The 10 most popular sports in the world ...

1. Football: The beautiful game is probably the most economical game to pursue, requiring only a ball to kick around. The game can be picked up by rich as well as poor, only the quality of the ball may differ but never the quality of the game. The game is followed passionately by nearly 100 countries and is the most popular sport in 93 of those countries, with a combined 4.1 billion population. They include China, all of Europe, South America, Africa and Mexico. England is the financial hub of football and rightly so as the inventor of the game. The football World Cup is the largest sporting event in the world, drawing as many as a billion viewers for the finals alone.

2. Cricket: The game requires a bat and a ball to bowl, which sounds economical enough but the poor and the rich cannot play the same quality game. Cricket is the most popular sport in as many as 25 countries, and in some of those it is more a religion than a game. It is hugely popular in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sril Lanka, Australia, Afghanistan and the Caribbean. Cricketing countries have a total population of 1.63 billion. Now, assuming that 40 per cent of those follow the game, that makes 0.65 billion which helps it to sit comfortably at No.2 spot in the world's most popular sports. India is the financial hub of cricket. The game is also popular in England, South Africa, New Zealand and Kenya.

3. Tennis: It may not be the most popular sport in any country but certainly holds second or third spot or sits amongst the top five in as many as 50 countries. Some notable countries where the game is popular are USA, Europe, Australia, India and other parts of Asia and the Americas, all with a combined population of two billion or more. It is a rich man's sport and has 0.33 billion followers. The Grand Slam events are amongst the most watched sporting occasions. Tennis also probably offers the most prestigious sporting career for women.

4. Hockey: Had south-east Asia dominated the sport of hockey as it did 50 years ago, it could very well have given cricket a run for its money. It is amongst the top five sports in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, Argentina, Holland, South Korea, Germany, Malaysia and some parts of Europe and Africa. In all, it has about 0.32 billion followers, making it the fourth most popular sport in the world.

5. Baseball: Very popular in as many as nine countries, including the USA, Japan, Korea, Cuba and Taiwan. Total population of baseball-playing nations is 600 million so, globally, it must have around 240 million followers. The USA is the financial hub of baseball and the players there are amongst the richest sportsmen in the world.

6. Basketball: Hugely popular in countries like USA and Philippines and gaining momentum in China and other countries. Basketball is a rich man's sports and does not appeal to third world countries but has enough followers to make it the sixth most popular with around 230-240 million fans. The NBA stages the most popular basketball events and is probably the most popular professional league in the world .

7. Volleyball: It is very popular in USA and almost 100 countries play the game professionally. The game may not be most popular in any one country but certainly enjoys a popularity level in almost all nations. Considering the amount of people playing the game it must have been among the top five sports, but as a spectator sport it ranks seventh, with a mass following of in excess of 200 million.

8. Table tennis: The fact that it is the second most popular sport in China alone puts it the amongst the top five, but internationally it has limited audiences although it thrives in Korea, the UK and and some other European nations.

9. Rugby Football: Rugby union and Rugby league are very popular in Australia, South Africa, England, Wales, New Zealand, France, Argentina and Fiji – rugby is the most popular sport in as many as six countries and has 200 million observers helping it to be ranked at No.9.

10. Golf: Golf has the stiffest competition from American football and ice hockey. Both ice hockey and American football have almost 200 million followers, but considering the popularity of golf across the world – especially in the USA, Europe, Asia, South Africa and Australia – it has to be ranked higher. Golf is not your poor man's cup of tea as it is probably the costliest sport in the world.

N.B.Athletics, shooting, swimming, chess, boxing and Formula 1 are not ranked, as they are all individual sports with plenty of superstars in their respective fields, each with their own identity. They are all more popular for the individuals concerned rather than as sports.