Which pair of sports are the two most popular worldwide for playing and watching combined?

• A. Soccer and Basketball
• B. Soccer and Cricket
• C. Basketball and Baseball
• D. Football and Soccer

Answer: (B)

The idea here is global reach across both playing and watching. Soccer is the most widely played sport worldwide and also draws the largest, most widespread audiences for major events like the World Cup, spanning continents from Africa and Europe to Asia and the Americas. Cricket, while strongest in certain regions, commands enormous viewership and participation across many countries—from India and Pakistan to Australia, England, the Caribbean, and beyond—through global tournaments and domestic leagues.

Together, soccer and cricket cover the broadest geographic footprint and the largest potential audience, making them the best pair for global popularity in both playing and watching. The other options don’t match that breadth: they either swap in sports with smaller global reach or duplicate the same sport, which doesn’t capture two distinct global favorites.