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The Premier League, the top division of English football, is the most watched sports league in the world,[1] with up to 643 million viewers per game and a television audience of over 3.2 billion.[2] As a result, many people both in and outside England support an English football club, most commonly one that plays in the Premier League, though Championship clubs, as well as (to a lesser extent) League One and League Two clubs also have supporters around the world.
The most popular clubs worldwide are those in the Big Six grouping. The single most popular club varies by country. In many countries such as Australia, Japan and South Korea, clubs with players or managers from that country are among the most popular clubs. Additionally, successful clubs are popular worldwide.
Manchester United is the most followed Premier League club on social media, with 182.6 million total followers on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter).[3]
In the 2023–24 season, Liverpool had the highest global television audience, with a total of 471 million viewers for all 38 Premier League games involving Liverpool.[4]
By country
editAfrica
edit
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are the most popular football clubs in Africa, largely due to the large number of African players from these clubs.[5]
By region, Arsenal is the most popular club in East and North Africa, Chelsea is the most popular in West Africa and Manchester United is the most popular in Southern Africa.[5]
Algeria
editArsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Algeria.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 43% |
| Chelsea | 19% |
| Manchester United | 11% |
Egypt
editPremier League player Mohamed Salah, who captains the Egypt national team, has been decisive in Egypt's choice for the most popular Premier League club in the country. Currently, Salah's current club, Liverpool, is the most popular Premier League club in Egypt.[6] Previously, Salah's former club (Chelsea) was the most popular.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 17% |
| Chelsea | 26% |
| Manchester United | 18% |
Ethiopia
editArsenal is by far the most popular Premier League club in Ethiopia.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 52% |
| Chelsea | 8% |
| Manchester United | 22% |
Ghana
editChelsea is the most popular Premier League club in Ghana.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 15% |
| Chelsea | 26% |
| Manchester United | 18% |
Ivory Coast
editChelsea is the most popular Premier League club in Ivory Coast.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 23% |
| Chelsea | 36% |
| Manchester United | 15% |
Kenya
editArsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Kenya.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 31% |
| Chelsea | 17% |
| Manchester United | 23% |
Malawi
editArsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Malawi.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 29% |
| Chelsea | 19% |
| Manchester United | 26% |
Morocco
editArsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Morocco.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 55% |
| Chelsea | 14% |
| Manchester City | 10% |
Nigeria
editThe most popular football clubs in Nigeria are Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, all of which are more popular than even the most popular Nigerian Premier League club (Kano Pillars).[7]
Polling
edit| NOI Polls, 2024[7] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 21% |
| Chelsea | 28% |
| Liverpool | 6% |
| Manchester City | 7% |
| Manchester United | 23% |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1% |
| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 26% |
| Chelsea | 25% |
| Manchester United | 18% |
Senegal
editChelsea is the most popular Premier League club in Senegal.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 22% |
| Chelsea | 26% |
| Manchester United | 15% |
South Africa
editManchester United is the most popular Premier League club in South Africa.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 21% |
| Chelsea | 18% |
| Manchester United | 23% |
Tanzania
editManchester United is the most popular Premier League club in Tanzania.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 22% |
| Chelsea | 17% |
| Manchester United | 25% |
Tunisia
editArsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Tunisia.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 33% |
| Chelsea | 22% |
| Manchester City | 13% |
Uganda
editArsenal is the most popular Premier League club in Uganda.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 36% |
| Chelsea | 12% |
| Manchester United | 23% |
Zambia
editManchester United is the most popular Premier League club in Zambia.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 27% |
| Chelsea | 18% |
| Manchester United | 30% |
Zimbabwe
editManchster United is the most popular Premier League club in Zimbabwe.[5]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (BBC, 2015)[5] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 17% |
| Chelsea | 19% |
| Manchester United | 28% |
Asia
editManchester United are the most popular Premier League club in Asia, followed by Liverpool.[8]
China
editThe most popular Premier League clubs in China are Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.[8][9][10][11]
As of 2024, Manchester City is the most popular Premier League club online in China.[12]
India
editManchester United is the most popular Premier League club in India.[9][13] The next most popular clubs are Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.[14]
