Global Football Fandom 2025: Mapping the World’s Favorite Teams
October 4, 2025 – Ever wondered which football clubs command the biggest fanbases around the globe? The landscape of global football fandom has been shifting fast, driven by superstar transfers, league shake-ups, and social media booms. Today, we have visual proof: interactive maps generated with MAPTHOS reveal each country or region’s most popular football team in 2025.Global Map: The World’s Most Popular Clubs
The global football map shows Real Madrid as the planet’s dominant club, supported in dozens of countries. FC Barcelona and Manchester United remain global heavyweights, while local legends like Boca Juniors and Flamengo rule South America.
Saudi Arabia: The Rise of Al Hilal and Al Nassr
Superstar signings (Cristiano Ronaldo to Al Nassr, Neymar to Al Hilal) triggered a 62% social media surge for Saudi clubs. The map shows the big four (Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Ittihad, Al Ahli) carving up the nation.
Greece: Fierce Regional Rivalries
Greek fandom is split: Olympiacos (red) dominates many areas, Panathinaikos (green) and AEK Athens (yellow) rule parts of Athens, while PAOK Thessaloniki (blue) controls the north.
Argentina: Boca Juniors vs River Plate
Argentina is almost entirely divided between Boca Juniors (blue) and River Plate (red). Boca claims nearly 40% of Argentines as fans, making it the largest single fanbase in the nation.
Japan: Local Loyalty to J-League Clubs
In Japan, the map is a mosaic of local J-League clubs: FC Tokyo, Urawa Reds, Gamba Osaka, Consadole Sapporo, and more. Unlike many nations, no foreign club overtakes hometown loyalties.
Azerbaijan: Qarabağ FK’s National Pride
Qarabağ FK dominates nearly all regions of Azerbaijan, thanks to consistent league titles and European campaigns, making it a symbol of national pride.
Central African Republic: European Clubs Rule
Without a strong domestic league, CAR fans back European giants – Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Barcelona fill the map, reflecting global football’s media reach.
Why MAPTHOS?
All these visuals were created with MAPTHOS – an AI-powered platform to:
- Create interactive world maps
- Compare regional fandoms
- Export datasets for sports, betting, and research