Sporting tournaments across the world remain as some of the most-watched television events in history. Today we will focus on the most popular, delivering a list of the worlds highly anticipated sporting events in history.

The FIFA World Cup

The world’s most popular sport can be accompanied by the world’s most popular sports event in the shape of FIFA’s World Cup Tournament. Association football (soccer) is the #1 watched sport on the planet, and its marquee international football competition draws the attention of millions. During the event, the senior men’s national teams under the FIFA Association participate in the tournament for a month, once every four years.

Founded in 1930, the only years this tournament did not occur was 1942 and 1946 because of World War II. The French national squad are the current champions after capturing the prestigious trophy for the second time in 2018; next year (2022) will see the World Cups return as 32 qualifying teams attempt to dethrone the Frenchmen.

In 21 World Cup tournaments since 1930, only eight national teams have succeeded in lifting the trophy. Brazil is the top-tier team that has collected the trophy on five occasions; Germany and Italy have equally won it four times. Argentina, France, and Uruguay have lifted the gold twice, whilst England and Spain have won each.

The World Cup is the most prestigious football tournament globally, and its viewership even exceeds that of the Olympic games.

The Olympic Games

One of the sole sporting tournaments on earth that bears witness to every country on the planet compete against each other for bronze, silver, and gold medals.

The Olympic games see thousands of athletes from around the world compete in a mixture of competitions. The one event that unifies the world through sporting excellence is an absolute treat for sports fans.

More than 200 countries participate every four years. Summer and Winter Olympics take place every four years, but the gap becomes a two-year wait as they take turns hosting every 24 months. It is one of the world’s oldest remaining tournaments dating back to the first modern Games in 1896.

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The UEFA Champions League

Association football dominates the list once again, but this time around, it’s the famous domestic club competition known as the UEFA Champions League. Top European clubs compete to dictate the best team in Europe. Respective nations league champions qualify for the tournament, and 1-3 runner ups will also fill the additional positions.

Since 1955 the tournament has been the highlight of club-level football, providing fans from different nations to witness their favourite teams compete against each other for the coveted Champions League trophy.

The UEFA Champions League is the second most popular tournament in all of football and is the king of domestic level football, being watched by tens of millions each year. 

The Cricket World Cup

Like the FIFA World Cup, every four years, the International Cricket Council host their most viewed, most prestigious event – the Cricket World Cup.

All member countries of the ICC are allowed to participate in the World Cup, and the top-ranked countries receive automatic qualification. To date, twenty countries have competed in the eleven cups events held. Australia has been the strongest of them all, winning the tournament on five occasions. India and the West Indies won it two times whilst Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England claimed victory one time each.

The Super Bowl

The worlds second most popular form of football, American football plays host to a spectacle during the beginning of each year. The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the NFL. The National Football Conference champion collides with the American Football Conference champion to determine the best team in football in that given year. During the end of summer, a season-long game schedule begins the path to the Super Bowl. Best betting sites are regularly abused during this period, as bookmakers’ earnings soar.

Football is America’s most-watched sport, and the Super Bowl is the country’s very own World Cup recognised by its Roman Numeral usage instead of a cliché number. The Super Bowl I took place in 1967 and has continued to run yearly until the 54^th Super Bowl in 2020 – known as Super Bowl LIV.

The Super Bowl is so famous amongst American fans that food consumption in the U.S. reaches the level of national holidays; it’s the second-largest day for food consumption in the States next to Thanksgiving Day. It’s the most-watched broadcast in American television history. Companies flock to Super Bowl advertisers during the event, seeking to be a part of the most-watched promotional segment of the year.

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