Indonesia
editManchester United is the most popular Premier League club in Indonesia.[8][9][15]
As of 2024, Manchester United is also the most popular club on X (formerly known as Twitter) in Indonesia.[12]
Japan
editThe most popular Premier League club in Japan has changed over the years.[8]
Manchester United was formerly the most popular, largely due to Japanese player Shinji Kagawa; however, as Manchester United became less successful following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 and after Kagawa moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2014, support for Manchester United in Japan decreased.[8]
Currently, the most popular Premier League club in Japan is Liverpool, largely due to the signing of Takumi Minamino in 2020. However, Minamino only made 30 appearances for Liverpool during his time there and was loaned to Southampton in 2021 before moving to Monaco in 2022.[8]
As of 2024, Manchester City is the most popular club on X (formerly known as Twitter) in Japan.[12]
Singapore
editManchester United is the most popular Premier League club in Singapore, followed by Liverpool and Arsenal.[8]
South Korea
editTottenham Hotspur is the most popular Premier League club in South Korea (with approximately 11 million fans in South Korea), followed by Manchester United. The large support for Tottenham in South Korea is largely due to Son Heung-min, who is South Korean, while support for Manchester United is largely due to former player Park Ji-sung, who is also South Korean.[8][16] Before Son signed with Tottenham in 2015, the club had few supporters in the country.[17]
As of 2024, Tottenham Hotspur is also the most popular club on X (formerly known as Twitter) in South Korea.[12]
Thailand
editLiverpool and Manchester United are the most popular football clubs from any country in Thailand, with more fans in Thailand than even the most popular Thai League 1 club (Buriram United).[18][19]
As of 2024, Liverpool is the most popular club on X (formerly known as Twitter) in Thailand.[12]
Polling
edit| NIDA Poll Research Centre (2023)[19] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 5.27% |
| Chelsea | 7.09% |
| Liverpool | 31.79% |
| Manchester City | 5.72% |
| Manchester United | 34.59% |
| Other | 1.37% |
| None | 14.17% |
| The Nation (2022)[18] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 3.85% |
| Chelsea | 9.37% |
| Leicester City | 2.82% |
| Liverpool | 31.32% |
| Manchester City | 2.95% |
| Manchester United | 30.42% |
Vietnam
editManchester United is the most popular Premier League club in Vietnam.[8]
Europe
editLiverpool is known to have a large fanbase in Scandinavia.[20]
Denmark
editLiverpool and Manchester United are the most popular Premier League clubs in Denmark. Liverpool is also the most popular club in the Faroe Islands.[21]
France
editArsenal is the most popular Premier League club in France, largely due to the fact that Arsenal has had several French players (most notably Thierry Henry) and was formerly managed by Arsène Wenger, who is French.[22] Arsenal is also the most followed club on Twitter in France.[23]
Ireland
editLiverpool are the most popular Premier League club in Ireland.[24]
Polling
edit| Twitter research (Off the Ball, 2022)[24] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 11.86% |
| Aston Villa | 2.56% |
| Chelsea | 8.27% |
| Everton | 3.10% |
| Liverpool | 25.67% |
| Manchester City | 4.84% |
| Manchester United | 23.20% |
| Newcastle United | 2.30% |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 4.75% |
| West Ham United | 1.95% |
Sweden
editLiverpool is the most popular Premier League club in Sweden. In 2014, a poll of 13,000 Swedish Premier League fans found that 34.1% of them supported Liverpool, by far more than any other club.[20]
United Kingdom
editThe most popular Premier League club in the United Kingdom varies by area, as the league is local to England and fans often support their local team. However, the Big Six clubs are known to have large fanbases across the United Kingdom.
Polling
edit| Statista (2023)[25] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 23% |
| Aston Villa | 7% |
| Bournemouth | 3% |
| Brentford | 2% |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 4% |
| Burnley | 3% |
| Chelsea | 17% |
| Crystal Palace | 4% |
| Everton | 4% |
| Fulham | 2% |
| Leeds United | 6% |
| Leicester City | 4% |
| Liverpool | 27% |
| Luton Town | 2% |
| Manchester City | 19% |
| Manchester United | 29% |
| Newcastle United | 9% |
| Nottingham Forest | 4% |
| Sheffield United | 3% |
| Southampton | 4% |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 11% |
| West Ham United | 7% |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3% |
| None | 6% |
North America
editUnited States
editManchester United is the most popular Premier League club in the United States,[9] followed by Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City.[26]
Manchester City are the most watched Premier League club on television in the United States, with 36.9 million viewers in all competitions throughout 2023. The only football club in the world that received a higher viewership in the United States in 2023 was Liga MX club Club América.[27][26]
Oceania
editAustralia
editIn Australia, the most popular Premier League clubs are Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United. All of these clubs have had at least one Australian player on their men's and/or women's teams. Virtually every Premier League and Championship club has a supporters' group in Australia.
