Ask someone in London and someone in Chicago to name their country’s favourite sport and you will get two very different answers. In the United Kingdom, football (the game Americans call soccer) dominates the conversation. In the United States, it is American football, with basketball and baseball close behind.
But “popular” means different things. A sport can have the largest television audience, the most players, the most stadium attendance or the biggest cultural footprint, and rarely does one sport win all of those at once. This guide looks at the most popular sports in both countries, explains how popularity is measured, and highlights where the two nations overlap.
How to Measure Popularity
Before comparing, it helps to be clear on what is being counted. Popularity is usually judged by five measures:
- Fan interest: polls asking people to name their favourite sport.
- Television and streaming audiences: how many people watch live events.
- Attendance: how many fans go to matches in person.
- Participation: how many people actually play the sport.
- Commercial scale: revenue, sponsorship and broadcasting deals.
A sport such as golf may have modest TV audiences but millions of participants, while the NFL’s audiences are enormous even though most Americans never play it competitively. Keeping these differences in mind makes the comparisons much more useful.
The Most Popular Sports in the United States
American Football
Surveys consistently place American football as the favourite spectator sport in the US. Gallup’s long-running polling on Americans’ favourite sport has regularly put it first, ahead of basketball and baseball, though the exact percentages change from year to year.
The NFL’s dominance is most visible on television. Regular-season games regularly rank among the most-watched broadcasts in the country, and the Super Bowl is typically the most-watched US television event of the year. College football adds another layer, with large stadiums and strong regional loyalties.
Basketball
Basketball is one of the most widely played and followed sports in America. The NBA has global stars and a worldwide following, while college basketball’s March Madness tournament is a major national event. The sport is also hugely popular at school and community level because it needs little equipment.
The women’s game has seen a surge in attention in recent years, with the WNBA and college basketball drawing larger audiences and more media coverage.
Baseball
Baseball is known as “America’s pastime”, and although its TV audience has been overtaken by American football, it retains deep cultural roots. Major League Baseball plays a 162-game regular season, which creates a daily rhythm of games through the summer. Youth and amateur participation remains strong.
Ice Hockey
Ice hockey has a strong presence in northern states and in Canada. The NHL has a loyal following, and the Stanley Cup is one of the most famous trophies in North American sport.
Soccer
Soccer is steadily growing in the US. Major League Soccer has expanded to around 30 clubs, and youth participation is high, partly because the sport is inexpensive to start. The United States co-hosted the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico, a tournament that Spain won, beating Argentina in the final at MetLife Stadium. The tournament gave the sport a major boost in visibility, and fans in the US increasingly follow European leagues such as the Premier League as well as MLS.
Other Popular Sports
Golf, tennis, NASCAR, mixed martial arts, boxing and track and field also have large followings. UFC, in particular, has a strong cultural presence among younger audiences.
The Most Popular Sports in the United Kingdom
Football
Football is the UK’s biggest sport by almost any measure. The Premier League is one of the most widely watched domestic leagues in the world, but the sport’s popularity goes far deeper than the top division. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have professional leagues, thousands of amateur teams and a strong tradition of local support.
It is also the most popular team sport to play. Park pitches, school fixtures and five-a-side centres make football accessible, and the sport has a major women’s presence. The Lionesses’ success at the European Championship, which they won in 2022 and 2025, helped raise interest in the women’s game.
Cricket
Cricket is a major summer sport in England and Wales. The Ashes, county cricket and international matches draw large crowds, while The Hundred has attracted new audiences. It is a niche sport in Scotland and Northern Ireland but has strong communities in many parts of the country.
Rugby
Rugby union is particularly strong in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and parts of England. The Six Nations Championship is among the most-watched events in the UK sporting calendar. Rugby league has a heartland in northern England, with the Super League and Challenge Cup as its main competitions.
Tennis
Tennis popularity peaks around Wimbledon. The tournament is one of the most important sporting events in the British summer, attracting large television audiences even from people who rarely follow the sport at other times of year.
Formula 1
Formula 1 has a strong UK base. Many teams are based in England, and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone is a major event. The sport’s audience has also grown in recent years thanks to streaming documentaries and social media.
Other Popular Sports
Golf (the Open Championship and a large amateur base), horse racing (Cheltenham and Royal Ascot), darts, snooker, boxing, cycling and athletics all have devoted followings. Running, swimming and gym-based fitness are among the most common ways people stay active.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Category | United States | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Most-watched sport | American football (NFL) | Football (Premier League) |
| Biggest annual event | Super Bowl | FA Cup Final, Wimbledon and major football fixtures |
| Most-played team sports | Basketball, baseball, soccer | Football, cricket, rugby |
| Growing sport | Soccer | Women’s football, F1 |
| Key college/school role | Central (college sport is huge) | Smaller (clubs and schools, less commercial) |
| Strong summer sport | Baseball | Cricket, tennis |
Watching vs Playing
One of the most interesting contrasts is between what people watch and what they play.
In both countries, the most-watched sports are not necessarily the most-played. In the UK, participation surveys, such as those run by Sport England, consistently show activities like walking, fitness, swimming and cycling attracting more regular participants than team sports. Football remains the most popular team sport to play.
In the US, many people play recreational basketball, softball, golf and pickleball, which has seen rapid growth in recent years. American football has high participation among young people but fewer adult players because of its physical demands.
The School and College Factor
Sport in American culture is closely tied to education. High school football games on Friday nights and college football on Saturdays are deeply embedded in community life. College athletics generates huge revenue and often acts as the pathway to professional leagues.
In the UK, school sport matters, but professional clubs run their own academies, and amateur sport is more often organised through local clubs. Universities have sports teams, but they rarely attract the crowds or commercial attention seen in American college sports.
Cross-Atlantic Influence
The two nations increasingly borrow from each other.
- The NFL in the UK: The league plays regular-season games in London each year, and games often sell out quickly. British fans have embraced the sport, though it remains much smaller than football.
- The Premier League in the US: Broadcast deals have turned the English top flight into a major attraction for American audiences, and US owners now hold stakes in many English clubs.
- Basketball in the UK: The NBA has staged games in London and has a visible fan base, particularly among younger audiences.
- Cricket in the US: Major League Cricket has launched, and cricket will return to the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028.
Women’s Sport
Women’s sport has grown quickly on both sides of the Atlantic. The Lionesses, the US women’s national football team, the WNBA and college women’s basketball have all drawn record audiences in recent years. Broadcasters and sponsors are paying more attention, though gaps in pay and coverage remain a topic of debate.
Why the Differences Exist
History, geography and infrastructure explain much of the divide.
- Football’s British roots: Modern football was codified in England in the 1800s and spread through the British Empire and trade networks.
- America’s own sports: Baseball, basketball and American football grew up in the US, supported by colleges and newspapers, and became established before football had a strong foothold.
- Climate and space: The US is large enough to support multiple major leagues with long seasons, while the UK is compact, with a dense network of local clubs.
- Broadcast economics: American leagues rely on national television deals, with closed-league structures. English football has promotion and relegation, which gives matches in all divisions meaning.
Conclusion
The most popular sport in the UK is football, while in the US it is American football, with basketball and baseball also deeply embedded in national life. But the picture is more complicated than a single ranking. Participation, attendance, television audiences and culture all produce different answers.
What is clear is that the gap between the two countries’ sporting cultures is narrowing. American viewers are watching English football in growing numbers, British fans are filling stadiums for NFL games in London, and global tournaments, from the World Cup to the Olympics, keep bringing audiences together. The result is a richer sporting landscape on both sides of the Atlantic.
