Top 10 Sports Tournaments

Sports tournaments attract billions of viewers every year, being some of the most popular events around the world. There are many different international sports tournaments, though 10 competitions have proven their impressive global reach through their massive viewership. Read on to learn all about the top 10 biggest sports tournaments in the world.

What Are the Biggest Sports Tournaments in the World?

1. FIFA World Cup
2. Summer Olympic Games
3. Winter Olympic Games
4. Tour de France
5. Cricket World Cup
6. The Asian Games
7. FIFA Women’s World Cup
8. UEFA Champions League
9. Rugby World Cup
10. FIBA Basketball World Cup

1. FIFA World Cup

• Founded: 1930
• Governing Body: Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
• Held: Every four years
• Website: https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sports tournament in the world, attracting a record number of viewers every four years. Created in 1930, the FIFA World Cup pairs the 32 best men’s national soccer teams against each other in a knockout-style tournament. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 3.57 billion people tuned in throughout the tournament. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a record five billion people are anticipated to watch the event.

2. Summer Olympic Games

• Founded: 1896
• Governing Body: International Olympic Committee (IOC)
• Held: Every four years
• Website: https://olympics.com/en/

The Summer Olympics is a global sports competition in which each country has the opportunity to showcase its talented athletes in an array of different events. The first modern Summer Olympics was held in Greece in 1896. The Summer Olympics occurs every four years and is hosted in a different country each time. Being nominated as the host of the Olympics is a very big deal due to the billions of viewers that the competition attracts.

3. Winter Olympic Games

• Founded: 1924
• Governing Body: International Olympic Committee (IOC)
• Held: Every four years
• Website: https://olympics.com/en/

The Winter Olympic Games is the counterpart to the Summer Olympic Games, hosting sports that are typically played in cold weather. Similarly, the Winter Olympics is also held every four years, scheduled two years after each Summer Olympics. Due to its massive size and popularity, the Winter Olympics is held in a different country from the Summer Olympics and is its own international tournament. The Winter Olympics date back to 1924 and were first hosted in France.

4. Tour de France

• Founded: 1903
• Governing Body: Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI); Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO)
• Held: Annually
• Website: https://www.letour.fr/en/

The Tour de France is an annual sports tournament in which the world’s best cycling teams compete in a long-distance race that spans multiple weeks. The first Tour de France was held in 1903 and was contested by 60 different European cyclists. Today, the Tour de France includes riders from all around the globe, cycling in teams. It is estimated that each year, the event attracts roughly three billion viewers tuning in for at least one minute of viewing, an impressive audience.

5. ICC Cricket World Cup

• Founded: 1975
• Governing Body: International Cricket Council (ICC)
• Held: Every four years
• Website: https://www.icc-cricket.com/homepage

Like the FIFA World Cup and both Olympic Games, the ICC Cricket World Cup is held every four years. One of the most popular sports on Earth, cricket’s premier international tournament draws over a billion viewers. The first ICC Cricket World Cup was hosted in England in 1975 and was won by the West Indies. So far, the most successful national cricket team has been Australia, winning three World Cups in a row in 1999, 2003, and 2007.

6. The Asian Games

• Founded: 1951
• Governing Body: Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)
• Held: Every four years
• Website: https://ocasia.org/games/

The Asian Games is the second-largest multi-sport tournament, behind the Olympics Games. Held every four years, the Asian Games allows athletes from every Asian country to compete across a diverse array of sports events. The first Asian Games were held in 1951 in New Delhi, India. Each day of the tournament, the Asian Games attracts tens of millions of viewers, making it one of the biggest sports tournaments on Earth.

7. FIFA Women’s World Cup

• Founded: 1991
• Governing Body: FIFA
• Held: Every four years
• Website: https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/womens/womensworldcup

With the FIFA World Cup being the world’s biggest sports tournament, it is no surprise that the FIFA Women’s World Cup makes its place within the top 10 largest sports tournaments. First held in 1991, the FIFA Women’s World Cup has steadily grown in popularity and viewership over the decades. In fact, it is estimated that a total of 1.1 billion people tuned in throughout the 2019 tournament. In just over 30 years, the FIFA Women’s World Cup has become one of the biggest sports tournaments in history.

8. UEFA Champions League

• Founded: 1955
• Governing Body: UEFA
• Held: Every year
• Website: https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/

The UEFA Champions League is a soccer tournament that is held in Europe. The tournament spans from the fall through the spring each year and pits Europe’s best soccer clubs against each other to determine Europe’s best club. The first UEFA Champions League tournament was held in 1956 and was won by club soccer legends Real Madrid. Each year, over 300 million people tune in to support their favorite soccer club as they face off against other European powerhouses.

9. Rugby Union World Cup

• Founded: 1987
• Governing Body: World Rugby (WR)
• Held: Every four years
• Website: https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/

As with other World Cups, the Rugby Union World Cup is held once every four years. Created in 1987, the Rugby Union World Cup hosts 12 of the world’s best rugby teams. The tournament’s first winner was New Zealand. Additionally, the New Zealand Rugby Union National Team has been the most successful on the international stage, having won three World Cups. In the 2019 World Cup, over 857 million people tuned in throughout the tournament.

10. FIBA Basketball World Cup

• Founded: 1950
• Governing Body: FIBA
• Held: Every four years
• Website: https://www.fiba.basketball/en/world-cups

The FIBA Basketball World Cup is the premier international basketball tournament. The competition was created in 1950 and is hosted every four years. The United States is the most successful participant in the tournament, holding five gold, three silver, and four bronze medals. Amazingly, the 2010 FIBA World Cup racked up more than 800 million views during the competition, demonstrating the popularity of basketball around the globe.

Honorable Mentions

Argentine Open Polo Championship

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• Founded: 1893
• Governing Body: Asociación Argentina de Polo (AAP)
• Held: Every year
• Website: https://www.aapolo.com/es/palermo

The Argentine Open Polo Championship is a club-level polo tournament that has been held every year since 1893 at ​​Campo Argentino de Polo in Palermo, Buenos Aires. Known in Spanish as the Campeonato Argentino Abierto de Polo, the tournament is the biggest polo competition in the world, drawing polo's biggest stars. Ten teams compete for the championship, and Argentine teams typically dominate. The Argentine Open is also known for the lively nightlife surrounding the tournament.

The Masters Tournament

• Founded: 1934
• Governing Body: Augusta National Golf Club
• Held: Every year
• Website: https://www.masters.com/

The Masters Tournament is the biggest golf tournament in the world. Held every April at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, it is the first and most important major golf tournament on the schedule. Every pro golfer dreams of taking home the iconic green jacket for winning the Masters, and the tournament is a reliable draw for TV viewers. The final round alone brings in over 12 million viewers.

NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament

• Founded: 1939
• Governing Body: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
• Held: Annually
• Website: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/march-madness

Undoubtedly the largest college sports tournament in America, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament is known across the United States as “March Madness.” It is held every year during the month of March and early April, and consists of a bracket pitting the 68 best men’s college basketball teams in the country against each other. Across multiple rounds, these teams face off in fast-paced, competitive basketball games, and a key fixture of March Madness is its utter unpredictability, with numerous “Cinderella Stories” of underdog teams beating out dominant squads. March Madness is one of the most lucrative and viewed tournaments in America, with an estimated $1 billion in revenue and 9.04 million viewers as of 2023.

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