Support for Tottenham Hotspur in Australia grew drastically when Ange Postecoglou became the club's manager. Postecoglou is a successful Australian manager and is the first Australian to ever manage a Premier League club.[28][29][30]
Liverpool is widely regarded as the most popular Premier League club in Australia, with over 600,000 fans in Australia as of 2015.[31] Several Australians have played for Liverpool in the past, most notably Craig Johnston and Harry Kewell. Additionally, Australian Teagan Micah currently plays for Liverpool's women's team.
Polling
edit| Online survey (Reddit, 2024)[32] | |
|---|---|
| Club | % |
| Arsenal | 17.2% |
| Chelsea | 6.9% |
| Ipswich Town | 5.2% |
| Liverpool | 19.0% |
| Manchester City | 5.2% |
| Manchester United | 6.9% |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 20.7% |
| Other | 18.9% |
South America
editReferences
edit- ^ https://easyreadernews.com/the-most-watched-sports-leagues-in-the-world/
- ^ https://khelnow.com/football/top-ten-most-watched-football-leagues-in-the-world
- ^ https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/lfc-most-watched-club-premier-league-global-audience-471-million-last-season
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33808566.amp
- ^ https://www.besoccer.com/new/liverpool-growing-in-egypt-thanks-to-salah-483506
- ^ a b https://www.noi-polls.com/post/6in10nigeriansfollowtheenglishpremierleague
- ^ a b c d e f g h i https://www.businessfirstonline.co.uk/after-5-your-lifestyle/most-popular-premier-league-clubs-in-asian-countries/
- ^ a b c d https://business.yougov.com/content/47147-footballindex-premier-league-clubs-in-china-india-us-and-indonesia
- ^ https://www.okeclub.com/post/the-popularity-of-the-premier-league-in-china
- ^ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1069471/china-most-popular-european-football-clubs-by-estimated-number-of-fans/
- ^ a b c d e https://www.mailmangroup.com/post/red-card-2024-asia-digital-performance-index
- ^ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1362926/most-popular-football-teams-by-brand-health-index/
- ^ https://www.besoccer.com/new/the-5-most-popular-english-premier-league-clubs-in-india-1049019
- ^ https://www.statista.com/statistics/860055/most-popular-soccer-clubs-in-indonesia/
- ^ https://onefootball.com/en/news/tottenham-pass-man-utd-as-most-popular-club-in-south-korea-31405791
- ^ https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/10/15/son-helps-spurs-to-become-most-popular-club-in-south-korea.html
- ^ a b https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40018126
- ^ a b https://www.huahintoday.com/sports/manchester-united-and-buriram-united-emerge-as-thailands-most-loved-football-clubs/
- ^ a b https://thesetpieces.com/latest-posts/exploring-scandinavias-love-affair-liverpool-football-club/
- ^ https://www.islandecho.co.uk/why-the-english-premier-league-is-loved-by-the-danish/
- ^ https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2849499-the-french-connection-why-popularity-in-france-gives-arsenal-a-transfer-edge
- ^ https://www.eurosport.fr/economie/arsenal-est-lequipe-de-premier-league-la-plus-populaire-sur-twitter-en-france_sto4865773/story.shtml
- ^ a b https://www.offtheball.com/soccer/pic-which-premier-league-clubs-are-in-the-top-10-most-followed-in-ireland-295082
- ^ https://www.statista.com/statistics/890430/fans-of-premier-league-clubs-in-england/
- ^ a b https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5240429/2024/02/08/manchester-city-popularity-in-usa/
- ^ https://www.essentiallysports.com/soccer-football-news-manchester-city-becomes-usa-favourite-premier-league-club-with-nearly-three-times-viewership-as-manchester-united/
- ^ Kilpatrick, Dan (13 June 2023). "Tottenham: How 'Ange-mania' took over Australia after Postecoglou's move to Spurs". The Evening Standard.
- ^ "Tottenham in Australia: 'Spurs and Ange Postecoglou Could Go Stratospheric'". New York Times. 20 July 2023.
- ^ Samios, Zoe (27 March 2024). "The Aussies taking charge at an English soccer icon". Financial Review.
- ^ https://aleagues.com.au/news/liverpool-fc-confirm-return-australia/
- ^ https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAustralian/comments/1fspuxd/most_popular_premier_league_club_in_australia/