The Euro 2016 is building up to be one of the most exciting tournaments in the calendar year. With several teams creating a lot of buzz in the qualifying rounds, experts are predicting a repeat of the Portugal 2004 or Sweden 1992 when Greece and Denmark defied all odds and lifted the trophy.
But supporters are most likely to stick with the big fish of the tournament and hope the top crop of stars representing those teams will shine on the international stage. The fan base in India is ever growing with European football especially popular in the major metropolitans.
Our team managed to analyze the data based on followers on social media and came up with a quantifiable measurement of fan support for each of the major teams in the tournament. We look at the three teams with the most support in the country
Spain
Spain have won over several fans across the country with their possession style of play. The current generation of La Furia Roja have established themselves as one of the best teams in the history of the game after they won three major tournaments on the trot
Barcelona and Real Madrid are the most followed clubs in India as well which makes it all the more logical to support t the country that houses the big two. With stars like Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos is there any doubt why the team are so popular?
That rise in popularity has culminated in a massive fan base throughout the country. Del Bosque's men have been favourited by 6,40,000 fans across the major cities in India, with 1,50,000 coming from the capital Delhi.
Mumbai are a close second with 1,30,000 fans followed by Kolkata with 1,00,000 fans. Bangalore with 89,000 and Chennai with 62,000 add up to the grand total but unfortunately they only rank as the 3rd most popular team in the country.
England
The Three Lions have definitely been a very disappointing lot on the international stage since 1966. They are the owners of unwanted records and seriously need to play to their potential in this edition of the Euros.
Having pulverised every single team in qualifying surely they have to at least make the quarter-finals of the competition. But given their history in major tournaments, there is a large cloud ready to pour down on their hopes once again
Nevertheless, they have never been short of support in India, with a lot of credit for that following going to the marketing team of the Premier League. Wayne Rooney’s status in the country is equal to some of the biggest cricketing stars.
Delhi once again claims a high percentage of the 1.1 million followers in the country with 2,50,000 supporters. Mumbai once again take silver with 2,10,000 fans and Kolkata settle for Bronze with 1,80,000. Bangalore also contribute a high number to that total with 1,60,000 the second highest of other teams in the city
Portugal
The advantage of having one of the best and most idolised players of the world in your team is that he will garner a worldwide following. Cristiano Ronaldo was recently named as the richest player in Forbes Athletes’ rich list, the first footballer to manage that feat.
His incredible records and the things he has achieved with Real Madrid have made him a global icon. India are a big part of that craze and his social media following has also helped immensely with that.
Portugal might not be favourites to win the tournament but at least they will be well supported. According to data from Facebook, Portugal have a total of 2.9 million fans in the country. Delhi and Mumbai are responsible for more than 1 million of those fans.
Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai make up the rest of following. It’s quite amazing what one player can do for a team. Ronaldo will hope his dream of winning an international trophy won’t end the same way it did in 2004.
The complete distribution of fans:
| Rank | Team | Fans from the City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangalore | Delhi | Mumbai | Kolkata | Chennai | Total | ||
| 1 | Portugal | 4,60,000 | 7,60,000 | 5,50,000 | 3,50,000 | 2,60,000 | 2,900,000 |
| 2 | England | 1,60,000 | 2,50,000 | 2,10,000 | 1,80,000 | 1,10,000 | 1,100,000 |
| 3 | Spain | 89,000 | 1,50,000 | 1,30,000 | 1,00,000 | 62,000 | 6,40,000 |
| 4 | Germany | 63,000 | 99,000 | 84,000 | 79,000 | 43,000 | 4,40,000 |
| 5 | Italy | 36,000 | 61,000 | 51,000 | 51,000 | 28,000 | 2,70,000 |
| 6 | France | 31,000 | 48,000 | 47,000 | 38,000 | 21,000 | 2,20,000 |
| 7 | Belgium | 29,000 | 37,000 | 47,000 | 30,000 | 17,000 | 1,90,000 |
| Total | 8,68,000 | 1,405,000 | 1,119,000 | 8,28,000 | 4,41,000 | 5,760,000 | |
The table makes for a very interesting read but Portugal are over the hills and far away when in comes to overall fan support. Delhi and Mumbai are the cities with the highest football following. Combined they make up over 2 and a half million fans, which is more than half of the grand total of 5,760,000 fans across the country supporting these 7 teams.
France who are considered one of the favourites for the tournament have only 2,20,000 fans whereas Portugal have 13 times that number. Belgium might be 7th in the table but it’s quite an achievement having built up a fanbase in the country. It remains to be seen if they can prove they are contenders for the competition this time.
Italy despite their rich history find themselves below Spain, which might be down to the recent success of the two nations. Spain boast almost 3 times as much support as their European neighbours.
Germany are playing almost the same team that lifted the World Cup two years ago but despite their recent rise have not been able to reach the heights Spain, Portugal and England have managed.
England have obviously earned a lot of fans because of the popularity of the Premier League. If it wasn’t for Cristiano Ronaldo’s status they might have even had more supporters than Portugal. But their 1.1 million following is still slightly higher than Spain and Germany combined!
So now that you know what the fan following is like in your city go out and find your comrades and cheer together for your country.
