The Most Followed Sports Teams and Athletes on Instagram

Sports ultimately connect people from all around the world. Whether your favorite athlete is Cristiano Ronaldo or your favorite sports team is the New England Patriots, sports unite people to root for their favorite teams and players. We have rounded up the most followed Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, and Soccer teams on Instagram, and the most followed athletes within each of these sports. Check it out to see if your favorite team or athlete is one of the most followed, and maybe you’ll even be surprised by who you see on the list!

Most Followed Baseball Teams 

The Major Baseball League is the world’s largest baseball league. Comprising thirty teams, from the 2023 World Series champions, the Houston Rangers, to the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been playing since the 1800s, the MLB is rich in baseball history. Here, we’ve gathered the most followed baseball teams on Instagram, with the Dodgers leading the pack. Their seven world championships and iconic baseball legacy make them a fan favorite.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers – 3.9M

2. New York Yankees  – 3.4M

3. Boston Red Sox – 2.2M

4. Chicago Cubs – 1.8M

5. Houston Astros – 1.6M

6. Toronto Blue Jays – 1.6M

7. New York Mets – 1.5M

8. San Francisco Giants – 1.5M

9. Los Angeles Angels – 1.3M

10. Philadelphia Phillies – 1.2M

Most Followed Basketball Teams

The National Basketball Association, commonly known as the NBA, is the largest professional basketball league in the world. With twenty-nine of the thirty teams based in the United States and one from Canada, NBA teams dominate the list of the most followed basketball teams on Instagram. The most followed team can be accredited to the seven-time NBA Championship winners, the Golden State Warriors. With their most recent win in 2022, the Warriors are an extremely well-known team across the United States.

1. Golden State Warriors – 32.5M

2. Los Angeles Lakers – 24.2M

3. Cleveland Cavaliers – 16.6M

4. Chicago Bulls – 10.1M

5. Boston Celtics – 7.9M

6. Miami Heat – 7.7M

7. Houston Rockets – 6.3M

8. Oklahoma City Thunder – 5.9M

9. Milwaukee Bucks – 5.5M

10. LA Clippers – 5.3M

Most Followed Football Teams

From September to January, chances are you can find an NFL game on the TV on a Sunday. While American Football may look like a different game to people worldwide, it is one of, if not the most popular professional sports game in the United States. Thirty-two teams make up the National Football League, and the New England Patriots are the most followed. While the Patriots have developed quite the reputation, their six Super Bowl wins, the most in the league, are not something to overlook.

1. New England Patriots – 5M

2. Dallas Cowboys – 4.8M

3. Kansas City Chiefs – 4.2M

4. San Francisco 49ers – 3.8M

5. Pittsburgh Steelers – 3.6M

6. Philadelphia Eagles – 3.5M

7. Seattle Seahawks – 3.3M

8. New York Giants – 2.7M

9. Green Bay Packers – 2.7M

10. Las Vegas Raiders – 2.3M

Most Followed Hockey Teams

Leagues from around the world make up the professional world of ice hockey, and these range from the Kontinental Hockey League based out of Russia to the largest hockey league in the world, the National Hockey League. The National Hockey League is composed of twenty-five American teams and seven Canadian teams who ultimately compete for the Stanley Cup. The most followed hockey team on Instagram is the Pittsburgh Penguins, one of the most successful hockey teams in the NHL.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins – 2.9M

2. Chicago Blackhawks – 1.8M 

3. Boston Bruins – 1.7M

4. Toronto Maple Leafs – 1.3M 

5. New York Rangers – 1.3M 

6. Washington Capitals – 971K

7. Montreal Canadiens – 963K

8. Detroit Red Wings – 931K

9. Edmonton Oilers – 845K 

10. Las Vegas Golden Knights – 823K

Most Followed Soccer Teams

Soccer is the most popular sport worldwide, with leagues throughout. Some of the largest leagues in soccer include the Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), and Bundesliga (Germany). These leagues attract viewership and fans from all over the globe, and the most followed soccer team on Instagram is Real Madrid. Real Madrid is one of the most famed soccer clubs and has millions of fans worldwide.

