The history of sports is long and vast. Some sports have been practised for decades or hundreds of years, while others can trace their roots back thousands of years. It goes without saying that there are lots of key events throughout sporting history that have stood out from the rest.
The achievements of athletes help to make sports not only fun to take part in, but also entertaining to watch. Some people develop their love for sports by betting online on online platforms. A great example of a bookmaker is GGBet, the sponsor of such a historic sporting event as the fight between Usyk and Dubois. Bookmakers usually allow you to bet on all kinds of markets, from well-known sports to less well-known ones. They also cover everything from international tournaments to local competitions.
We’ve listed some particularly high-profile sporting events below. Some of them have attracted huge viewing figures, whereas others are important because of the record-breaking achievements made by athletes.
2022 FIFA World Cup
Kicking off the list is the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which took place from 20 November to 18 December. It was held in Qatar, which was the first Middle Eastern country to host the tournament. Despite the choice of Qatar receiving criticism for the country’s treatment of certain groups of people, its climate, and its lack of football culture, the tournament was a resounding success. It supposedly attracted 5.4 billion viewers across its various matches. The final match alone was watched by an estimated 1.5 billion people.
Muhammad Ali vs Leon Spinks
Muhammad Ali took on Leon Spinks in a professional boxing match on February 15, 1978, in Las Vegas. At the time, Ali was known as one of the world’s best heavyweight boxers – his nickname was The Greatest. As for Spinks, he was another boxer and had recently won gold at the Olympics. The bout between the two saw Ali lose by split decision, despite Spinks being the clear underdog. The two rematched in New Orleans later that year, with Ali the undisputed winner. Reports suggest that over a billion people watched the second match, which was Ali’s last.
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
Women’s football has enjoyed significant growth in recent years and is fast catching up to the popularity of men’s football. The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup attracted approximately 1.12 billion viewers around the world, which was a sure sign that women’s football was one of the biggest sports around. Four years later, it was estimated that the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup had even more viewers – around 2 billion, to be exact.
The 2023 tournament broke viewing figure records in various countries. For example, the China vs England match was watched by a record-breaking 53.9 million people, while up to 12 million people watched matches in England, which was more than the men’s Wimbledon final.
The Miracle on Ice
During the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, a team of amateur American players defeated the Soviet Union team, which was strongly favored to win. This was seen as a major milestone in American ice hockey because a somewhat inexperienced team had defeated a team of seasoned players with more professional games under their belts.
The Hand of God
At the Argentina vs England quarter finals in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Diego Maradona gained notoriety for a goal he scored six minutes into the game. He used his hand, which made the goal illegal under association football rules. However, the referee allowed the goal to be counted since he didn’t see it. Maradona scored a second goal known as the Goal of the Century in the match, which Argentina ended up winning 2-1.
Usain Bolt’s Fastest 100m Race
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is known as the fastest man on earth, and rightly so. He has a string of gold medals and achievements to his name, and though he’s retired, he remains one of the most popular athletes in modern times. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, which was held in Berlin, Bolt ran 100m in 9.58 seconds, a record which remains unbeaten some 16 years later.
1896 Summer Olympics
In 1896, the very first modern Olympic Games took place. It was a much smaller event than today’s Olympics, with 14 nations sending a total of 241 male athletes to compete in 43 events across nine sports. Designed to pay tribute to the ancient Olympics and celebrate sporting achievements, the 1896 edition rightly took place in Athens. It’s been held every four years since, though there have been three cancellations due to world wars and one postponement due to the pandemic.
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson
The most-streamed sporting event of all time is the boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. Paul is a YouTuber and boxer and was 27 at the time of the fight, while Tyson, who was 58, is one of the biggest names in the sport and is regarded as one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time.
The bout saw Tyson enter the ring for the first time in 19 years. It took place at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and was viewed by 65 million people on Netflix. The winner was Paul, who won by unanimous decision.
Super Bowl LIX
The Super Bowl always attracts a huge amount of attention and many millions of viewers in the States and elsewhere. The NFL’s championship game is consistently one of the world’s most-watched sporting events, and in 2025, it reached record-breaking viewing figures. For Super Bowl LIX, roughly 127.7 million people watched the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Michael Phelps at the 2008 Olympics
At the 2008 Olympics, which took place in Beijing, the American swimmer Michael Phelps won gold in all eight events he participated in. This set the record for the most medals won by an individual during a single Olympics.