There is no question that football, or soccer as some call it, is the most popular sport in the world. Its broad appeal across the globe has led to events such as the FIFA World Cup 2026 becoming the largest sporting event on the planet. So, it’s fair to ask which country has the biggest football fans in the world.
A recent study revealed the country with the biggest football fans in the world. And the answer is mildly surprising: It’s Ireland.
A study published by The Daily Punt showed that Ireland tops some of the world’s most football-obsessed countries according to various metrics.
The study took into account online searches, the number of stadiums per resident, the number of people identifying as football fans, and the largest stadium in the country.
Those metrics pointed towards Ireland beating out other countries such as the UK and Brazil, boasting the biggest football fans in the world. The study shed the following insight into the data.
“Ireland is the most football-obsessed country in the world, with 3 million people out of a population of 5M calling themselves soccer fans. The Irish supporters have looked up the World Cup fixtures and results more than 9 million times already, even though their country isn’t featuring in the 2026 tournament at all. Despite its small size, Ireland is also home to 37 stadiums, including the famous 51,000-seat Aviva Stadium.”
While other countries may have a larger relative population, no other country in the world has the largest concentration of football-crazed fans.
Ireland Has Equally Football-Obsessed Neighbors
While Ireland may have the biggest football fans in the world, its neighbors in England and Scotland aren’t far behind.
The data showed that seven out of ten people in the UK identify as football fans. Considering the population in the UK as a whole, roughly 47 million people make up one of the world’s largest fanbases.
However, the UK can’t quite claim the title for the biggest football fans on the planet, as online searches don’t dominate nearly as much as they do in Ireland.
What to read next:
South America May Eventually Lay Claim to the Biggest Football Fans in the World
South America could also stake a claim one day as having the biggest football fans in the world. The study revealed that Uruguay has the highest number of individuals identifying as football fans, with nine out of ten declaring themselves fans.
Uruguay also boasts a total of 15 football stadiums for its population of about 3.5 million people. That’s still far lower than Ireland’s 37.
Meanwhile, Brazil has the largest fanbase in the world at 171 million. And yes, the South American nation has almost 900 stadiums. But when looking at online engagement and overall following, Brazilians aren’t quite the biggest football fans in the world. But they soon could be as more and more people gain access to the internet and take part in the online discourse.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that Portugal rounded out the world’s top five most football-obsessed fan bases. The study showed that the European nation has about eight in ten inhabitants actively following football.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Biggest Football Fans in the World Revealed by Study appeared first on HEAVY.