netherlands in mid-16th century.
3. Cricket
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1611
- Governing body: The International Cricket Council
- First Olympics: 1900
- Famous players: Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Chris Gayle
Cricket is played by two teams of 11 with a bat and ball. One player on each team acts as captain. Matches can range from informal weekend afternoon activities on village greens to top-level international contests spread over five days.
2. Basketball
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1891
- Inventor: James Naismith
- Governing body: The International Basketball Federation
- First Olympics: 1936
- Famous players: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal
Basketball is played between two teams of five players each. Each team tries to score by tossing the ball through the opponent’s elevated horizontal hoop and net called a basket. It is the only major game of American origin.
1. Football/ soccer
Source: UGC
- Year of invention: 1863
- Governing body: Fédération Internationale De Football Association (FIFA)
- First Olympics: 1900 (men) and 1996 (women)
- Famous players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi, Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Johan Cruyff
Soccer is arguably the most-watched sport in the world in 2023. It is a game involving two teams of 11 who try to move a ball into the opponent’s goal without using hands or arms. It is the world’s most popular ball game based on the number of participants and spectators.
Recap of the most popular sports in the world in 2023
Rank | Sport |
1 | Football/ soccer |
2 | Basketball |
3 | Cricket |
4 | Golf |
5 | Tennis |
6 | Ice hockey |
7 | Volleyball |
8 | Rugby |
9 | Boxing |
10 | Baseball |
11 | Formula 1/ Grand Prix racing |
12 | American football |
13 | Cycling |
14 | Lacrosse |
15 | Athletics |
16 | Handball |
17 | Bowling |
18 | Mixed martial arts (MMA) |
19 | Field hockey |
20 | Badminton |
What is the most popular sport in the world?
Soccer or football is the most popular sport globally. It has fans and players from all over the world.
What is the most popular game in the world?
Football or soccer is the most popular game globally. It has millions of spectators from different countries.
What are the top 5 most popular sports?
The top five most popular games in the world are football/ soccer, basketball, cricket, golf, and tennis.
There are many sports that people play and watch in the world. Which among the most popular sports in the world is your favourite?
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