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Billions of viewers, countless unforgettable moments... Join us as we count down the sporting spectacles that captivate the world's attention! From cultural phenomena to international tournaments, these events transcend mere competition to become global celebrations of athletic excellence. Which event has you glued to your screen every time it comes around?
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00:00I got him! Oh, wow!
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the games with the most eyes on them across the globe.
00:07What a shot that is.
00:11Number 10. Rugby World Cup Final.
00:13This championship reached a totally unheard of level of popularity in 2023 when it became the most watched rugby event of all time.
00:19Flags are up!
00:21A reported 17 million people tuned in for the first game of the tournament between France and New Zealand.
00:26By the time the final came and went, the entire World Cup had received 1.33 billion viewing hours across all programming.
00:32New Zealand looking for the steal here.
00:34If that doesn't paint a vivid picture of the sport's health, nothing will.
00:37It's the peak of internationally contested rugby.
00:39The game played at its very best with the highest possible stakes.
00:43It's the fourth Rugby World Cup for South Africa.
00:48Number 9. NBA Finals.
00:50The NBA might just be for teams competing in North America, but there's no doubt that it's the sport of basketball played at its very highest level.
00:56Down the lane!
00:58So it makes sense that the NBA Finals are considered the very best of the best globally.
01:03Sure, diehard fans rarely miss a game during the regular season, but once the playoffs and eventually the Finals land, things ramp up.
01:08Across the seven-game series, viewing figures tend to skyrocket.
01:11So three crucial plays here by Michael Jordan now.
01:15Viewership has declined somewhat in the last few years, with 2025's NBA Finals clocking in at $10.2 million, the lowest in recent history.
01:22But the NBA remains a powerhouse in the U.S. sporting market, make no mistake.
01:25For the first time, the NBA champion resides in Oklahoma City.
01:30Number 8. Wimbledon.
01:32There's no tennis tournament that can quite live up to the spectacle and prestige of Wimbledon.
01:36Oh!
01:38Oh!
01:39Oh, this is...
01:40Even to the casual fan, tuning for this two-week-long tournament is an absolute must.
01:44Over the years, some of the sport's best players have had their finest hour under the Wimbledon banner.
01:49The yearly tournament has also very effectively evolved with the times, with online viewing making up a large portion of its viewership.
01:56Not only did its 2025 Finals break BBC records for television viewing domestically in the United Kingdom,
02:02but it also set a record for digital viewers across the globe as well.
02:05Number 7. Super Bowl.
02:11This isn't just an important sporting event.
02:13It's a cultural moment.
02:14A wild mix of celebrities, music, and good old-fashioned football.
02:17In the middle, and it's intercepted again!
02:20People who don't even understand the rules of the game itself tune in to the Super Bowl just to see what happens.
02:24Plus, it's a rare example of a sporting event that has a halftime show that can sometimes eclipse the actual sport.
02:29Are you my friend? Are we locked in?
02:33In 2025, the NFL had their second record-breaking Super Bowl in a row,
02:37with an average of a whopping 127.7 million viewers over the course of the show's runtime.
02:42Sure, it's a primarily American sport, but it's truly a global spectacle.
02:46Eagles fly in Super Bowl 59!
02:49Number 6. UEFA Champions League Final.
02:52If European football truly represents the peak of the club game,
02:55then the UEFA Champions League Final must be the highest level of competition, right?
02:59And this bring Bangalore down!
03:01While it's certainly the biggest prize in club football, there's no doubt about it.
03:04Unlike major international tournaments like the World Cup or the European Championships,
03:08the Champions League happens every single year.
03:10It consistently draws high viewing figures, especially in the knockout stage.
03:14But of course, the final is the big one.
03:15Look at the precision! A little deflection!
03:17In 2025, the global viewing figures were down somewhat,
03:21but even still, you'd be hard-pressed to find a Champions League final
03:23that doesn't fall somewhere in the 50-100 million viewers range.
03:27And PSG will deservedly be UEFA Champions League winners of 2025.
03:33Number 5. Winter Olympics.
03:35Although not quite as popular as its summer alternative,
03:38the Winter Olympics still managed to bring in a global cumulative audience
03:41of over 2 billion viewers in 2022.
03:43Hey, good morning to everybody!
03:44Happy Olympic season, Winter Olympics season!
03:47I always like the cold weather sports personally well.
03:49A huge metric by any standard.
