Cricket vs Football Introduction
Well, you might be wondering what is need to compare these two sports? The thing is, one needs to have a better perspective in case he or she wants to see what are the differences between these two sports. That is why we have decided to do this. We will be comparing Cricket vs Football by making use of tables mostly so that you can have a look at the similarities and differences side by side.
Cricket vs Football Comparison
Here we present you with the most awaited comparison. Hope that it helps you to gain some insight into how cricket and football are different from one another as sports.
| Comparison on the basis of | Cricket | Football |
| Number of Players per team | 11 | 11 |
| International governing body | ICC | FIFA |
| Important Tournament | ICC Cricket World Cup | FIFA World Cup |
| Number of Fans Globally | 2.5 billion | 5 billion |
| Originated in | Britain | Britain |
| The goal of players in a game | Scoring more runs than the other team | Scoring more goals than the other team |
| Famous leagues |
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| First World Cup Year | 1975 | 1930 |
| Last World Cup Year | 2019 | 2018 |
| Iconic International Players |
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| Formats | T20, ODI, and Test cricket | None |
| The country that won the most world cups | Australia | Brazil |
| Ground Size | Can vary | Is fixed |
| Is included in the Olympics? | Only was included in 1900 Olympics | Yes |
| Who officiates the match? | Umpires | Referees |
| How many Umpires/Referees are on the field? | Two Umpires | One Referee |
| Duration of a match | Depends on the format. | 90 minutes |
| Popular In | Mainly commonwealth countries. | Is popular all over the world |
| Popularity in India | Popular all over the country | Popular in states like West Bengal, Assam, and Goa |
| Upcoming World Cup | 2023 (India) | 2022 (Qatar) |
| Ranking of India internationally | 2nd (Test cricket), 2nd (ODI), and 3rd (T20I) | 104th |
| Famous Indian Players |
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| Famous Video Games Associated with the Sport | Cricket 19, Cricket 07, Ashes cricket, etc. | FIFA series, UEFA series, etc. |
| Famous Stadiums Around the World | Lords, Melbourne Cricket Stadium, Oval, Gabba, Sydney Cricket Stadium, and Eden Gardens. | Wembley, St. James Park, Old Trafford, Camp Nou, San Siro, and Maracana. |
| Ease of playing | Has the requirement of many things for playing like pads, gloves, stumps, bat, ball, helmet, etc. | Can be played with just a ball. |
| Violence amongst spectators | Very rare | Quite common in some countries and there are documented incidents of it too. |
| How easy is the sport to understand? | Fairly easy | Somewhat difficult to understand for newbies |
| Plus Points |
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| Drawbacks |
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| Fitness of players | Isn’t that necessary to be fit to do well in cricket? | You have to be fit if you want to perform well in a football match. |
| Has India won any World Cups? | Yes. Twice in fact. 1983 and 2011. | India is yet to win one in football. |
| Role of strategy building | A lot. This is because ample time is there to implement strategies and then change them is required. | Not that much since the matches are quick. |
While this table might have helped you to get an idea about how these two sports are different, there are some more questions which need to be answered about these two sports. Let’s now dive into the frequently asked questions section.
Cricket Vs Football Popularity
Without a doubt, football is far more popular than cricket globally, but the localised popularity of cricket is quite high in some countries. It should be noted that football is played in almost all countries.
As cricket originated in England, it went on to gain prominence in countries which were part of the British Empire. Yes, football too started from there but when it came to British colonies, the popularity was skewed in the favour of cricket.
Reasons for football being more popular
- Easy to play as a ball is sometimes more than enough.
- Gained foothold in South America where it is immensely popular today.
- Time required to conduct match is relatively short.
- The rules are quite simple as compared to cricket.
- Less number of players can also enjoy the sport.
- Is more about skill and technique as unlike cricket, all it comes down is to a ball and what you can do with it.
Conclusion
Hope that you liked this comparison between both these sports. The cricket vs football debate shouldn’t be about which sport is better since both are unique in their way.
Hopefully, these two sports gain more and more popularity in the world and India and we get to see some more highly talented players in the future. Do let us know if you think that we missed some important parameters to compare in our comparison table in the comments section below.
