| Updated: In today’s digitally connected world, sports extend far beyond stadiums and TV screens, battling for supremacy on social media. Football still sets the global pace, but the order behind it keeps shifting as leagues and organisations compete across Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok. Sportingpedia analyses the most followed sports leagues and tournaments across those four platforms and ranks them by combined followers. One of the report’s most curious revelations is that the UEFA Champions League strengthens its position at the top with 321,6 million followers, while the Premier League (218,4 million) edges the NBA (214,0 million) to become the world’s most followed domestic sports league.
The Biggest Sports Leagues and Organizations Ranked by Social Media Followers on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (millions)
Data Sources: Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X
UEFA Champions League – Football (Collective)
The UEFA Champions League tops the ranking with 321,6 million followers, making it the most powerful sports competition on social media. Its audience is built on huge reach across every platform, led by 121,0 million followers on Instagram and 94,0 million on Facebook. TikTok adds 54,1 million, while X contributes 52,5 million, giving the Champions League the strongest all-round digital footprint in the dataset.
Premier League – Football (Collective)
The Premier League ranks second overall and first among domestic competitions, reaching 218,4 million followers. Instagram (79,9 million) and Facebook (69,0 million) remain the league’s two biggest platforms, while its 44,9 million on X keeps it among the strongest sports brands on that network. TikTok accounts for 24,6 million, completing a four-platform profile that now places the Premier League narrowly ahead of the NBA.
NBA – Basketball (Collective)
The NBA follows in third place on 214,0 million followers, remaining the biggest non-football organisation in the top tier. Its base is driven most strongly by Instagram, where it records 90,2 million followers, supported by 52,0 million on Facebook and 46,0 million on X. TikTok contributes 25,8 million, underlining how the league continues to translate star power into sustained global attention.
FIFA World Cup – Football (Collective)
The FIFA World Cup ranks fourth on 160,9 million followers, maintaining its position as football’s biggest international event brand outside the Champions League. Facebook remains its strongest platform at 66,0 million, followed by Instagram on 54,0 million. TikTok contributes 28,3 million, while X stands at 12,6 million, keeping the World Cup firmly inside the global top five as the 2026 tournament approaches.
UFC – MMA (Individual)
The NBA follows in third place on 214,0 million followers, remaining the biggest non-football organisation in the top tier. Its base is driven most strongly by Instagram, where it records 90,2 million followers, supported by 52,0 million on Facebook and 46,0 million on X. TikTok contributes 25,8 million, underlining how the league continues to translate star power into sustained global attention.
NFL – American Football (Collective)
The NFL ranks sixth on 112,2 million followers, built on one of the strongest X audiences in the dataset at 35,9 million. Instagram contributes 32,9 million and Facebook 23,0 million, while TikTok stands at 20,4 million. The league’s spread underlines its ability to maintain digital relevance far beyond the United States.
ICC – International Cricket Council – Cricket (Collective)
The ICC ranks seventh with 110,1 million followers, confirming its place as cricket’s dominant global organisation online. Facebook remains the ICC’s anchor at 48,0 million, while Instagram stands at 32,8 million and X at 26,1 million. TikTok contributes just 3,2 million, making the ICC the most traditional platform-skewed organisation among the global top seven.
Formula 1 – Motorsport (Individual)
Formula 1 places eighth with 81,4 million followers, with Instagram as its clear centre of gravity at 41,0 million. Facebook contributes 15,0 million, TikTok 13,6 million and X 11,8 million. With the sport entering its 2026 season and a new technical regulations era, its digital footprint remains comfortably ahead of most mid-tier competitions, but still far behind the world’s largest sports properties.
MLB – Baseball (Collective)
MLB ranks ninth on 45,3 million followers, with its audience distributed relatively evenly across the four platforms. Instagram leads at 13,0 million, X follows on 12,6 million, Facebook stands at 11,0 million and TikTok contributes 8,7 million. The numbers place MLB in a clear second tier, sizeable but far from the global top eight.
NHL – Hockey (Collective)
The NHL completes the top 10 with 22,3 million followers, driven by 7,1 million on Instagram and 6,7 million on X. Facebook contributes 5,2 million and TikTok 3,3 million. It sits in a tightly packed group with MLS and Wimbledon, where small differences separate the organisations in overall audience size.
MLS – Football (Collective)
MLS ranks 11th on 21,3 million followers. Facebook remains its largest platform at 7,3 million, followed by TikTok at 5,6 million. Instagram contributes 5,2 million and X 3,2 million, giving MLS a balanced footprint for a league outside Europe’s traditional football core.
Wimbledon – Tennis (Individual)
Wimbledon places 12th on 20,9 million followers. Its audience is led by Instagram at 7,2 million and Facebook at 6,8 million, with X at 3,8 million and TikTok at 3,1 million. The figures keep Wimbledon as the biggest tennis property in the ranking, though still just behind MLS.
PGA Tour – Golf (Individual)
The PGA Tour ranks 13th with 17,0 million followers. Facebook (6,0 million) and Instagram (5,8 million) form the bulk of its audience, while X contributes 3,0 million and TikTok 2,2 million. Its position places it alongside NASCAR as part of the ranking’s mid-tier.
NASCAR – Motorsport (Individual)
NASCAR places 14th on 16,7 million followers. Facebook leads at 5,8 million, followed by Instagram on 4,3 million, X on 3,4 million and TikTok on 3,2 million. The relatively even split across platforms separates NASCAR from other organisations of similar size that rely heavily on one channel.
Volleyball World – Volleyball (Collective)
Volleyball World ranks 15th with 12,21 million followers. Facebook remains its largest platform at 5,5 million, while TikTok contributes 3,4 million and Instagram 2,8 million. X stands at just 0,51 million, giving Volleyball World one of the most uneven platform profiles in the ranking.
Tour de France – Cycling (Individual)
The Tour de France places 16th with 11,1 million followers, spread evenly across the four platforms. Facebook leads at 3,4 million, with Instagram on 2,9 million, X on 2,8 million and TikTok on 2,0 million. Its distribution suggests stable global reach rather than dependence on one fast-growing channel.
EuroLeague – Basketball (Collective)
The EuroLeague ranks 17th with 3,8 million followers and is the only organisation in the dataset below five million. Instagram leads at 1,4 million, followed by Facebook on 0,89 million, TikTok on 0,84 million and X on 0,67 million. The numbers underline how sharply the follower landscape drops once the global mainstream competitions are left behind.