Sports are a big deal, in one way or another, everywhere around the world. There are ball sports, contact sports, racing sports, water sports, aerial sports, the list goes on and on. Here is a brief list of some of the most popular sports that are played around the world that are a testament to the competitive human spirit.

 

Almost every country in the world plays or is aware of the sport of Soccer. Soccer, or football as it is more widely known, is probably the most widespread sport in the world. Over 4 billion people follow the sport around the world and around 1 billion people watch the FIFA World Cup every year. Countries such as Belgium, Brazil, Spain and France are some of the top international teams. It is generally a low-scoring, high-stakes game that keeps people on the edge of their seats when there is potential to score a goal.

 

Cricket is played in many countries around the world including countries such as India, Australia, Pakistan, the West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The sport was invented in England about 500 years ago and has since spread around the world. There are different types of play involved including test matches, which go for several days, one-day matches with limited overs and 20/20 matches which are games where both sides only have 20 overs to score as many runs as they can.

 

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the United States which is also played internationally and is popular in countries such as Australia, Russia, the Philippines and the Czech Republic. Some of the most famous basketball players have come from the United States including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muggsy Bogues. Many people also indulge in NBA playoff bets every year as millions of people watch the finals and there are many well-loved and competitive teams in the League. The current champion team of the NBA are the Milwaukee Bucks who beat the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 playoffs.

 

Formula 1 racing is one of the most famous and popular motorsports in the world. It is raced in 33 different counties, making it a truly international sport. Each country that hosts the race has its own unique track, with the Monza circuit in Italy being the fastest. There are also 5 street tracks in the competition in the cities of Monte Carlo, Singapore, Melbourne, Sochi and Montreal. The current world champion is Lewis Hamilton who drives for Mercedes and has won the championship 7 times, equalling only Michael Schumacher’s record. By nationality, the United Kingdom has won the most championships with 20 titles, followed by Germany with 12 wins and Brazil with 8 wins.

 

Badminton is played by around 220 million people all over the world, with the sport being particularly popular in Asian countries. It became an Olympic sport when it was played at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic games as a pro-competitive event. It was invented in British India in the 1800s in the town of Poona, which was what the sport was first called and spread to Europe where it immediately became popular.

 

These top 5 sports are only a small indication of the international crowd-pleasing events that occur all around the world and, surprisingly, the country where the sport originated doesn’t always remain the only one that supports it.