The World Cup is the one event that always manages to unify football fans around the world in celebration of their love for the sport. This year, albeit with some controversy over the tournament’s location, has been no different.
And over the years, we’ve seen some great examples of fan support at World Cup tournaments. But which national team has the most passionate fans?
Asking thousands of fans around the world from Brazil all the way to Wales, bet365 finally has the answer to that very question.
Which international teams have the most passionate fans?
bet365, in conjunction with Censuswide, asked fans across the globe to pick the fans that they believed to be the most passionate.
Fans were able to select up to three teams, and the average selection percentage was formulated to create the Fan Nation Survey ‘Most Passionate Fans’ league table.
Racking up 51.26% of the votes on average, Brazil fans were pitted as being the most passionate fans in the world. And it’s unsurprising, given that the five-time world champions are currently the favorites to win in Qatar.
Argentina came in second place, with an average of 47.92% of fans voting for them. In a statement, bet365 said: “La Albiceleste hope to win the championship for the first time since 1986, when they were led to victory by the great Diego Maradona.
“This time, a similar opportunity presents itself for Lionel Messi, as it is probably the 35-year-old’s last chance to win the trophy for his country.”
The England team was ranked third for most passionate sports fans, with 41.01% of voters selecting Gareth Southgate’s men. And with a 6-2 win against Iran in their opening match, could this be the year that the Three Lions put an end to “56 years of pain”?
Rounding off the top five is Germany and Spain, who amassed 25.6% and 20% of the votes respectively.
bet365 added: “Hansi Flick’s team comes to this World Cup looking to improve on their last appearances in major tournaments, being eliminated in the first round in 2018 by South Korea’s victory and losing to England in the round of 16 at Euro 2020.
“However, they have been in fine form during their Nations League tournament this year and hope to continue that in Qatar.
“Spain, on the other hand, will try to add to their excellent performance at the Euros, with their new team reaching the semi-finals before being beaten by champions Italy. The team has undergone quite a transition in recent years, with almost all of its ‘golden generation’ retiring.
“Still, there is good hope for the future, with names like Gavi, Pedri and Ferran Torres all having proven their worth by wearing the national team jersey in recent years.”