1. Real Madrid – 154M

2. FC Barcelona – 126M

3. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)  – 64.8M

4. Manchester United – 63.6M

5. Juventus – 60.4M

6. Manchester City – 52.3M 

7. Liverpool – 45.3M

8. Chelsea FC – 41.8M

9. FC Bayern – 41.7M

10. Arsenal – 29.1M

Most Followed Athletes on Instagram

It is natural to have a favorite sports player, and even though they may not be on your favorite team anymore, you still follow and support them. Below, we have listed the most followed athletes in Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, and Soccer.

Most Followed Baseball Athletes

Whether your favorite baseball player is your team’s star pitcher, a center fielder, or known for hitting the ball out of the park, the following baseball players have a range of talents and are the most followed on Instagram. Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese baseball pitcher and hitter who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani excels as both a pitcher and a batter which has allowed him to become one of the best current players in the MLB.

1. Shohei Ohtani – 7.9M

2. Mike Trout – 2.2M

3. Bryce Harper – 1.7M

4. Fernando Tatis Jr. – 1.6M

5. Aaron Judge – 1.6M

6. Ronald Acuna Jr. – 1.6M

7. Jose Altuve – 1.5M

8. Mookie Betts – 1.4M

9. Javier Baez – 1.4M

10. Miguel Cabrera – 1.3M

Most Followed Basketball Players

You do not need to watch basketball to know some of the most followed basketball players on Instagram. Lebron James kicks off our list as the most followed basketball player. With a 20-plus-year career in the NBA, Lebron James has become an icon in the sport and has truly left a legacy behind.

1. Lebron James – 159M

2. Stephen Curry – 56.5M

3. Russell Westbrook – 23.1M

4. Kyrie Irving – 19.9M

5. Lonzo Ball – 18.3M

6. Klay Thompson – 17.1M

7. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 16.2M

8. Kevin Durant – 13.4M 

9. Chris Paul – 11.8M

10. Damian Lillard – 10.4M

Most Followed Football Athletes

Football players are some of the most well-known athletes in the United States. Whether they played for your favorite college football team and then went pro or are the quarterback for your home team, football players become extremely well-known athletes. This list starts with Odell Beckham Jr., a wide receiver who has made one of the most iconic one-handed catches and is still playing in the NFL today.

1. Odell Beckham Jr. – 17.6M

2. Patrick Mahomes – 6.8M

3. Russell Wilson – 5.6M

4. Joe Burrow – 4.1M

5. Juju Smith-Schuster – 3.2M

6. Ezekiel Elliot – 2.7M

7. Tyreek Hill – 2.5M

8. Saquon Barkley – 2.5M

9. Dak Prescott – 2.3M

10. Aaron Rodgers – 2.3M 

Most Followed Hockey Players

The National Hockey League is the largest hockey league in the world, and it is also the league in which the most followed hockey athletes play. The most followed hockey player is Alexander Ovechkin, a Russian player who plays left wing for the Washington Capitals and forward for the Russian National Ice Hockey Team. He has also become known as one of the best hockey goal-scorers of all time.

1. Alexander Ovechkin – 1.6M

2. Connor McDavid – 1.1M

3. Auston Matthews – 923K

4. Connor Bedrad – 743K

5. Evgeni Malkin – 713K 

6. Jack Hughes – 603K

7. David Pastrňák – 601K 

8. Artemi Panarin – 552K 

9. Tyler Seguin – 537K

10. Erik Karlsson – 352K 

Most Followed Soccer Players

Soccer is the largest sport in the world, so it only makes sense that soccer players are some of the most followed athletes on Instagram. Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese soccer player who currently plays for Al-Nassr FC, is the most followed soccer player and person on Instagram. Leo Messi, an Argentine soccer player, follows Ronaldo as the second most followed soccer player and person on Instagram.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 627M 

2. Leo Messi – 502M

3. Neymar Jr. – 220M

4. Kylian Mbappé – 113M

5. David Beckham – 87.1M

6. Ronaldo de Assis Moreira – 75.9M

7. Karim Benzema – 75.4M

8. Marcelo Vieira – 67.6M

9. Zlatan Ibrahimović – 64.3M 

10. Mohamed Salah – 63.5M 

We hope you found our list of the most followed sports teams and athletes helpful and informative. Sports and professional athletes not only provide entertainment to fans and viewers but also help build physical and online communities, which are just as important!