EY: Traditional sports cricket and rugby union surging in popularity
Rugby union and cricket have surged into the top 10 most popular sports across the UK in what is a tonic for traditional sports, new research has shown.
Cricket climbed six places in the EY-Parthenon Sports Engagement Index to eighth, while rugby union jumped three spots to 10th.
Football, Formula 1, Swimming and Tennis all remain unchanged as the top four most popular sports, while hiking has climbed to fifth, ahead of running and athletics.
Boxing, dropping one spot, splits cricket and rugby union to complete the top 10 but the highest climber was basketball, which now sits 13th.
“While football, Formula 1 and swimming remain dominant,” EY’s Simon Mantell says, “the rise of Hiking and the resurgence of sports like cricket, rugby and golf signal a broadening definition of engagement.
“The rapid growth of Basketball among Gen-Z, driven by digital content and live experiences, underlines the importance of innovation in fan connection.
“These shifts show that sports organisations must embrace diversity in participation and engagement, invest in wellbeing-focused activities, and adapt to changing fan behaviours. Those that fail to respond risk losing relevance in an increasingly competitive and inclusive sporting environment.”
| 2025 position | Sport | Change vs 2024 |
| 1 | Football | |
| 2 | Formula 1 | |
| 3 | Swimming | |
| 4 | Tennis | |
| 5 | Hiking | +2 |
| 6 | Running | |
| 7 | Athletics | -2 |
| 8 | Cricket | +6 |
| 9 | Boxing | -1 |
| 10 | Rugby Union | +3 |
| 11 | Golf | +4 |
| 12 | Snooker | |
| 13 | Basketball | +7 |
| 14 | Yoga | New Entry |
| 15 | Darts | +2 |
Rugby and cricket surge for EY
The report states that engagement with sport has dipped from 90 per cent to 88 per cent, but remains strong, in a potential signal of the strength of the Olympic Games.
“Among 18–24-year-olds, 92 per cent of men engaged with sport often or very often, compared to 77% of women,” the report by the Big Four firm and its consulting arm states.
“Across all ages, the gap narrows, suggesting higher engagement from men may stem from stronger grassroots programmes and greater TV coverage of men’s sports.”
The top 15 is rounded out by golf in 11th, which saw a jump of four places, with snooker in 12th, basketball in 13th and yoga – for the first time – and darts completing the top 15.