Sports fans across the world are very enthusiastic about the sport they love and would go all the way to keep tabs on sporting events by any means.
Athletes give their all to compete for the highly coveted trophies. But it is the fans who make the events a great success. They determine the atmosphere and scenery of games. Whether it’s a soccer match in Europe or a basketball game in the United States, people would gladly invest their time and money just to witness their favorite athletes and teams play.
The craze for sports has driven some of the most domestic sports leagues into international popularity. Now, local leagues are being watched and followed by fans in different parts of the world, a testament to the evolution and growth of sports followership.
What exactly defines the popularity of a sports league is relative. However, it is widely agreed that the popularity of a league should be judged based on the number of spectators it attracts.
This article ranks the top 10 most popular sports leagues in the world based on average live attendance.
Nippon Professional Baseball
Baseball is best known to be an American sport, but it is also well received and highly followed in Japan. The Nippon Professional Baseball league, or Puro Yakyū (プロ野球) in local parlance, is the most followed professional league in the country and one of the most popular leagues in all of Asia.
It was established in 1950 and currently consists of two leagues, the Central League and the Pacific League. Both leagues have six teams each that compete against themselves. The best team from each league will compete in the Japan Series at the end of the season.
Yomiuri Giants are the most successful franchise in the league with 22 Japan Series Championships. Puro Yakyū has an average live attendance of approximately 28,200 fans per game.
Big Bash League
Cricket is a popular sport in Australia. Although the sport hasn’t gained much popularity around the world, the Big Bash League is fast gaining lots of worldwide attention.
Founded in 2011, it is the newest league on this list. Despite its newness, BBL is currently ranked 9th on the list of most popular sports leagues based on average live attendance. As of this writing, an average of 28,300 fans spend their money to see a BBL game live.
BBL features eight Australian-city franchises and 56 regular season games, and the highest-ranked team hosts the finals series. Perth Scorchers are the most successful team in the BBL with four titles won.
La Liga
The Spanish La Liga is one of the most popular soccer leagues in Europe and has held this position for decades. Established in 1929, La Liga has grown from a domestic tournament to a global league, with millions of fans from all over the world tuning in to watch games.
La Liga is home to Real Madrid and Barcelona, the two biggest soccer teams in the world, and other popular clubs like Atletico Madrid and Sevilla. Barcelona’s Camp Nou is the 11th largest stadium in the world and the largest soccer stadium with a 99,354-seat capacity.
Real Madrid is La Liga’s most successful franchise with 35 titles won. They are also the most successful soccer franchise in Europe with 14 Champions League titles.
According to UEFA, La Liga has been the strongest soccer league in Europe for five years in a row. The league boasts an average attendance of 30,300 fans per game. It is also the sixth wealthiest professional sports league in the world.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the oldest major professional sports league in the world and has a huge fan following in America. For official purposes, the league uses 1869 as its founding year, which is the same year the Cincinnati Red Stockings, its first professional team, was founded.
MLB boasts 30 teams, 29 from the United States and one from Canada. It consists of two leagues, the National League and the American League, with 15 teams each. The two teams that emerge as champions in each league will face off in a best-of-seven series at the World Series.
The New York Yankees are the most successful franchise in MLB history with 27 World Series titles. They also rank as the second wealthiest sports franchise in the world, according to Forbes.
MLB draws an average attendance of 30,500 spectators per game and is the second wealthiest professional sports league in the world.
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Indian Premier League
Cricket is the most popular sport in India, and there’s no country on earth as crazy about the sport as India. The Indian Premier League is cricket’s premier sports league and is followed by millions of fans across the world. It is also the most attended cricket event in the world.
IPL was established in 2008 and currently has eight franchises. Its most successful team is the Mumbai Indians with five titles.
The league averages 32,000 live spectators per game. The 2010 IPL season became the first professional sporting event to be broadcast live on YouTube thanks to the league’s partnership with Google.
Australian Football League
Cricket may be gaining momentum in Australia, but Aussie rules football, commonly called footie, remains the most popular sport in the country.
It was first established in 1897 as the Victorian Football League before changing its name in 1990. The AFL consists of 18 teams, all from five of the six Australian states. Tasmania is the only state in the country without an AFL franchise. Carlton and Essendon are the league’s most successful franchises with 16 titles each.
The AFL records an average attendance of 33,500 spectators per game.
English Premier League
The English Premier League averages 36,500 live spectators per game and ranks fourth on our list of most popular sports leagues by live attendance. It is soccer’s most popular league based on overall audience and the second most attended professional sports league in Europe. The EPL is home to some of the biggest and wealthiest franchises in sports history.
The league comprises 20 teams with each team playing 38 games in a season. The team with the most points at the end of the season wins the title. Manchester United FC is the most successful premier league club with 13 titles.
When it comes to television viewership, the EPL takes the crown. It is currently being broadcast in over 210 countries and has a potential TV audience of a whopping 4.7 billion people. These figures make it the most popular sports league in the world in terms of a TV audience.
NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision
Americans are not only dedicated to professional sports, but they also love to watch their favorite college programs play.
The NCAA Football Bowl Division I FBS is the topmost college football tournament in the US. It has 10 conferences and consists of 133 school programs.
College football is one of the most followed spectator sports in America and averages 43,200 attendants per game.
German Bundesliga
The German Bundesliga is ranked by UEFA as the fourth biggest league in Europe in terms of performance in European competitions.
It is the number one soccer league in the world in terms of average attendance; 43,400 spectators per game. The Bundesliga is broadcast on TV in more than 200 countries.
Bayern Munich is Bundesliga’s most successful franchise with 31 titles. The league is also home to popular soccer clubs like Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04, and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
The National Football League
The NFL is the most popular sports league in the world based on average attendance and has held this spot for a long period. It was founded in 1920 and currently comprises two conferences, 32 teams (16 in each conference), and four subdivisions. All of its teams are based in the United States.
The NFL averages 63,000 spectators per game and is also the wealthiest league in the world. The Super Bowl, the final match-up between the best team from both conferences, ranks as the second most watched annual club sporting event in the world.
Its most successful franchise is the Green Bay Packers with 13 titles (including four Super Bowls).