Most Viewed Sporting Events of All-Time

Viewing figures alone used to be enough to judge which sporting events garnered the biggest audiences. With streaming, on-demand, and various other means to follow live action, it’s become much trickier to evaluate which sporting events attract the most eyes.

The figures below are courtesy of roadtrips.com. They have compiled television viewership and streaming, with total viewership and peak viewing numbers to deliver these public figures for the most-viewed sporting events of all-time.

NBA Finals – 17.8 million

A lot has been made of NBA viewing figures in recent years. More fans are consuming the league via social media and highlights packages. There has been a decrease in television viewing numbers as a result.

Still, the 2023 NBA Finals had a peak viewership of 17.8 million, which places the NBA Finals 10th on this list. Two big-market teams going toe-to-toe could give us an even higher number.

Wimbledon – 25.6 million

Wimbledon’s viewing figures took a pretty big hit in 2024. In 2023, though, Wimbledon’s 25.6 million viewers across the fortnight was the ninth-highest mark. It’s a long way off breaking into the top eight, but it’s far clear of any other tennis Grand Slam.

Unsurprisingly, Andy Murray’s two final wins are among the most-viewed Wimbledon matches of all-time, along with Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios’ clash in 2022.

Super Bowl – 115.1 million

The Super Bowl has achieved something which few, if any, other sporting events have. It’s become an major occasion even for people with little to no interest in the actual sport.

Super Bowl Sunday is a nationwide party across America, and it’s becoming more like that in the UK and parts of Europe. Audiences are invariably over 100 million regardless of the matchup.

UEFA Champions League final – 450 million

The 450 million people tuning into the Champions League final is only a drop in the ocean compared to the vast social interaction. UEFA had over six billion interactions with its video content for the 2023 final.

Football is by far the world’s most popular sport, so it’s hardly surprising the Champions League final makes it onto this list. It’s not the last we’ve heard from the Beautiful Game.

Winter Olympics – 2 billion

It might not get the same amount of hype as its summer equivalent, but that didn’t stop two billion tuning in to part of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

First held in 1924, the Winter Games is naturally dominated by cold-weather countries. Norway have topped the medal table four times in the last six Olympics, and they top the all-time medal table ahead of the USA, Germany, and the Soviet Union.

Summer Olympics – 2 billion

There is a global average of two billion viewers for the Summer Olympics. Conflicting numbers were reported for the Paris Games in 2024 – the changes in broadcasting rights made things complicated in the UK while streaming and on-demand content are a factor to be accounted for.

Even in the fast-paced world of sporting coverage, and with packed schedules, the Olympics remains the absolute pinnacle for so many athletes.

Women’s FIFA World Cup – 2 billion

The 2023 Women’s World Cup shattered records. China had the highest single-game viewing figures in the country’s history for their match with England. England’s semi-final with Australia had over 11 million viewers in the UK, which is also a record.

Interest in women’s football has skyrocketed over the last decade. The top players are household names, and the World Cup has become a truly global event. Approximately double the number of people watched the 2023 World Cup compared with the previous edition.

Cricket World Cup – 2.6 billion

Over 43 million people watched India and New Zealand at the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup. Cricket might only be played to a high level in a handful of countries, but those nations account for a significant portion of the world’s population.

The 2019 World Cup in England set records for total viewing figures, which were promptly bettered by the 2023 World Cup in India. The tournament is dragged out for over a month, giving broadcasters plenty of time to lure in audiences.

Tour de France – 3.5 billion

It always raises eyebrows when the Tour de France places ahead of World Cup finals and Olympics. Raced over 23 days, the Tour de France has more time than most events to accumulate big viewership statistics.

In France, for instance, the average viewing time is under an hour. Around the world, over three billion people tune into some part of the Tour de France, earning it second spot on this list.

Men’s FIFA World Cup – 5 billion

There is no surprise about number one. The Men’s FIFA World Cup is by far the most-watched sporting event in the world. It’s estimated that five billion people watched some of the 2022 edition in Qatar, with 1.5 billion tuning in for an epic final between France and Argentina.

The competition is expanding to 48 teams in 2026. The tournament will be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

That sounds like a recipe to break even more records for television viewership and social media engagement.