When it comes to unifying events, there are few that can beat the major sporting ones. They attract audiences in their millions – both to watch them in the stadiums and live on television.
That is because sporting contests are full of exciting and unexpected twists and turns that keep viewers engaged. Similarly, playing online casino games at Bally Bet offers a thrilling experience, full of surprises and entertainment.
Some of the top sports events are held more frequently than others. While fans of the Olympics or World Cup have to wait four years between them, other events take place annually.
It is the most popular annual sports competitions that we will detail in this article.
- UEFA Champions League Final
A list of that kind really has to start with this knockout football tournament, due to the size of its global audience. The final is watched by between 400 and 500 million people every year.
That makes it the very definition of an elite sporting competition, as does the fact that it features the best football teams from around the world. The UEFA Champions League was created as a replacement for the old European Cup tournament.
It is intended to establish the finest club team each season and Real Madrid have won it more often than any other. They have 14 Champions League titles to their credit.
People love this tournament because it offers the chance to see the greatest players compete for the most prestigious club football trophy. It has produced so many memorable moments – from the dramatic fight-back by Liverpool in 2005 to Gareth Bale’s acrobatic winner against them in 2018.
- Wimbledon
Tennis is a sport that has four major Grand Slam events – the French Open, the US Open, the Australian Open and this one. There is no real dispute about which is the biggest and most popular though.
Wimbledon attracts an audience of more than 500 million people each year. That puts it ahead of any of the other three Grand Slam tournaments.
One reason for the immense global popularity of Wimbledon is the fact that it is played on grass courts. By contrast, the others are clay court events.
That makes it better for serve-and-volley players such as Roger Federer. A lot of tennis fans find them more exciting and entertaining to watch.
Wimbledon is also iconic, from its all-white outfit rule to its long history. It was first held all the way back in 1877.
- Super Bowl
The Super Bowl may be the most popular annual sporting event in the US – although fans of baseball and basketball would probably disagree. It is the finale to the National Football League (NFL) season.
In recent years, it has surpassed the World Series in terms of viewer numbers. The global audience figures for it now are up to 150 million.
This is a reflection of the very successful marketing campaign that the NFL has run over the past decade. That has helped it to attract people who were never interested before.
The Super Bowl is also an all-round entertainment event though. The halftime show features pop music megastars, while brands produce advertisements that are created specifically for it – in the knowledge that millions will be tuning in.
No other US sports event can match its level of clout.
- Tour de France
Not many people would rank cycling as one of the biggest sports, but there is an annual exception to that. The Tour de France is an event that attracts even those who usually ignore competitive cycling.
It is held every year at the height of summer and sees the best cyclists in the world compete in an endurance test. The course runs for around 3,500 kilometers, and the event takes 23 days to complete.
A typical worldwide audience figure for the Tour de France is 3.5 billion – but it is important to note that many of them do not watch every stage. It is during the last lap when the riders enter the Champs-Elysees in Paris that people really start to tune in en masse. By that point, the competitors are also flanked by huge crowds on either side.
This competition has not been without its share of scandal too, which adds to public interest in it. Lance Armstrong was the most successful cyclist in Tour de France history, with seven title wins. Those victories were later revoked though, in the wake of drug doping revelations.
Out of all the big annual sports tournaments that take place around the world, these four are the most popular. Each of them attracts an audience of millions and is regarded as a true global event.
