Top 10 most watched football leagues in the world

Football is the world’s most popular sport, and is watched by around 4 billion people. There are about 250 million professional players, spread across 200 countries. With that in mind, here are the top 10 most watched football leagues in the world. 

Top 10 most watched football leagues in the world

10. Chinese Super League 

Our list kicks off with the Chinese Super League, with 24,107 people attending games on average. More than a million viewers watch the league from across the world, and it is the largest league in all of Asia. 

9. Eredivisie 

The Dutch Eredivisie averages attendances worth 18,010 people in stadiums. It is known for its total football philosophy and produces outstanding young players. Many of them have gone on to make a big impact in the top clubs. But, due to the lower popularity of the other teams in comparison to the likes of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord, the viewership is relatively low. 

8. Brasileiro Serie A 

The Brazilian Serie A is the top flight of football in the country. Players like Neymar and Vinicius Jr have come through the league. Due to the passionate football fans in the country, the average attendance is around 43,458. 

7. Bundesliga 

The German Bundesliga boasts of having one of the fastest match paces and the most goals, despite having 18 teams. Football in Germany has a very unique framework, and the league is watched by 361,000 people on average. This number goes up for the big games of the season, of course. 

6. Major League Soccer 

Interestingly, the American league ranks higher than Bundesliga and Eredivisie in terms of viewership. There are 27 total teams in the league, divided into the Eastern and Western conferences due to the size of the country. The league is watched by around 2 million people on average. 

5. Serie A 

The Italian Serie A was once the undisputed best league in the world. But now, it’s status has diminished a little. Regardless, it boasts of having European giants like AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Napoli. A number of icons have played in the league, and it draws a viewership of around 2 million. 

4. Liga Apertura 

The most surprising inclusion in the list is the Mexican top flight, the Liga Apertura. On an average, 3.7 million people watch the league. The attendance in stadiums is around 25,000 on average. The Liga Apertura bears a semblance to the style of football played in Spain and Brazil, and is slowly starting to grow in size. 

3. Ligue 1 

The French Ligue 1 boasts of the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Ramos. After the arrival of Messi, the viewership has spiked up a lot, with 10.5m viewers watching the league on average. Before the takeover of PSG, the league was a very unpredictable competition. 

2. La Liga 

Boasting of two of the biggest clubs in the world, Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Spanish La Liga takes second place. Around 76 million viewers from across the world watch the league on average. And with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Villarreal and Real Sociedad also competing for the top spots, the league has become much more competitive now. 

1. Premier League 

The Premier League is the clear winner in terms of viewership when it comes to the top football leagues. It is also the most difficult league in the world due to the quality of the games and teams competing. Around 643 million viewers tune in to the league on average, which is much more than any other competition in the list.