10 Countries With The Most Football Fans

Football is unarguably the global king of sports. The game is widely followed in every nook and cranny of this planet. Its popularity is in no doubt with larger groups of people than ever before following the beautiful game. Fans are considered the life blood of this game called soccer with many supporters spread across the globe. Today we highlight a select group of countries harboring the most followers of this our dear game.

1. China 

This Asian economic powerhouse is the country with the largest population in the world. China is said to have over 1.3 billion inhabitants. Out of this number, about 447 million people are avid football fans. This is according to a study by Nielsen Sport, which found out that 32% of China’s population are football fans, making them the highest in the world. Football’s origins can be traced 2000 years back to this great Asian country and today has continued to enjoy huge followership. The Chinese domestic Super League is a huge money-spinner that attracts some of the best players globally to cater to their fans’ football needs. Football in China has rapidly grown in popularity and success.

2. India

This ancient land boasts the second-highest population in the world. Most of its over 1.1 billion people are Cricket crazy, but a good chunk of the populace are also soccer fans. About 325 million fans are said to follow the game in India. India also has a vibrant league called the Indian Super League. Many top foreign players have played in the Indian Super League, because of its fanbase.

3. Brazil 

Football is considered more like a religion than a sport in this South American nation. It has been reported that about 60% of their over 210 million people follow the game, which is no surprise considering the plethora of fans that support the Brazilian national team and various club sides spread across the country.

4. Mexico 

This Latin American country is home to some of the most passionate fans you can find in the world. Football is a national sport, and is thought that about 90 million of its 120 million population are fans of the beautiful game.

5. Thailand 

It’s a bit of a surprise,. but studies have reported that almost 80% of the 70 million population are big soccer fans. This might be because of the English Premier League is very popular in this ancient Southeast Asian kingdom.

6. Russia 

This powerful federation has some of the most active football fans you can think of. About 50% of its approximately 146 million people are said to follow the game in one way or the other.

7. Germany 

This football powerhouse and 4-time World Cup is thought to have over 50 million soccer fans a good percentage of the over 83 million people in the country.

8. United Kingdom 

Comprising fans from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the UK has both a large and passionate fan base. There are over 35 million supporters in the land, roughly 51% of the whole country.

9. South Africa 

The former World Cup hosts have a very dominant and vibrant football culture despite the presence of other games like Cricket and Rugby. It has been estimated that about 67% of their over 60 million people are huge fans of soccer.

10. Turkey 

This football-mad country is said to have one of the largest fan bases in the world. Roughly 65 million people are said to be football fans in this European country.

Honorable Mentions:

• Nigeria 
• United Arab Emirates
• France
• United States of America 
• South Korea 
• Japan