Have you ever played a sport in school growing up or with some friends? Sports are popular in many ways all around the world, some people just play for fun or while growing up in school and others make an entire career out of it. With how big sports are there are so many different types of sports and categories for them, but there are common ones that are most widespread. Today we’re here to tell you about the most popular sports around the world.

Soccer

Coming in at the most popular sport globally with an estimated 4 billion fans is soccer, or association football. Played in many countries across the world and watched on TVs worldwide, soccer is a game that has been a part of lives of all ages for decades. This sport can even be traced back to an origin in Ancient China. The goal of the game is to kick a ball into the goal of the opposite team, and is played by two teams with different positions like goalie, defense, and offense. It’s a popular sport in kids due to its wide offering in schools.

Cricket

With around 2.5 billion fans, crichet is a popular sport among the U.K. and it’s former colonies such as India, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and more rather than a widespread global following. The game has been around since the 16^th century and is played by two teams. People of the United Kingdom are typically the biggest fans and players of cricket due to its extensive history within this country. Teams compete to score the most runs, and the teams have 11 players each.

Field Hockey

Another popular school sport in some areas of the U.S., field hockey comes in at third most popular worldwide with an estimated 2 billion fans. The biggest influence that this sport has is in the areas of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, but it spreads further as well. It was first played in the 1800s and has continued to stay a part of many countries’ lives. Countries that play this sport the most include India, Australia, and Pakistan.

Tennis

Tennis has around 1 billion fans worldwide and is played by two teams of one or two players that bounce a ball between each other across a court with tennis rackets. Some form of tennis has been found in evidence from the Egyptians, Romans, and Ancient Greeks. This sport was first most popularly played in France, but has been able to spread throughout Europe and the entire world.

Volleyball

The final sport on today’s list is volleyball, with 900 million fans worldwide. Most people think of volleyball as a fun beach sport or pastime, but it has a large handful of fans and players across the globe. Volleyball was invented in 1895 and includes elements from other popular sports such as baseball, tennis, and basketball. Although this game has evolved and developed over the decades since its creation, it’s now played by many worldwide.

The extreme amount of fans for each of these sports can put into perspective how popular some sport options are across the world. Many sports have some popularity, but to have millions of fans worldwide is pretty crazy. Playing or watching sports can be a great bonding time for players, families, friends, and more so it’s no surprise some have incredibly popularity. Did any of the sports on this list surprise you? What’s your favorite sport to play? Let us know!