The footballing experts at Ticketgum have created an index study to determine which country is the most passionate about the game. Fan attendance and buzz around the last men’s World Cup were analysed, as well as each country’s infrastructure and investment into broadcast rights, in order to reveal which country is most dedicated to football.
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To see the full study with further results, please see here.
The European countries most obsessed with football
| # | Country | Domestic broadcast deal value per season (€billion/million) | Total market value of top league (€billion/million) | % of people interested in World Cup | Average attendance per domestic league game | Number of stadiums | Football obsession score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | €1.885b | €12.032b | 65 | 40,236 | 90 | 8.37 |
| =2 | Spain | €981m | €5.413b | 63.8 | 29,584 | 66 | 7.83 |
| =2 | Germany | €1.069b | €4.631b | 50.1 | 42,992 | 61 | 7.83 |
| 4 | Italy | €919m | €5.277b | 59.3 | 29,537 | 64 | 7.52 |
| 5 | France | €577m | €4.111b | 40.6 | 23,708 | 61 | 6.63 |
| 6 | Turkey | €77m | €1.155b | 64.6 | 12,463 | 56 | 5.66 |
| 7 | Portugal | €188m | €1.409b | 71.2 | 11,620 | 37 | 5.16 |
| 8 | Netherlands | €104m | €1.140b | 57.7 | 19,388 | 22 | 4.61 |
| 9 | Poland | €73m | €295m | 64.2 | 11,839 | 28 | 4.50 |
| 10 | Scotland | €29m | €392m | 47.32 | 16,924 | 16 | 3.80 |
42 countries across the globe were analysed in order to create the ultimate football fan obsession index. Full data and graphics can be found here.
Ticketgum can reveal that Poland is the ninth most football-obsessed country in Europe. Almost two in three (64.2%) Polish residents following the Qatar World Cup, the fourth highest in the top 10.
England is the most fanatic about football, not just in Europe, but globally. Far and away the biggest indicator of England’s obsession with the game is the immense amount of money spent on domestic broadcast rights, with the Premier League worth €1,883,565,676 in broadcast deals per season.
Global: The ten countries most obsessed with football
| # | Country | Domestic broadcast deal value per season (€bill/million) | Total market value of top league (€bill/million) | % of people interested in World Cup | Average attendance per domestic league game | Number of stadiums | Football obsession score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | €1.885b | €12.032b | 65.0 | 40,236 | 90 | 8.37 |
| =2 | Spain | €981m | €5.413b | 63.8 | 29,584 | 66 | 7.83 |
| =2 | Germany | €1.069b | €4.631b | 50.1 | 42,992 | 61 | 7.83 |
| 4 | Brazil | €197m | €1.697b | 85.9 | 28,296 | 144 | 7.60 |
| 5 | Italy | €919m | €5.277b | 59.3 | 29,537 | 64 | 7.52 |
| 6 | Argentina | €42m | €930m | 82.3 | 40,768 | 54 | 7.17 |
| 7 | Mexico | €284m | €948m | 73.5 | 20,500 | 58 | 6.71 |
| 8 | United States | €237m | €1.443b | 30.7 | 21,981 | 127 | 6.71 |
| 9 | France | €577m | €4.111b | 40.6 | 23,708 | 61 | 6.63 |
| 10 | Saudi Arabia | €73m | €866m | 85.3 | 10,197 | 13 | 5.74 |
There are two clear frontrunners for the global areas most passionate about football; Europe and the Americas. Brazil is the most football fanatic country outside of Europe, with an obsession score of 7.6/10. Special mention should go to Saudi Arabia. With 85.3% of the population interested in the most recent World Cup, Saudi fans may soon become the world’s biggest football fanatics.
For the full methodology and dataset of all 42 countries analysed, please see here.

