Sports is greatly acclaimed in Australia as it is all over the world. Australia has recorded a lot of success in many sports as lots of potentials give their very best during their performances in these sports.
There are many professional sports played in Australia, as they are also those for recreation.
Though there are lots of sports in Australia, we’ve come up with a few that have lots of participants and are acknowledged as the most popular in the country.
Top 10 most popular sports in Australia
10. Rugby League
Rugby League is the most searched sport on the internet and is undoubtedly one of the most popular sports in Australia.
The sport began in 1908 in Australia and has more than 450,000 players (466,182 players to be precise) as of today.
Three years ago, there were about 71,000 viewers at the Australian Super Rugby League which was a massive turnout compared to previous years.
Today, it is widely enjoyed all over the country and features its games every week in domestic leagues. (NRL)
9. Basketball
Basketball is the second most popular team participation sport in Australia, as well as one of the most popular sports. It is more popular in Victoria, Australia.
The sport began in February 1897 in Australia and has about 1 million players today.
The NBA, which has a big influence in the basketball sports in the US, also has its influence on the domestic basketball league and National Basketball League in Australia.
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Australia’s national basketball team enjoys attention and support from fans and the media.
8. Tennis
Why wouldn’t tennis be popular in Australia?
When Australia Open grand slam tournament, it brought world tennis stars into the very heart of Australia.
Tennis is one of the most loved sports in the digital world of Australia.
Two years ago, the Australian Open grand finale had more than 796,000 Australian viewers. The turnout was higher than previous years.
The Australian Open women’s finals had more than a million viewers and the men’s finals, more than one point five million viewers.
Isn’t that incredible?
With these incredible turnouts, tennis has become very popular in Australia.
Also check: Top 10 Most Popular Sports In the World
7. Football Soccer
There is no doubt that Australians love soccer.
In 2015, Real Madrid competed against Manchester United in a match in Australia and 99,000 people attended the match.
Studies have shown that a total of 6.8 million Australians watch the Nations World Cup, FIFA World Cup, English Premier League and the Australian domestic soccer league.
Soccer, undoubtedly, is the most watched outdoor sport in Australia. Therefore, top soccer players and teams go ahead to have their matches in Australia.
6. Rugby Union
Rugby Union is very different from Rugby League. Their model of tackle is different.
The Rugby Union uses 15 players and allows 7 substitutions in a game unlike Rugby League.
This sport has about 87,000 players in Australia and has won the Rugby World Cup twice.
It is popularly known as The Wallabies.
5. Golf
With its inception in 1839, golf has become one of Australia’s favorite sports.
Due to the PGA Tour Australasia, a major golf event in Australia, a lot of golf stars have played in the country, hence making it very popular in the country.
Also Check: 10 Most Popular Sports In Canada
4. National Rugby League
The only difference between the National Rugby League and the Rugby League is that the former is played by male teams from Australia and New Zealand. Other than that, they’re very much the same.
Five years ago, 6.5 million Australians watched the NRL games and a total number of 116 million people watched the NRL from Australia and New Zealand.
All these figures prove that the NRL is a much loved sport in Australia.
3. American Football
American Football began in Australia during the second world war and since then it has captured the hearts of Australians.
This foreign sport has created 73 teams and 2500 players in Australia.
Australians also follow the rules of the NFL in America.
2. Cricket
Australia is known worldwide for their huge participation in cricket.
Cricket began in Australia in the year 1803 and has made a big name for itself since then.
This favorite sport has more than a million players and their games are viewed by more than 4 million Australians.
The sport is popularly known in every area of Australia.
1. Australian Rules Football
Popularly known as Aussie Rules, Australian Rules Football is the most popular sport in Australia (AFL).
With its deep roots and foundation in Australia traditions, the sport has existed since the 19th century.
It is a contact sport played between two teams of eighteen players each.
There are 25,770 clubs and a total of 1,404,176 players in Aussie Rules as of 2016.
The games are watched by 8.4 million Australians fans. This incredible amount of viewers makes it the most popular sport in Australia.
Conclusion
Those are the 10 most popular 2024 sports in Australia today.
Did your favorite sport make the list? Do let us know in the comment section.
