1. Most Viewed Event
2. Most Viewed Sports Event In The World
3. Most Popular Sports In World

List of sports attendance figures From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In Australian rules football, the AFL Grand Final, held annually at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, draws approximately 100,000 spectators, making it the world's highest attended league championship event. Most watched competition in the world: Football World Cup is by far the most watched sports competition in the world. 3.9 billion people tune in at some point during the FIFA World Cup 2014 making it by far the biggest sport competition. While the final of 2014 world cup was watched by as many 700 million people all around the globe. WHY GO The most-watched sporting event in the world is one that should be on every sports fan's bucket list. WATCHING BRIEF While FIFA has been gaining attention for all the wrong reasons lately. With 2019 more than halfway over, here is a look at the highest rated and most-watched sports telecasts of the year so far. The NFL has generated the ten largest sports audiences this.

League of Legends’ 2019 World Championship will be decided by a showdown between G2 Esports and FunPlus Phoenix this Sunday. It’s been a record-breaking few weeks for Riot Games’ premier tournament.

Last weekend’s Semifinal between G2 and SK Telecom’s T1 reportedly reached the highest peak viewership of any esports event ever. And before that match was played, four others had already hit higher peak numbers than 2018’s Grand Final!

With the end of the year approaching, this seems like a good excuse to kick off “top list season” with a most-watched esports events rundown. There are a few caveats we need to consider first though.

The problem with viewer numbers

Viewership numbers are a tricky thing. For the business side of esports, high numbers are very important. Publishers want interest in their game, organizers want something to show sponsors and streaming platforms just want the visitors. But which of the numbers involved actually mean something? Do you want the most hits? Is it unique visits you’re looking for?

The truth is, there’s no one metric that can tell you which event was the most successful. Sometimes the same numbers may not even mean the same thing, depending on how events are set up. Since earlier mentioned records were for peak viewers, we’re going to be looking at that metric here, using data from Esports Charts.

There’s also the China problem to consider. While it has a huge esports fan base, the country’s streaming platforms have a reputation for artificially inflating their numbers. As such we’ll be ignoring the statistics from those altogether.

With our goal posts firmly set, let’s get to the good stuff!

#5: ELEAGUE Major 2017

Televised on TBS, this CS:GO event saw Astralis win their first major in a nailbiter of a series versus Virtus.pro. Other CS:GO competitions, like this year’s IEM Katowice or 2018’s FACEIT London Major, may have had a higher total hours watched, but they were also twice as long. In peak viewers, the 2017 event still beats out the competition, with a high of 1.33 million eyeballs.

A time when Astralis had not yet won a CS:GO Major via ELEAGUE

#4: MSI 2019

Featuring the top teams from League of Legends’ four major regions, May’s Mid-Season Invitational was going to be popular either way. To then cap matters off with a North America versus Europe finals, after years of domination by Asian teams? It’s no wonder that we find MSI 2019 on number four.

#3: The International 9

Ever since 2011’s The International in Cologne, Germany, Dota 2’s premier tournament has kept growing. This year’s $34 million USD prize pool, the biggest for a main event in esports by the way, was bound to attract viewers. Well, that and the high-level games on display, with OG becoming the game’s first back-to-back champions.

#2: Fortnite World Cup Finals

The second highest prize pool in the world from, arguably, its most popular game. The Finals themselves only took 20 hours, but managed a 2.33 million peak viewers and a total of 22.70 million hours watched.

Honorable mention should probably go to the game’s blackhole event as well.

Fortnite streamers are getting 100k viewers by staring at a blackhole for hours.

Holy shit did I invest in the wrong genre… pic.twitter.com/gnw7cmKg3M

— Disguised Toast (@DisguisedToast) October 14, 2019

#1: Worlds, Worlds, Worlds and Worlds

As established at the start of this article, League of Legends’ main event is a popular one. The numbers seem to confirm this, with the last four Worlds finals’ coming in at seventh, fourth, third and first place. In an interesting twist, Worlds 2017 beat out 2018 with 2.10 versus 2.05 million peak viewers. In total hours watched it’s the other way around.
Still, this year’s tournament is the uncontested number one, with 3.98 million peak viewers and 125.38 million hours watched over its 131-hour span thus far. And it seems likely it’ll break more records before it’s over.

See you there on Sunday!

Written by Xander Teunissen

CS:GOOverwatchFortnite

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Most Viewed Event

Most Viewed Sports Event In The World

The 2018 World Cup begins Thursday in Russia, with billions of people across the globe set to watch the month-long competition. It’s undoubtedly one of the biggest events in global sports, but is it the biggest? Using television ratings, worldwide interest and the intangible “buzz,” we ranked the 11 biggest sporting events in the world.

