In Australia, how popular is the FIFA World Cup compared to the Cricket and Rugby World Cups?

Brad Goodman

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Not sure, I reckon there could be as many Aussies who care about the Cricket World Cup (although test cricket would trump it in that respect) as would care about the Football World Cup.
 

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More tbh.

The other two we're expected to if not win, at least do very well. Even getting to the FIFA WC is an achievement in itself, the buzz around Socceroos WC games is special to say the least.
 

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Not sure, I reckon there could be as many Aussies who care about the Cricket World Cup (although test cricket would trump it in that respect) as would care about the Football World Cup.
The latest one, yes, because it was hosted here. As a general rule, the football WC clearly captures the nation's attention to the greatest degree. Cricket WC second. Rugby WC a pretty distant third.

How many office workplaces around the country run cricket or rugby WC related competitions? Not many I'd suggest.
 

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Does it receive close to the attention the Rugby World Cup or Cricket World Cup receive in Australia?

It hard to actually see but it easily garners more attention that both the others.

The Rugby world cup and Cricket world cup doesn't split the nations attention amongst many nations whereas a lot of Australian's follow different nations in Association football.....People of Greek heritage will follow Greece, those of French heritage will follow France, Croatians with Croatia etc etc etc
 
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Definitely the Football World Cup gets more attention.

Rugby literally doesnt exist in WA. Nobody gives a flying * about Rugby here. I dont even know when it is on or who last won it. Rugby is more an Eastern states thing I think.

The Cricket World Cup would be second. Every Aussie loves a big of Cricket, but it wouldnt be anywhere near the World Cup.

The World Cup (football) is the biggest sporting event on the globe, it's even bigger than the Olympics.
 

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Definitely the Football World Cup gets more attention.

Rugby literally doesnt exist in WA. Nobody gives a flying **** about Rugby here. I dont even know when it is on or who last won it. Rugby is more an Eastern states thing I think.

The Cricket World Cup would be second. Every Aussie loves a big of Cricket, but it wouldnt be anywhere near the World Cup.

The World Cup (football) is the biggest sporting event on the globe, it's even bigger than the Olympics.

I'm a little confused. So rugby is popular one in half, Aussie football in the other half, while Cricket is popular in both?
 
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I'm a little confused. So rugby is popular one in half, Aussie football in the other half, while Cricket is popular in both?

Cricket and Football have consistent support around the nation IMO with neither being the dominant code anywhere. Rugby League and AFL are more popular in their respective territories but their audiences are not as equally spread throughout the country as Cricket and Football's fans are IMO.
 
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Helps if the cricket and rugby World Cups included more than 1/3 of the countries of the world. Football World Cup by a mile. The novelty may wear off a little if we keep qualifying but there's something special about it.
 
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I'm a little confused. So rugby is popular one in half, Aussie football in the other half, while Cricket is popular in both?
Cricket is definitely popular right the way around Australia.

Rugby is very much an eastern states thing. NSW and QLD love their rugby. Not really sure about VIC and SA. Nobody cares about rugby in WA.
 

ioppolo

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I love Cricket way more than Soccer, but I'd choose the FIFA WC over the ICC WC anyday.

Cricket has the same 8 teams dominating, plus some minnows (and with the 2019 tournament being 10 teams - ugh), plus I see Cricket every summer. The world cup was barely on FTA despite it being hosted on our soil!

SBS does an amazing job with the FIFA WC, all matches live, plus replays and highlight shows daily. It's a shame I was too young for South Korea/Japan so I've had to deal with late nights the last 3 world cups.

And I also love watching 32 different nations going at it, and there's always upsets and surprises. The variety is a big winner for me, and competition is fierce. Argentina stumbled to the final and then played their best game of the tournament, almost beating red hot favourites Germany. With Africa starting to come up in leaps and bounds (especially Algeria) I can't wait to see Asian and African quarter and semi finals happening. Russia 2018 should be fun, and we can all marvel at Qatar being the first Asian team to win come 2022.
 

Brad Goodman

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SBS does an amazing job with the FIFA WC, all matches live, plus replays and highlight shows daily. It's a shame I was too young for South Korea/Japan so I've had to deal with late nights the last 3 world cups.

It was awesome, except it was my first semester of uni and coincided with exams. Reckon I knew more about Senegal's squad than the fundamentals of microeconomics.
 

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I'm a little confused. So rugby is popular one in half, Aussie football in the other half, while Cricket is popular in both?

Yes.

Cricket is the Australian national sport. It is played evenly throughout the country - WA, SA, VIC, NSW, TAS, QLD. Cricket doesn't clash with the football codes, it has no direct rival. I think it is still the most played youth sport in the country (or it was 5 years ago). Australian's love cricket even if it isn't reflected in the National competition.

Australian Football is the dominant football code in WA, SA, VIC and even though not represented in the AFL it is in NT and TAS.

Rugby League is the dominant football code in QLD and NSW.

Rugby Union is kind oddball in that it sits below Rugby League in NSW and QLD and well below Australian football in WA and VIC. It is almost non-existent (at a pro level) in SA, NT, TAS.

