While Muay Thai typically takes the spotlight in discussions about sports, it’s interesting to note that other sports, like football, have also garnered substantial popularity in Thailand. In 2016, it was found that 47% of Thai families engage in football-watching as a shared activity, showcasing the sport’s widespread appeal in the country.

Besides football and Muay Thai, Thailand also boasts a diverse range of popular sports, like tennis, golf, swimming, athletics, cycling, motorsports, snooker, and lastly, sepak takraw, coming in second to Muay Thai as the second most popular sport in the country.

Here’s a look at the popularity of the different sporting options among the locals.

Muay Thai

Muay Thai, often called Thai boxing, carries profound historical and cultural importance in Thailand. It’s renowned as the “Art of Eight Limbs” because it incorporates fists, elbows, knees, and shins. This martial art and spectator sport has a storied history spanning centuries, making it a significant part of Thai heritage.

Viewership: Ranking as one of the top 5 global sports properties according to Nielsen, the ONE Championship Muay Thai event is fast becoming a leading rival to the UFC in viewership and engagement. The media company recently staged one of the most significant Muay Thai events in the art’s history: A fighting event that earned the most viewers for any Muay Thai event across 180 countries on the ONE Lumpini 9 broadcast. This event replicated this success on Thailand’s local channels, further describing the sport’s long-term viewership potential.

Teams and Fighters: Owing to this popularity, fighters worldwide are training to participate. Notable ones include “The Kicking Machine,” superlek kiatmoon9, Kunsueklek Boomdeksnian, etc. In addition, Thailand takes pride in being home to numerous renowned Muay Thai gyms and fighters, boasting names like Buakaw Banchamek and Saenchai. These fighters are celebrated in Thailand and on the global Muay Thai stage.

Fanbase: Those who aren’t getting in the ring are watching behind the screens, and there are many of them. For instance, Thailand’s Channel 8 speculates they could reach over 20 million fans via new Muay Thai fighting programs. Likewise, more than 30,000 fans in Washington, DC, registered to attend the Sawasdee DC Thai Festival to celebrate 190 years of US-Thai relations and enjoy thrilling Muay Thai performances. It’s global now.

Betting Market: Despite the global acceptance, Muay Thai’s betting market is still primarily physical, with most gambling activities happening in arenas. Consequently, bets are placed from person to person or bookies. Bettors often place wagers on various aspects, from predicting match outcomes and fighter performance to specific round predictions. The popular betting markets encompass moneyline bets, over/under rounds, and prop bets related to knockouts and techniques.

Soccer (Football)

Football, also known as soccer, is significant in Thailand’s sporting landscape. The Thai national football team boasts a celebrated history, participating in numerous international tournaments. They have clinched the ASEAN Football Championship three times and reached the AFC Asian Cup final once.

Soccer was introduced to Thailand in 1897, although its popularity was initially limited. Today, many Thais watch soccer matches on local and cable TV.

Viewership: A whopping 62% of Thai sports fans would watch football ahead of any other sporting programs, according to a Nielson Sports Fan Insights 2022 report. This was evident in the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament, where over 31.9 million Thai fans watched the event across various channels.

Teams: Football also thrives at the club level in the country. The Thai League 1 is the nation’s premier professional league, featuring 16 teams and enjoying substantial popularity among Thai football enthusiasts. Additionally, many Thais avidly follow international football leagues like the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga.

Fanbase: With an estimated fanbase of 3.5 billion people, soccer is one of the most popular sports worldwide. This popularity is maintained in Thailand, with the soccer fanbase increasing by 7% from 2021. Viewership is torn between foreign leagues like the EPL and the Thai League 1, 31.16% of Thai soccer fans closely follow the EPL, while only about 29.60% follow the Thai League 1.

Betting Markets: Thailand’s 1935 Gambling Act prohibits all gambling activities except for a few, such as the local lottery. Yet, soccer ranks among the most bet-upon sports in Thailand. Bettors in Southeast Asia recognize the challenges of online betting, but there are many foreign laws that are accessible, and the online gambling business is growing enormously. Most Thai people tend to choose to use services from foreign websites, as these offshore platforms offer a safe and user-friendly solution for those looking to engage in sports betting (source: safebettingsites.com/th/).

Despite limited statistics on soccer betting markets, online reports still show that roughly 30.34% of Thailand’s population participates in sports betting.

Badminton

Badminton is becoming increasingly popular in Thailand, thanks to talented players like Ratchanok Intanon, who became a World Champion, and Busanan Ongbamrungphan, who is ranked in the world’s top 10. The kingdom has also been honored to host several prestigious international badminton tournaments, including the esteemed BWF World Championships in 2007 and the prestigious BWF World Junior Championships in 2011.

This sport enjoys a substantial and diverse following in Thailand, with enthusiasts of all skill levels partaking for leisure and fitness purposes.

Viewership: Badminton closely follows soccer as one of the most watched sports in Thailand and the rest of Asia. One primary reason for this popularity is the success of both the male and female Thai badminton teams in local and international competitions. For instance, 22-year-old Kunlavut Vitidsarn recently became the men’s single world champion in Copenhagen, becoming the fourth Thai to claim the title. So, sports fans are always glued to their screens for competitions like the Thailand Open Badminton Tournament.

Teams: All gunning for gold at the upcoming 2024 Olympic competitions in Paris, Thailand boasts a strong men’s singles team, women’s singles team, and mixed doubles team.

Fanbase: The Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranks the Thailand Open as one of the “super 500” badminton events worldwide. Coupled with the existing interest in badminton, Thais all over the world treasure badminton and follow it across various competitions. For instance, 35% of all Thai fans watching the South-East Asian Games (SEA) in 2022 followed badminton throughout the event.

Betting Markets: Unsurprisingly, the betting markets are enormous. With multiple betting sites offering predictions on the likely competition winners in various categories, Thailand’s badminton betting market is experiencing a boom with every badminton tournament. Bettors can explore multiple options to wager on domestic and international badminton events, from choosing the winner of a specific game to the overall tournament winner.