Most Popular Sports In World

11. NBA FinalsThe globalization of basketball still hasn't led to major ratings across the world (China reported 16…The globalization of basketball still hasn't led to major ratings across the world (China reported 16 million viewers for the decisive game in last year's playoffs), but with 215 countries getting the Finals on television (broadcast in nearly 50 languages), the opportunity for growth is there. more10. Rugby World CupRugby hasn't made its way to the biggest nations on the planet – more than half…Rugby hasn't made its way to the biggest nations on the planet – more than half the participants (eight out of 14) at the last Cup were from countries with fewer than 8 million people: Fiji, Lebanon, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Scotland, Tonga, Wales – but the World Cup still drew nearly 1 million viewers in the U.S., which is considerably more than you'd see from a first- or second-round NHL playoff game.more9. Tour de FranceThough the event has practically disappeared in the United States (thanks Lance) and has become more…Though the event has practically disappeared in the United States (thanks Lance) and has become more chemistry experiment than sporting event, cycling's preeminent race still commands worldwide interest. The 2,000+ mile tour includes some of the greatest sights in sports – speeding past the sunflower fields in Blagnan, passing by villages founded in the 18th century, pedaling up the French Alps and the yellow jersey gliding down the Champs-Elysees, to name a few. The Tour isn't higher on the list because it's still a mostly European affair: Since the race was created in 1903, only three non-European cyclists have won the race. (We're counting the aforementioned Mr. Armstrong in that count even if cycling tries to bury its head in the sand and act as if he never existed, as if that will absolve them of blame.)more8. Cricket World CupThis is perhaps the most anonymous big sporting event in the U.S. but huge in other…This is perhaps the most anonymous big sporting event in the U.S. but huge in other parts of the world usually not accustomed to international sports success. No sporting event has more representation from Southeast Asia than the Cricket World Cup which boasts contenders from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh – three of the eight most populous countries in the world. (The big event beginning this week only can boast two of those countries – Brazil and Nigeria. Way to go, Team USA.) Though Australia has won four of the past five Cups, the other tournaments have been won by either India, Pakistan, West Indies or Sri Lanka.more7. WimbledonWhile most of the biggest athletes in the world will congregate in Russia this summer, the…While most of the biggest athletes in the world will congregate in Russia this summer, the rest will descend upon the grass courts at a racquet club in Wimbledon, a small southwest district of London. By one metric, the most popular athletes on the globe will be in the field – Roger Federer, the men's defending champion, gets more in endorsement money (approximately $65 million, according to Forbes) than any athlete in the world, while Serena Williams, the seven-time ladies' champion, is the best-paid female athlete, by far.more6. The MastersEvery year, the Masters seems to grow in popularity and stature while the U.S. Open, which…Every year, the Masters seems to grow in popularity and stature while the U.S. Open, which arguably used to be the bigger worldwide event, feels diminished now that the USGA has stripped its identity and turned it into a somewhat-difficult tournament won at -8 instead of the greatest test in golf. The picturesque vistas of Augusta National resonate across the world and golf's increasing global footprint will only add to viewership as Asian players have steadily increased in numbers and prominence. more5. Super BowlYou know how every year at The Oscars, the host makes a self-deprecating joke about the…You know how every year at The Oscars, the host makes a self-deprecating joke about the pressure of performing in front of one billion people? That's a slight exaggeration. Not even 40 million people watch the show in the U.S. – do you really think the rest of the world is contributing 960 million to the tally? Divide that by 25 and MAYBE you'll get the actual number. Think about it: Why would anyone else care about Hollywood feting an American movie they've never seen. They're not giving out trophies to The Avengers: Infinity War, after all. Are we to believe people in China are watching to see if Aaron Sorkin wins a screenplay Oscar? Anyway, I mention this because it's the same thing with the Super Bowl. Those global estimates are a joke. I'm sure there are plenty of people in Europe that stay up until 2 a.m. to watch the game. And by plenty I mean a handful of ex-pats and contrarians who say they prefer American football to European football (like the people in the States who say the opposite). With that long preface out of the way, the Super Bowl would still be a huge event if it were only seen inside the United States and, ratings notwithstanding, the game is broadcast to over 200 countries. So it's there, even if people don't care.more4. Champions League FinalMore people watch Europe's version of the Super Bowl than the actual Super Bowl – about…More people watch Europe's version of the Super Bowl than the actual Super Bowl – about 350 million at last count, depending on the participants (and the sporadic, year-long tournament obviously brings in more viewers than that).There's no good way to compare one 90-minute game to a 17-day event but that's why arbitrary lists exist.more3. Winter OlympicsIf the Summer Olympics are like a fine IPA, the Winter Olympics are a Michelob Ultra,…If the Summer Olympics are like a fine IPA, the Winter Olympics are a Michelob Ultra, enough like the real thing that it gets the job done but not so much that partaking does anything but whet the appetite for the real stuff. The popularity of the cold-weather Games are obviously dampened by the inclusion of sports that are only popular in parts of Scandinavia and places within a four-hour drive of Frankfurt. And though the competition of 92 nations dwarfs that of most sporting events, more than half (48) sent four or fewer athletes.more2. World CupIt's right there in the name. 'World.' There are 211 countries eligible for this year's international…It's right there in the name. 'World.' There are 211 countries eligible for this year's international soccer tournament, but only 32 made it to the big show. (That'll change in 2022, when FIFA, to the delight of no one except maybe U.S. Soccer, will expand the tournament to 44.) No matter; interest in those other countries will still be sky high. Overall viewership for the World Cup is what other events claim to have – FIFA claims 1 billion people watched the 2014 final between Argentina and Germany (I'll wait while you search for a grain of salt) and there were estimates that 200 million people watched every game. That sounds reasonable, but the estimate of total viewers – not so much. FIFA estimated that 3.2 billion viewers tuned into Brazil 2014. Okay, so if 1 billion tuned into the final, that means there'd be 2.2 billion more people who watched part of the World Cup and then said 'nah' to its climax. more1. Summer OlympicsThe greatest spectacle in sports. More than 11,000 athletes from 207 nations competing in 306 events…The greatest spectacle in sports. More than 11,000 athletes from 207 nations competing in 306 events spanning 28 different sports. The Opening Ceremony brings together people from every race, religion, creed and nation – it's not hyperbole to say it's the most unifying event in the world. The estimate of 3.5 billion viewers of the Olympics is easier to believe than the World Cup's total (though the IOC is about as reputable a source for info as FIFA). Each of the 100 most populous nations, which carry well over 70% of the world's population, send delegations (as well as most of the next 100 countries), giving a rooting interest to a vast majority of people in the world. Though the Olympic movement has been sullied by corruption and an archaic bid/hosting system that leaves nations in debt and billions of dollars worth of infrastructure to rot, none of it matters during those glorious 17 days every four years.more