24/7 Insights
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- Wimbledon is the most important tennis event every year.
- Soccer is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world.
- The second most-watched event is a surprising one.
- Also: 2 Dividend Legends to Hold Forever
For billions of television viewers and sports fans worldwide, some events simply can’t be missed. It’s not true of all sports, but some events just grab and hold the world’s attention, especially those that happen every four years. The sport it is true for is the World Cup, arguably the most dominant sporting event in the world. However, the World Cup isn’t the only event the world comes together to watch, as plenty of other sports are beloved worldwide, including tennis.
For tennis fans, there is no greater major than Wimbledon. One of the four biggest events held for tennis annually, Wimbledon is far and away the most watched event of the sport, even more so than the French, US, and Australian Open. According to data gathered from Roadtrips, Wimbledon is one of the world’s top ten most watched sporting events, but how it compares to other major sporting events is fascinating.
Why Is This Important?
With millions and even billions of eyeballs on these events every year, they attract hundreds of millions of dollars in sponsorship revenue. This revenue comes from brands we regularly cover on this website, such as Coca-Cola, Toyota, Nike, Adidas, and many more. These sponsorships advertise on networks owned by companies like Xfinity and Disney, another two brands 24/7 Wall Street also covers regularly.
12. Kentucky Derby
- Number of viewers: 16.6 million
As the biggest event in horse racing, the Kentucky Derby is a short 1.25-quarter-mile race celebrated over a whole weekend. Every Kentucky Derby is a glance at celebrities and corporate titans all traveling to the legendary Churchill Downs racetrack to watch one horse gallop to the sport’s top prize. Over 16.6 million people watched in 2023, while another 371,000 watched via streaming through NBC’s Peacock app.
11. World Cup of Rugby
- Number of viewers: 17 million
The biggest sporting event in Rugby is the World Cup of Rugby, which, like the soccer World Cup, is held every four years. During the six-week tournament, twenty teams compete until only one team stands. The 2023 tournament, which saw a final game between France and New Zealand, peaked at 17 million viewers. There is no question that rugby is a growing sport, and these numbers should only go up in the future.
10. NBA Finals
- Number of viewers: 17.8 million
The biggest event for basketball fans in the world, the NBA Finals, is when the two best teams in the league play for the championship. A best out of seven series, 30 teams compete for 16 playoff spots, and only two teams make it to the finals. The NBA announced that the 2023 NBA playoffs received the league’s best ratings in five years at 17.8 million viewers. This is on top of the 8 billion views the NBA’s social platforms achieved.
9. Wimbledon
- Number of viewers: 25.6 million
Undoubtedly the most famous tennis event in the world and the most important of tennis’ four big major tournaments, Wimbledon received 25.6 million viewers in 2023. This is on top of the record-breaking 532,000 spectators that watched the event, up from 2022. The All England Club grabs the sporting world’s attention for two weeks as players follow the event’s all-white dress code on their quest to victory.
8. Super Bowl
- Number of viewers: 115.1 million
In America, no sporting event is more popular than the Super Bowl, which is almost guaranteed to be the most-watched sporting event yearly. In 2023, Super Bowl LVII grabbed more than 115.1 million viewers, including streaming views, earning it the title of the most-watched Super Bowl ever. One notable aspect of Super Bowl viewers is that the game’s biggest audience comes during halftime when even non-football enthusiasts tune in to see the world’s most watched concert.
7. UEFA Champions League Final
- Number of viewers: 450 million
Soccer is the most popular sport globally, especially in Europe, where the UEFA Champions League Final occurs. As the best teams in Europe compete for the title, the 2023 tournament saw more than 450 million eyeballs, with English powerhouse Manchester FC coming out on top. UEFA even reported that an additional 3 billion views took place on social media that contained short clips of the games.
6. Winter Games
- Number of viewers: 2 billion
While the Summer Games tend to be slightly more popular, the Olympic Winter Games still attract many viewers. Taking place over 17 days every four years, the games have a global reach of 2 billion people. Said differently, one-quarter of the world’s population watched the 2022 Winter Games, which is up from the 2018 Winter Games, and the numbers look promising for 2026.
5. Summer Games
- Number of viewers: 2 billion
As one of the most important sporting events in the world, the Summer Olympic Games are always on track to be among the most watched events. The event has a global reach of over 2 billion viewers, enough to secure fifth place on the most watched sporting events. While numbers from the Paris 2024 games are still forthcoming, it’s something of a sure thing that the numbers will be in the billions.
4. Women’s World Cup
- Number of viewers: 2 billion
While the men’s World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world, the women’s World Cup isn’t far behind. With 2 billion viewers, the 2023 Women’s World Cup reached a record number of eyeballs, up from 1.12 billion that watched the tournament in 2019. A whopping 53.9 million people watched the China versus England match, while 11.15 million watched Australia and England.
3. Cricket World Cup
- Number of viewers: 2.6 billion
One of the most popular sports in the world, the Cricket World Cup is the sport’s biggest event and draws big numbers, especially outside the United States. Featuring ten teams in total and lasting just over six weeks, the tournament takes place every four years. In 2019, England hosted the Cricket World Cup, which saw a record 2.6 billion people watch the event. The 2023 event was also on track to set records, with 43 million people watching the New Zealand versus India match.
2. Tour de France
- Number of viewers: 3.5 billion
The Tour de France, the most watched biking event annually, comes in a surprising second place. The 2023 event drew big numbers worldwide, especially in France, where 42.5 million viewers watched the race unfold. Overall viewership peaked during Stage 16 (out of 21) when 8.7 million people in France watched simultaneously.
1. World Cup of Soccer
- Number of viewers: 5 billion
According to Roadtrips, the World Cup of Soccer is unsurprisingly the most-watched sporting event globally. Drawing 5 billion viewers in 2022, more than 1.5 billion people are said to have watched the final game between Argentina and France alone. Moreover, the game is growing increasingly popular on social media, as more than 6 billion engagements occurred during the tournament. The world will be watching to see if the 2026 World Cup can break this record.
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