Countries Where Football Is Not the Most Popular Sport
Football is the most popular sport globally due to its widespread spread to all corners of our beautiful planet. It is so well-liked that it is called soccer in some places. In the USA, it goes by that name, and football is another sport that is also highly popular. Yet, if we look at individual countries, there are places where football differs from the nation’s No. 1 sport. While that’s hard to conjure, it is the truth. Check out the countries where football/soccer is not the nation’s first sporting choice.
Iceland
It is no wonder that Iceland doesn’t fancy football all that much. The climate in the far north of Europe is harsh, and there are only so many fans of outdoor activities in Iceland. Thus, they’ve turned their attention to handball. The Icelanders are good at it, with their best result coming at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where they took the silver medal home.
Japan
The Land of the Rising Sun is peculiar, so not having football as their top sport is not a surprise. What’s surprising is that it’s different from combat sports, such as judo or sumo wrestling, which are as popular as national sports. Thanks to the introduction of baseball in 1872, the Japanese people now have that sport as their top choice. In modern times, it is helpful that one of the best players in the world is Japanese pitcher Shohei Ohtani. His transfer from LA Angels to LA Dodgers saw the crypto sports betting world turn upside down and made the Dodgers the World Series betting favorites, a feat on which they delivered.
Canada
We have another winter country on our hands, and it comes as no surprise that Canada does not fancy football or soccer. The Canadians are well known for their love and skills in ice hockey. The Big North takes pride in this game, and most Canadians have played it at some point in their lives.
New Zealand
Here, we’re moving from ice and cold to a more fair weather. Deep down in the south where Maori live, rugby is the number one sport in the world. Nothing comes close to rugby in NZ. Their national team, the All Blacks, is one of the most successful rugby nations in the world, with some of the best players originating from New Zealand. The sport is famous not only for its playing but also for its gambling. For New Zealanders, it is also the favorite sport to wager their digital currencies, as one of the most popular ways to gamble for Kiwis.
Finland
Unlike Iceland, where people moved indoors to avoid harsh winters, snow, and ice, the Finns did the similar but also opposite thing. For Finns, avoiding winter meant moving inside and playing ice hockey. This sport is one of the most popular ones in all parts of Finland. The first hockey league in the country is more than one century old.
Austria
A land-locked country in central Europe should be all over football, correct? Well, it is more complicated. Austrians love their winters and their Alps. The land of Mozart and Chocolate is in love with skiing. A strange choice, but despite having one of their best national teams in football in recent memories, they still need help finding a way to top skiing as a national sport.
India
Indian diverse culture has brought the nation’s love for a single sport, and it is not football or soccer. In India, the sport that transcends culture, religion, and social differences is cricket. India’s national cricket team is one of the historically best in the world, while their domestic league, the Indian Premier League, is one of the best in the world. Football doesn’t even come close to cricket’s popularity in this southeastern Asian country.
Pakistan
India’s biggest rival in the world – the sport doesn’t matter. Pakistan and India have a long-lasting hostile relationship that stems from their Kashmir dispute. Yet, that didn’t stop the Pakistani from falling in love with cricket. They’re also good at it, honing their skills and even having a single World Cup. For people who follow sports through crypto gambling and wagering, it’s essential to know that their teams and players are often marred by spot-fixing, creating major scandals in this sport.
United States
The most popular sport in America is football, but it’s not soccer. We’re talking about the NFL league. American football is a sport similar to rugby but has peculiar rules. Most people know about it now due to the widespread globalization it has received in the last few decades. The NFL now has games played in Europe and aims for further global expansion. The season is short and rough, culminating in the final game called Super Bowl. Because of this, from September to February, the eyes of the US sporting world are on the NFL. In recent years, when online gambling and gambling with digital currencies became legal in many States, the sport received another boost to its popularity.
Australia
Just like India and Pakistan, the Aussies are in love with cricket. It is a sport in which Australia excels as a former English colony. They are the current World Cup holders and betting favorites to win the next iteration. When you look at how rugby and Aussie Rules are popular in the Land Down Under, football may not be in the top three sports on the continent.
Mongolia
Let’s move a bit north in Asia and take a look at Mongolia’s most popular sport. While you’d be inclined to think that Mongolians would hone a sport involving horses, that’s not the case. Mongolians have wrestling as their most popular sport. But you weren’t far off if you believed that there would be horses, as they also enjoy horse riding, archery, and the combination of the two.
Lithuania
A Baltic country like no other. Despite its relatively small population, Lithuania achieved considerable success in the court. Thus, their most popular sport is basketball. Some of the biggest names in the world of basketball come from Lithuania. We’re talking about the likes of Arvydas Sabonis, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, and the current NBA superstar of the Sacramento Kings, Domantas Sabonis. The sport of basketball runs in the veins of every Lithuanian, as evidenced in the Sabonis family.