03:51The event, which was held in Beijing, improved on its 2018 predecessor by 5%.
03:56No doubt helped along by improved streaming services.
03:58It's always been a goal of mine to be an Olympian and to represent the United States.
04:03From bobsleigh and alpine skiing to figure skating and snowboarding,
04:06the Winter Olympics offer a totally different feel to their summer counterpart.
04:10And by the looks of things, it will only continue to grow in its popularity.
04:13On 100 days today, Milano Cortina opens in Italy.
04:18Number 4. Cricket World Cup.
04:20Its final consistently brings in viewing figures that number in the hundreds of millions,
04:24with 2023's final reaching 300 million.
04:27This has carried all the way into the crowd.
04:30Overall, the tournament's total global live viewing minutes managed to hit 1 trillion,
04:34a huge leap of 17% from the 2019 event that preceded it.
04:39Ah, he's got it!
04:40It's huge!
04:41It's gone!
04:42It's out of the pack!
04:43With major appeal in countries like India, Australia, and the UK, among other places,
04:47the Cricket World Cup's inclusion might be a surprise for some of you.
04:50But don't underestimate how much of a powerhouse cricket is in the countries that play it seriously.
04:54It's India's most popular sport by a long distance,
04:57and continues to grow in popularity elsewhere, too.
05:00Champions.
05:00Champions.
05:01One and over.
05:03Number 3. Summer Olympics.
05:05These events were always going to be among the top dogs in this race.
05:08With so many competing nations in so many different sports,
05:11the average viewer is spoiled for choice every four years.
05:15Yeah, so 10,500 athletes will be attending, representing over 200 international committees,
05:20so really cool to see how many people are coming in.
05:222024's Games managed to entice a truly gargantuan 5 billion people to check it out at one point or another.
05:28This meant that 84% of the entire Earth's population audience tuned in at least once.
05:33This is you with your 11 Olympic medals.
05:35Yes.
05:35In terms of online engagement, it also became the most popular Olympics of all time,
05:40boasting 412 billion engagements and 270 million social media posts.
05:45The Summer Olympics is truly one of the biggest global unifiers in sports.
05:48It is this true understanding of friendship, everyone, that marks an effort toward world peace and unity.
05:54Number 2. Tour de France.
05:56You might be surprised to see just how many people tune in for the Tour de France every year,
06:00but its popularity should not be underestimated.
06:02Through the Louvre, past, of course, the iconic pyramids installed by Francois Mitterrand some years ago.
06:09Its massive TV audience of about 3 to 3.5 billion viewers means some very impressive viewing hours.
06:14Its huge popularity in France is to be expected, but the Tour has major cultural significance all across the world,
06:20especially in other parts of Europe.
06:22Arms in the air.
06:24Mark Cavendish standing on the shoulders of giants.
06:27Now well into its second century since it first began in 1903,
06:32the Tour de France appears to be firmly set in the runner-up spot in terms of drawing viewers to their screens.
06:37It's been an amazing Tour de France.
06:40As I said, like a series of classic races, day after day after day, and the finale was just the same.
06:47Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
06:50World Series, the pinnacle of America's national pastime.
06:53The Dodgers stand tall and win back-to-back titles.
06:58The Masters, the sport of golf played at its very highest.
07:04Kentucky Derby, the greatest two minutes in sports.
07:07But it will be sovereignty to rule the Kentucky Derby!
07:13Women's World Cup, the fast-rising competitor to the men's game.
07:17Another traumatic penalty shootout in this wonderful World Cup, and England prevail.
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07:39Number 1. FIFA World Cup Final.
07:41It's the most historically important and globally significant tournament of them all, and it should come as no surprise that it's so popular.
07:48Here's McAllister.
07:50Di Maria is the spare man.
07:52And how Di Maria!
07:53Glorious goal!
07:55The World Cup is the epitome of a worldwide event.
07:581.5 billion people tuned in to the 2022 final alone, and throughout the entire tournament, there was an average live viewership of 175 million.
08:05Viewed in every corner of the globe across every demographic, the tournament retains its special feeling due to the fact that it only takes place every four years.
08:17It's not just the pinnacle of football.
08:19It's the biggest show in town when it comes to sports, period.
08:22Argentina!
08:24Champions of the World!
08:27What's your personal favorite sporting event?
08:29Let us know in the comment section below.
08:31needs to be shared with us in the comments section below.
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