--- title: "Sports leagues: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the sports leagues people choose between. Share of Search among NFL, Premier League, AFL and NBA, the sports leagues Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/sports-leagues" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Sports leagues: Which are searched most? Compare the sports leagues people choose between. Share of Search among NFL, Premier League, AFL and NBA, the sports leagues Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Competitive set**: Sports leagues - **Market**: Global - **Brands compared**: 4 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: NFL, 50.3% ## Which brand is most popular in search among sports leagues worldwide? - In September 2026, NFL was the most searched among sports leagues worldwide, with an estimated 101M branded searches and 50.3% estimated Share of Search within this set. - Premier League is in 2nd place, 8.9 percentage points behind at 41.4% Share of Search. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NFL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide increased from 42.4% to 50.3%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Premier League’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide increased from 28.5% to 41.4%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AFL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide increased from 0.51% to 4.6%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NBA’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide decreased from 28.5% to 3.7%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NFL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide peaked at 50.3% in September 2026 and was lowest at 1.1% in May 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Premier League’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide peaked at 57.2% in August 2026 and was lowest at 4.3% in June 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AFL’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide peaked at 24.5% in July 2026 and was lowest at 0.13% in January 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NBA’s estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide peaked at 86.9% in June 2026 and was lowest at 3.7% in September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Premier League rose from 3rd to 2nd among sports leagues worldwide. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AFL rose from 4th to 3rd among sports leagues worldwide. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NBA fell from 2nd to 4th among sports leagues worldwide. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [NFL vs Premier League: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/nfl-vs-premier-league): 50.3% against 41.4% Share of Search. - [NFL vs AFL: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/afl-vs-nfl): 50.3% against 4.6% Share of Search. - [NFL vs NBA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/nba-vs-nfl): 50.3% against 3.7% Share of Search. - [Premier League vs AFL: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/afl-vs-premier-league): 41.4% against 4.6% Share of Search. - [Premier League vs NBA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/nba-vs-premier-league): 41.4% against 3.7% Share of Search. - [AFL vs NBA: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/afl-vs-nba): 4.6% against 3.7% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for sports leagues worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, NFL overtook Premier League to become the leader among sports leagues worldwide, with 50.3% estimated Share of Search. - In September 2026, Premier League lost estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide, from 57.2% to 41.4%. - In September 2026, AFL lost estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide, from 9.4% to 4.6%. - In September 2026, NBA lost estimated Share of Search among sports leagues worldwide, from 7.7% to 3.7%. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | NFL | 50.3% | 101M | +305.6% | NFL | | 2 | Premier League | 41.4% | 83.1M | +49.5% | Premier League | | 3 | AFL | 4.6% | 9.1M | 0.0% | AFL | | 4 | NBA | 3.7% | 7.5M | 0.0% | NBA | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | NFL | 101M | 42.4% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | NBA | 68M | 28.5% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Premier League | 68M | 28.5% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | AFL | 1.2M | 0.51% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | NFL | 124M | 40.2% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | NBA | 101M | 32.7% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | Premier League | 83.1M | 26.9% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | AFL | 673K | 0.22% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | NFL | 124M | 35.5% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Premier League | 124M | 35.5% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | NBA | 101M | 28.9% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | AFL | 450K | 0.13% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | NFL | 151M | 42.7% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | NBA | 101M | 28.6% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Premier League | 101M | 28.6% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | AFL | 450K | 0.13% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Premier League | 101M | 50.1% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | NBA | 83.1M | 41.2% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | NFL | 16.6M | 8.2% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | AFL | 1M | 0.5% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | NBA | 101M | 51.1% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Premier League | 83.1M | 42% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | NFL | 7.5M | 3.8% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | AFL | 6.1M | 3.1% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | NBA | 151M | 57.1% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Premier League | 101M | 38.2% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | AFL | 7.5M | 2.8% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | NFL | 5M | 1.9% | 4 | | May 2026 | NBA | 226M | 62.2% | 1 | | May 2026 | Premier League | 124M | 34.1% | 2 | | May 2026 | AFL | 9.1M | 2.5% | 3 | | May 2026 | NFL | 4.1M | 1.1% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | NBA | 101M | 86.9% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | AFL | 6.1M | 5.3% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Premier League | 5M | 4.3% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | NFL | 4.1M | 3.5% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | NBA | 13.6M | 44.5% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | AFL | 7.5M | 24.5% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Premier League | 6.1M | 20% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | NFL | 3.4M | 11% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Premier League | 55.6M | 57.2% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | NFL | 24.9M | 25.6% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | AFL | 9.1M | 9.4% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | NBA | 7.5M | 7.7% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | NFL | 101M | 50.3% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Premier League | 83.1M | 41.4% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | AFL | 9.1M | 4.6% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | NBA | 7.5M | 3.7% | 4 | ## What is being compared - **AFL**: Measured on the search term “afl”. - **NBA**: Measured on the search term “nba”. - **NFL**: Measured on the search term “nfl”. - **Premier League**: Measured on the search term “premier league”. - [AFL](/demand/global-en/brands/afl) - [NBA](/demand/global-en/brands/nba) - [NFL](/demand/global-en/brands/nfl) - [Premier League](/demand/global-en/brands/premier-league) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among sports leagues worldwide? In September 2026, NFL was the most searched among sports leagues worldwide, with an estimated 101M branded searches and 50.3% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Sports leagues: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/sports-leagues This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/sports-leagues. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.