On an International level though, Rugby Union is more widely followed so the Australian Union team gets more attention. Rugby league internationally is considered something of a joke with Australia be so ridiculously better than the other nations that compete it is a shock when Australia doesn't win the World Cup (Australia has won something like 10 of the last 14 Rugby league world cups and has played in every final except the very first.)
 

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No one packs into pubs across the country at 5/6/7am to watch the Rugby World Cup/Cricket World Cup.
For the South African world cup went to Birarrung Marr to watch the Socceroos in freezing conditions with thousands of others, even casual fans are drawn to it. Cricket & Rugby just aren't truely global.
 
Would be interesting to see the TV ratings as a comparison.

At a guess, I would assume there are more WC matches played in football than both Cricket and Rugby (due to more groups and teams). The result would mean that the vast multicultural society we have in Australia maybe have a wide spread of interest in the games that Australia may not even be featuring in (due to heritage links and immigrants from those foreign nations).

Might be a bit of bias asking this on the association football board but given the World Cup (football's version) is the biggest premier sporting event in the world, I'd imagine it would surpass both cricket and rugby for popularity here in Australia.
 

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Yes.

Cricket is the Australian national sport. It is played evenly throughout the country - WA, SA, VIC, NSW, TAS, QLD. Cricket doesn't clash with the football codes, it has no direct rival. I think it is still the most played youth sport in the country (or it was 5 years ago). Australian's love cricket even if it isn't reflected in the National competition.

Australian Football is the dominant football code in WA, SA, VIC and even though not represented in the AFL it is in NT and TAS.

Rugby League is the dominant football code in QLD and NSW.

Rugby Union is kind oddball in that it sits below Rugby League in NSW and QLD and well below Australian football in WA and VIC. It is almost non-existent (at a pro level) in SA, NT, TAS.

On an International level though, Rugby Union is more widely followed so the Australian Union team gets more attention. Rugby league internationally is considered something of a joke with Australia be so ridiculously better than the other nations that compete it is a shock when Australia doesn't win the World Cup (Australia has won something like 10 of the last 14 Rugby league world cups and has played in every final except the very first.)
I think if I was in Australia I'd rather in Victoria, Western Australia or Southern Australia mainly because I find the AFL more entertaining than the NRL. I like constant possession changes.
 
From how I've noticed it

1. Cricket World Cup IN Australia
2. FIFA World CUp WITH AUstralia
3. Cricket World Cup OUT OF Australia
4. Rugby (Union) World Cup
5. FIFA World Cup WITHOUT Australia
 

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Just from a personal perspective the bar I went to to watch the sports was packed out for the australian games in the soccer World Cup, yet for the final against NZ there was barely anyone there.

Although I do think the cricket WC caused a lot of burn out in a lot of people, the tournament went for far far too long with too many meaningless games whereas soccer have their comp pretty much spot on
 
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Both Rugby Union, and Rugby League in SA is reasonably half-popular at grassroots level, my brother in law coaches a RU side and his son plays as well. Rugby League here gathers momentum during certain times of year, the SA RL Origin side are playing the local Spencer Gulf state league side and a decent crowd is expected. I didn't even know SA had an "origin" team!

Soccer in SA roughly goes with how well Adelaide United play. If they are having a s**t year then the local soccer and grassroots generally wanes a little but if they're going well like they have been recently then support grows a fair bit. Especially since there is a lot of support for Adelaide City or another second SA side enter the A-League at the moment (I personally think it would be fantastic if Adelaide City was in the national comp again, they would definitely get my support)

Cricket will always be popular especially given how popular the Big Bash has become. I guess with the Redbacks One-Day and Sheffield Shield teams not going too well people haven't supported them as much.

I guess that's why SA has a reputation for being a bandwagon state - if any of our sporting teams are going well, we'll support them and claim we always have. Things go pear shaped like they have with the Crows and Port, people will go back into their hidey holes.
 
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FIFA World Cup definitely. Lucky enough to be a youngster to see Australia in the World Cup three times in arow whereas it took 32 years between visits. Socceroos (the national team) just have that feel and following about them, and the 06 World Cup was above and beyond anything I've experienced in sports just the staying up late for the games as well as the media exposure. Prior to that, not many people knew Aussie players apart from Kewell, Viduka and perhaps Emerton. Places in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane were packed out for the 4 games and the agony of losing to Italy as a 'nation' cliche.
Don't think a Cricket or Rugby World Cup ever get close to that feeling, even though we dominate it often. FIFA World Cups have that magicial feeling of being in, like Australia are actually amongst the best 32 countries in the biggest game in the world (excuse the arrogance).
Now Australia is expected to make the FIFA World Cup every 4 years as well as be the best in Asia, whereas 15-20 years ago no one really gave a rat's arse about the Socceroos apart from World Cup qualifying.
 

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I'm a little confused. So rugby is popular one in half, Aussie football in the other half, while Cricket is popular in both?

Broadly in the past, rugby league was popular with 'lower class' people in NSW and QLD, rugby union was popular with 'upper class' people in NSW and QLD, and Australian rules was popular in all classes in the other 4 states.

It's not quite that simplistic now but it mostly holds true. Australian rules is nationally the most popular of the three and rugby union is easily the least popular of the three.

Cricket has consistent popularity in all states but is behind Australian rules and rugby league overall.
 
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