Football is a massively popular sport around the world. It is played across huge leagues like the English Premier League, Spain's LaLiga, Italy's Serie A, France's Ligue 1 and more.

But football is not necessarily the most popular in all countries.

Canada’s first choice

In Canada, for an opening example, ice hockey is the most popular sport. The National Hockey League attracts many fans and has big commercial implications for sponsors, players and investors. The Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals are among the teams Canadian NHL fans love to see in action, if they're not watching their own Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets.

India’s number one

In India, cricket reigns supreme over other sports by a long shot. In Test, ODI and T20I cricket, the beloved national team is hugely popular. In 2008, the Board of Control for Cricket in India launched the Indian Premier League. It quickly became and remains the biggest and most lucrative domestic league in the world despite competition from the Pakistan Super League, Australia's Big Bash League, the United Kingdom's T20 Blast, New Zealand's Super Smash, the Caribbean Premier League in the West Indies and more.

Following the IPL can be all the more entertaining when using Lottoland's new sportsbook to bet on teams such as the Mumbai Indians, Bangalore Royal Challengers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and more. The Mumbai Indians are the most successful team in the history of the IPL with five titles. The Gujarat Titans are the reigning champions. They won the 2022 title in their maiden season.

Cricket - over football - is also the most popular sport in Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Nepal recently launched their own domestic T20 league to eventually compete - commercially and cricket-wise - with the IPL, BBL, PSL, BBL and others. The Bangladesh Premier League, meanwhile, has struggled to grow in stature but it is anticipated it will soon enough.

New Zealand’s top preference

In New Zealand, rugby union is a sport far more popular than football. New Zealand's national rugby team, the All Blacks, have been one of the most dominant teams in the sport for an extended period. Domestically, New Zealand have the Crusaders, Chiefs, Highlanders and Hurricanes - each are a forced to be reckoned with in Super Rugby.

NBA, NFL, MLB in USA

Unsurprisingly, despite the advancements of Major League Soccer, football is not the most popular sport in the United States of America. They have the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA) - all of which outstretch soccer in terms of popularity. Events like the Super Bowl make the NFL particularly popular each year. The New York Yankees are a hit with a lot of MLB fans. In the NBA, the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers and other conference rivals have cult-like followings.