Which leagues and events are global sports fans talking about most?Download rankings report

Based on more than 700,000 surveys annually, YouGov’s Sport Buzz Report returns for 2026, covering 15 markets across the Americas, Europe, and APAC. The rankings highlight the leagues and events that captured the most positive attention throughout the year.

In 2025, global sports conversation wasn’t defined by a single moment. It was shaped by a steady cadence of league seasons, international tournaments, championship runs, and regional storylines that resonated locally and traveled globally.

Across the Americas and Europe, domestic leagues and historic tournaments anchored conversation; from the NFL and MLB in the U.S. to Wimbledon and La Liga in Europe. In Canada and Japan, Major League Baseball climbed the rankings behind postseason excitement. In India, cricket once again dominated, with the ICC Cricket World Cup and IPL delivering some of the strongest Buzz scores in the study.

At the same time, anticipation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is already building across multiple markets; a reminder that pre-tournament hype can shape sentiment well before kickoff.

So which properties generated the most positive attention in each market, and what does that signal for 2026?

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