Introduction
Historically Europe has always been home to some of the most popular sports in the world. Sports have been one of the major factors that have helped bring about changes in Europe’s social fabric over time. It has also encouraged Europeans to unify their country by bringing together different regions through sporting competitions.
With the development of technology, sports have become more accessible to people across the world. This has led to an increase in the number of sports competitions and events taking place all over Europe. In this article we will briefly review the most popular sports in Europe and provide some insight of the most popular sporting championships that attracts millions of people.
The Most Popular Sports in Europe (Football, Basketball, Volleyball)
In Europe there are many different types of sports that are popular among different countries and regions, however, when it comes to the most popular sports in Europe, everything is pretty clear. The most popular sport in Europe is football, which is played by over 40 million people in Europe. The second most popular sport is basketball, which is played by 22 million people. The third most popular sport is volleyball, which is played by 20 million people. The fourth most popular sport is rugby, which is played by 8 million people. The fifth most popular sport is tennis, which is played by 5 million people.
Football
Football is a pinnacle of European Sport. In fact, it is like a religion for people and it doesn’t come as a surprise that playing for a top European Club is a dream of every player. European football is a sport that has been around for centuries. It has evolved into a global phenomenon with professional leagues in over 30 countries.
Once in every four years Europe becomes the center of world football when the continental championship – UEFA European Championship takes place. This is a football tournament contested by the men’s national teams of Europe. It is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world and has been held since 1960. The European Football Championship is a premier event that brings together the best players from all over Europe. In recent years, it has been dominated by a handful of countries who have won more than half of the championships. The competition is also known for its high number of goals, which makes it exciting to watch and enjoy.
The Best Football Leagues in Europe
European football has traditionally been dominated by the biggest clubs from around the world. The best football leagues in Europe are often considered to be the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A.
The Premier League is home to some of the most talented players in the world, with some of them even being called “world-class”. It is also one of the most profitable football leagues in Europe due to its high TV revenue and large number of supporters. Same can be said about La Liga, where the rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona always attracts a great number of spectators, even the ones who don’t support either of them. However, the most prestigious tournament of European club football is considered to be the UEFA Champions League. It was created in 1955 and it features top clubs from across Europe fighting for their chance to become European champions.
Basketball
Basketball is second most popular sport in Europe. It is played by over 400 million people globally and has a huge following in Europe. It was introduced by Americans to Europeans in 1891, but it did not gain widespread popularity until the 1950s. Since 1990s basketball became even more popular in Europe, resulting in the formation of different national leagues as well as continental championships, like FIBA Eurobasket (European Championship for national teams) or FIBA Euroleague (European Championship for basketball clubs, much like the Champions League in football).
Over the years Europe has produced some of the top basketball talents who have achieved success not only in European basketball but in the NBA too. The list includes: Dirk Nowitzki of Germany; Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece; Luka Doncic of Slovenia, Tony Parker of France and Gasol brothers of Spain.
Tennis
Tennis is one of the most popular sports in Europe. It is played by both men and women and has a large number of spectators. The sport was originally introduced to Europe by British aristocrats but it soon became very popular among other European countries as well.
ATP/WTA Tours which rank the best male and female players according to their results on various competitions is followed by 500 million people. This is one of the reasons why Tennis is considered to be the most globalized sport in the world, which means that there are many players from different countries who compete for the title of best tennis player.
Europe is home of some of the greatest tennis players, like: Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray etc. Besides, two European countries, The United Kingdom and France hosts two out of four most prestigious tennis tournaments, also called Grand Slams – Wimbledon (first held in 1877) and Roland Garros (first held in 1891).
Conclusion
When it comes to sports, Europe has a lot to offer and the best way to experience this is to travel there and attend the matches. No matter whether you are a sports fan or not, European sports has a lot to offer you.
While Football, Basketball and Tennis are one of the most popular sports in Europe, you can also attend and play other sports, like Rugby, Hockey, Volleyball etc. If you are thinking to visit Europe anytime soon to attend your favorite football match or enjoy the virtuoso magic of Roger Federer playing at Wimbledon, you will need to apply for ETIAS Visa waiver programme, that enables you to visit all the EU countries easily.
