| Rank | Sport | Estimated Global Following | Primary Sphere of Influence |
| 1 | Soccer (Association Football) | 4.0 Billion | Globally |
| 2 | Cricket | 2.5 Billion | UK and Commonwealth |
| 3 | Field Hockey | 2 Billion | Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia |
| 4 | Tennis | 1 Billion | Globally |
| 5 | Volleyball | 900 Million | Western Europe and North America |
| 6 | Table Tennis | 875 Million | Globally |
| 7 | Basketball | 825 Million | Globally |
| 8 | Baseball | 500 Million | United States, Caribbean, and Japan |
| 9 | Rugby | 475 Million | UK and Commonwealth |
| 10 | Golf | 450 Million | Western Europe, East Asia, and North America |
I'll be honest. I haven't got a goddamn idea why cricket is so popular. I always thought the second most popular sport was basketball till I see that list few years ago... Didn't even know cricket existed before that.
Like me, I think football will take first place and be followed by basketball and volleyball. But all to my surprise, yeah maybe the popularity of cricket is because it has a high popularity in a country that has a high population. And it's true, after I traced that cricket is very popular in India where India is the second most populous country in the world. source:
https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/icc-rankings