Brandwave

How popular isNHL?

In September 2026, people searched for NHL by name about 5 million times worldwide, a 69.9% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 2% of all global sports league searches, placing NHL sixth out of seven leagues. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about sports leagues, NHL appeared in all answers and was the fourth most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

NHL is the sixth most searched of 7 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. NFLShare of searches 40.2%Mentioned in 4 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. Premier LeagueShare of searches 33.1%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  3. MLBShare of searches 18.1%Mentioned in 4 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. AFLShare of searches 3.6%Mentioned in 0 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. NHLShare of searches 2%Mentioned in 4 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

+2 more

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Top sports leagues in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, NHL appeared in all four answers. NHL is the fourth most recommended of the seven.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. NBA1st
  2. NFL2nd
  3. MLB3rd
  4. NHL4th
  5. Premier League5th
  6. MLS6th
  7. AFL–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • NFL4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • MLB4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • NBA4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • NHL4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Premier League2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • MLS2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • AFL0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about sports leagues

4 answers

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “Which sports league should I go to?”

    1. 1NBA
    2. 2NFL
    3. 3NHL
    4. 4MLB
    5. 5MLS

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What are the best sports leagues?”

    1. 1Premier League
    2. 2NBA
    3. 3NFL
    4. 4NHL
    5. 5MLB

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's the best sports league for a team to follow?”

    1. 1NFL
    2. 2NBA
    3. 3MLB
    4. 4NHL
    5. 5Premier League

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “sports leagues”

    1. 1NFL
    2. 2NBA
    3. 3MLB
    4. 4NHL
    5. 5MLS

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “football league table”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Which sports leagues compete with NHL?

NHL against sports leagues worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for NFL, Premier League, MLB, AFL, NBA, NHL. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNFLPremier LeagueMLBAFLNBANHLMLS
Oct 202528.4%19.1%28.4%0.34%19.1%4.7%0.1%
Nov 202536.2%24.3%4.8%0.2%29.5%4.8%0.09%
Dec 202533.5%33.5%1.1%0.12%27.3%4.5%0.03%
Jan 202640%26.8%0.89%0.12%26.8%5.4%0.01%
Feb 20267.8%47.3%1.9%0.47%38.9%3.5%0.04%
Mar 20263.2%36%7.2%2.6%43.7%7.2%0.06%
Apr 20261.5%29.7%13.4%2.2%44.3%8.9%0.04%
May 20260.92%27.8%10.2%2%50.7%8.3%0.05%
Jun 20262.4%3%22.3%3.7%60.5%8.1%0.04%
Jul 20264.8%8.8%53.3%10.7%19.5%2.6%0.29%
Aug 202617.3%38.6%31.6%6.3%5.2%0.85%0.17%
Sep 202640.2%33.1%18.1%3.6%3%2%0.08%

  1. 1.NFL

    40.2%

    Moved from 3rd to 1st. 101M estimated branded searches, +305.6% vs prior month. Share +22.9 points.

  2. 2.Premier League

    33.1%

    Moved from 1st to 2nd. 83.1M estimated branded searches, +49.5% vs prior month. Share -5.5 points.

  3. 3.MLB

    18.1%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 45.5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -13.5 points.

  4. 4.AFL

    3.6%

    Held 4th. 9.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2.7 points.

  5. 5.NBA

    3%

    Held 5th. 7.5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2.2 points.

  6. 6.NHL

    2%

    Held 6th. 5M estimated branded searches, +309.8% vs prior month. Share +1.1 points.

  7. 7.MLS

    0.08%

    Held 7th. 201K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between NHL and its closest rivals

Every comparison with NHL

6 comparisons

How has branded search demand for NHL changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for NHL worldwide fell from 16.6M to 5M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NHL’s share of searches among sports leagues worldwide decreased from 4.7% to 2%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NHL’s share of searches among sports leagues worldwide peaked at 8.9% in April 2026 and was lowest at 0.85% in August 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NHL fell from 5th to 6th among sports leagues worldwide.

How did search popularity change for sports leagues worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, NFL overtook Premier League and MLB to become the leader among sports leagues worldwide, with 40.2% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, NHL gained share of searches among sports leagues worldwide, from 0.85% to 2%.

  3. In September 2026, MLB lost share of searches among sports leagues worldwide, from 31.6% to 18.1%.

  4. In September 2026, Premier League lost share of searches among sports leagues worldwide, from 38.6% to 33.1%.

  5. In September 2026, AFL lost share of searches among sports leagues worldwide, from 6.3% to 3.6%.

  6. In September 2026, NBA lost share of searches among sports leagues worldwide, from 5.2% to 3%.

How are NHL’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using NHL’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • nhl

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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