There are approximately 3.5 billion football (soccer) fans worldwide as of 2025, making it the most popular sport globally by fan base size.

Key Points:

• Football's global fan presence spans all continents and cultural boundaries.
• The sport's accessibility, requiring minimal equipment, helps drive its immense popularity.
• Major football clubs like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona alone boast hundreds of millions of fans, contributing to the broad appeal.
• Football's fan base is bigger than any other sport by a significant margin.

This figure reflects all types of fans, including casual watchers, social media followers, and stadium attendees.