Star power: Which athletes have the greatest appeal in 2025?
Star power Ronaldo and Messi still dominate global fandom, with national heroes preferred across European and US markets
Australia, Singapore and the UAE are the only markets to not have any homegrown athletes in their top 3. Conversely, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the US saw all places occupied by athletes from their own countries. Virat Kohli and Robert Lewandowski are the most dominant athletes in their home markets, both receiving over 50% of the share of favoritism.
Footballers account for 49% of the spots, making it by far the most represented sport – followed by F1 (6%), tennis (4%) and basketball (4%).
Favorite current male athletes by market:
Question: Who are your favorite current male athletes across any sport? Please name up to 3 athletes in the text boxes. YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025. Sports fans - in AU, CA, DK, FR, GB, DE, IN, IT, MX, PL, SG, ES, SE, UAE, US n> 200 (Among those who have at least 1 favorite male athlete). "Other" responses not shown. Indicates homegrown athlete.
Star power Homegrown stars play a greater role in female sports fandom
All markets aside from the UAE have at least one homegrown star in their top 3. The lack of a current global superstar is reflected in Serena Williams being the most named globally despite her retirement in 2022. Iga Świątek is the most dominant athlete in her home market, across both female and male rankings, with a 74% share in Poland.
There is no single sport dominating the rankings, with tennis (27%) highest, followed by football (16%) and gymnastics (11%). Winter sports, such as skiing and biathlon are also well represented, along with athletics. It is not the sport they are playing that is crucial, but the ability of the athlete to create a meaningful connection with audiences – through their sporting prowess coupled with engaging personality.
Favorite current female athletes by market:
Question: Who are your favorite current female athletes across any sport? Please name up to 3 athletes in the text boxes. YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025. Sports fans in AU, CA, DK, FR, GB, DE, IN, IT, MX, PL, SG, ES, SE, UAE, US n> 100 (Among those who have at least 1 favorite female athlete). "Other" responses not shown. Indicates homegrown athlete.
Star power What's driving athlete appeal in 2025?
Almost two-thirds of sports fans have a favorite athlete due to their skill level (64%).
Beyond skill and style of play, 30% of sports fans value an athlete's off-field personality.
While not leading reasons for athlete fandom, 1 in 10 like athletes because they have a social media presence or talk about issues – highlighting the impact of everyday engagement and positive sentiment.
Skill level
Style of play
Off-field personality
Play for my team
Stylish/cool
Physical apperance
Interaction with fans
Social media presence
Speak about issues
From my local area
Question: What are the main reasons that you like your favorite athletes? Please select up to 3 reasons. YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025.
Sports fans - unweighted average of 15 markets: [AU, CA, DK, FR, GB, DE, IN, IT, MX, PL, SG, ES, SE, UAE, US] n> 100 (Among those who have at least 1 favorite female athlete). "Don't know" and "Other" responses not shown.
ingStar power The generation divide: What fuels athlete following among different age groups?
It is not just younger fans for whom an athlete's character is important, with 55+ sports fans rating off-field personality highest.
Other non-performance related attributes such as physical appearance, whether an athlete is perceived to be stylish/cool, and their social media presence rank higher for 18-34 sports fans, providing ways that young fans can idolise and imitate their sporting heroes.
What are the main reasons that you like your favourite athletes? Please select up to 3 reasons
YouGov Surveys, March 14 - April 9, 2025.
Sports fans by age - unweighted average of 15 markets: [AU, CA, DK, FR, GB, DE, IN, IT, MX, PL, SG, ES, SE, UAE, US] n> 850
