What are the most popular sports teams in the US?
This cross-sport ranking covers the 25 sports teams with the largest active US fanbase across NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and global soccer — measured by anonymized search-behavior signals. Los Angeles Lakers leads with approximately 45M engaged US fans.
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Age brackets, gender split, regional distribution down to postal code where available, and the brands this audience overindexes on — per country, for c. 300,000 brands, teams, artists and media properties across 200+ countries. Open in the browser, no login.
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Top 25 most popular sports teams in the US
| Rank | Name | US fanbase | Avg age | Female share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LLos Angeles Lakers | 45M | 32.0 | 38.2% |
| 2 | GGolden State Warriors | 39M | 32.2 | 41.1% |
| 3 | RReal Madrid Club de Fútbol | 37M | 33.2 | 34.8% |
| 4 | FFC Barcelona | 35M | 34.7 | 36.9% |
| 5 | NNew England Patriots | 30M | 37.6 | 32.8% |
| 6 | CChicago Bears | 29M | 37.5 | 31.1% |
| 7 | BBuffalo Bills | 29M | 38.0 | 29.1% |
| 8 | NNew York Yankees | 29M | 35.4 | 40.2% |
| 9 | PPittsburgh Steelers | 27M | 36.6 | 31.7% |
| 10 | GGreen Bay Packers | 27M | 37.6 | 31.0% |
| 11 | PPhiladelphia Eagles | 26M | 35.6 | 39.0% |
| 12 | CChicago Bulls | 24M | 30.9 | 38.0% |
| 13 | DDetroit Lions | 24M | 39.6 | 29.0% |
| 14 | BBoston Celtics | 24M | 31.3 | 37.9% |
| 15 | KKansas City Chiefs | 24M | 35.2 | 40.2% |
| 16 | OOklahoma City Thunder | 24M | 30.4 | 42.3% |
| 17 | MMiami Heat | 23M | 31.2 | 39.9% |
| 18 | LLos Angeles Dodgers | 23M | 32.3 | 42.2% |
| 19 | DDenver Nuggets | 23M | 35.0 | 46.7% |
| 20 | CChicago Cubs | 22M | 37.2 | 38.2% |
| 21 | SSeattle Seahawks | 22M | 38.0 | 32.4% |
| 22 | DDenver Broncos | 21M | 40.0 | 28.6% |
| 23 | DDetroit Tigers | 21M | 41.8 | 38.2% |
| 24 | AAtlanta Braves | 21M | 38.0 | 32.4% |
| 25 | DDallas Cowboys | 20M | 37.2 | 33.0% |
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Open audience directory →Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular sports team in the US in 2026?
Los Angeles Lakers ranks #1 with approximately 45M active US fans.
Which sports teams have the biggest fan bases in America?
Measured by active search engagement, the biggest fan bases in US sports in 2026 are led by Los Angeles Lakers with approximately 45M active fans. The table compares the top 25 across NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and soccer on one metric.
Which sports are included?
All major team sports with measurable US fanbases: American football (NFL), basketball (NBA), baseball (MLB), ice hockey (NHL) and international soccer.
Why are foreign soccer teams sometimes in the top?
Global soccer clubs like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona have substantial US fanbases — particularly among Hispanic Americans and soccer fans — and their search engagement reflects this.
How is fanbase size measured?
We aggregate anonymized US search-behavior signals over the trailing 12 months and convert them into estimated unique engaged people.
How often is this list updated?
Quarterly.
Using this ranking for sponsorship & media planning
Rankings like this are the starting point for commercial questions: Which audiences match a brand's target group? How does a rights holder's fanbase compare to its league peers? Where does a media plan reach the most engaged fans? Rascasse combines audience size with demographics, regional distribution and brand affinities — the full dataset behind this page is available in the Rascasse Solution, including exports and benchmarking.
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