Brandwave

NFL vs Premier League:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Premier League had more branded searches than NFL among sports leagues in New Zealand. Premier League had about 561,000 branded searches, while NFL had 418,000. Premier League made up 15.2% of all sports league searches we track, and NFL accounted for 11.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about sports leagues, NFL and Premier League each appeared in two of the five answers. NFL and Premier League were each mentioned first in one of the two answers that named either.

Among sports leagues in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Premier League, about 34% more searches than NFL

Premier League 561K searchesNFL 418K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 2 of 5 answers.

NFL in 2 of 5Premier League in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Each is named first in 1 of 2 answers.

NFL first in 1Premier League first in 1

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Top sports leagues in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, NFL and Premier League were each mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. NFL and Premier League were each listed first in one of the two answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Super Rugby Pacific1st
  2. NRL2nd
  3. NFL3rd
  4. Premier League4th
  5. A-League5th
  6. NBA6th
  7. Super Smash7th
  8. AFL–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • NRL3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • A-League3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Super Rugby Pacific3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Premier League2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • NFL2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • NBA2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Super Smash2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • AFL0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about sports leagues

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

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

Is NFL or Premier League more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for NFL and Premier League by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight sports leagues we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

NFL and Premier League among sports leagues in New Zealand, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNRLPremier LeagueNFLA-LeagueAFLNBASuper Rugby PacificSuper Smash
Oct 202514.8%23.6%17.3%14.2%0.52%29.2%0.34%0.03%
Nov 20253.6%23.1%15.5%14.5%0.27%42.8%0.25%0.05%
Dec 20251.8%28.9%14.7%18.8%0.13%34.1%0.19%1.3%
Jan 20262.1%25.2%16.7%17.3%0.15%32.7%0.59%5.2%
Feb 20269.3%26.3%3%16.3%0.27%26.6%18.2%0.06%
Mar 202629.2%17.9%0.52%10.1%1.5%22.6%18.1%0.01%
Apr 202633%15.2%0.78%8.8%1.7%24%16.5%<0.01%
May 202629.7%16.8%0.24%8.4%1.5%28.8%14.5%<0.01%
Jun 202647.8%1.1%0.48%0.66%2%32.4%15.6%<0.01%
Jul 202684.7%2.9%0.71%1.6%4.1%5.1%0.92%<0.01%
Aug 202676.4%11%2.1%5.5%2.9%1.8%0.33%<0.01%
Sep 202659.8%15.2%11.3%6.9%4.7%1.8%0.34%0.01%

How has the NFL and Premier League comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Premier League was ahead of NFL in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NFL’s share of searches among sports leagues in New Zealand moved from 17.3% to 11.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 434K to 418K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Premier League’s share of searches among sports leagues in New Zealand moved from 23.6% to 15.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 590K to 561K.

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, NFL overtook A-League and AFL to rank 3rd among sports leagues in New Zealand, with 11.3% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Premier League gained share of searches among sports leagues in New Zealand, from 11% to 15.2%.

How are branded searches counted?

39 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using NFL’s and Premier League’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

NFL

23 branded search terms

  • cowboys nfl
  • espn nfl draft
  • nfl
  • nfl denver broncos
  • nfl draft
  • nfl draw
  • nfl fantasy
  • nfl fixtures
  • nfl games
  • nfl games today
  • nfl jerseys
  • nfl ladder
  • nfl live
  • nfl players
  • nfl preseason
  • nfl pro bowl
  • nfl scores
  • nfl super bowl
  • nfl teams
  • nfl tickets
  • nfl today
  • nfl vikings
  • r nfl

Premier League

16 branded search terms

  • british premier league
  • fantasy premier league
  • premier league
  • premier league draw
  • premier league fixtures
  • premier league game
  • premier league ladder
  • premier league players
  • premier league results
  • premier league scores
  • premier league standings
  • premierleague
  • premierleague fixtures
  • premierleague ladder
  • premierleague scores
  • premierleague table

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among sports leagues

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