American Football is one of the most popular sports in the United States, but exactly how popular is it over the pond in the UK? This article explores its popularity including participation and the number of fans of the sport as well as the UKs favourite team.
American Football Statistics UK 2022: The Short Version
We have summed up our key findings from our American Football statistics here. More in depth analysis and research can be found further on in the article.
- There were over 322,000 searches in the UK in 2021 per year for “American Football”.
- This was compared to 308,600 in 2020, showing its popularity is increasing
- There are around 28,600 American Football players in the UK.
- The Miami Dolphins are the most popular team in the UK.
How Popular is American Football in the UK in 2022?
We conducted a keyword analysis using the tool KWFinder to discover how popular American Football is in the UK in 2022. We did this by analysing the number of searches for the term “American Football” and found that in the UK, there are 26,800 searches in the UK on average per month.
As we can see from our Google Trends analysis below, search volumes for American football tend to have two peak periods of interest in the UK each year. The first peak is in October, coinciding with the now annual NFL games staged in the UK. The second peak is in February – this is the month in which the world-famous Super Bowl takes place each year.

Google Trends Search Data for the term “American Football” in the UK since 2015.
However, we have also analysed the social media presence of the sport which provides us with a picture on more global popularity of the sport. We found the following:
- There are just under 2 million posts on Instagram with the hashtag #AmericanFootball.
- The hashtag #AmericanFootball has 383 million views on TikTok.
- The Most liked video on TikTok with the hashtag #AmericanFootball has 1.6 million likes.
These statistics show the popularity of the sport outside of the United States and the large social media fanbase. They do not reflect popularity in the United States, since they tend to refer to American Football as simply “Football”.
How Many People Play American Football in the UK in 2022?
In 2016, there were a reported 28,600 American Football players in England. However, to discover an estimate for the number of players in 2021, we analysed search volumes for terms that indicated the intent of somebody wanting to participate in American Football. These search terms included “American Football Helmet”, “American Football Boots” and “American Football Team Near Me”. All these terms indicate that the searcher is a player either looking for a team or looking to get hold of proper sporting equipment. The term “American Football Helmet” is the most frequently searched term that we analysed, generating an average of 1,300 searches per month in the UK which is around 15,600 searches per year. However, it is noted that not all players in the UK will be searching for helmets every year and some people can search more than once. Therefore, it just indicates the popularity of the term and the product and is not a definite figure.
What is the Most Popular American Football Team in the UK in 2022?
We once again conducted a keyword analysis, finding the annual search volumes in the UK for the 32 NFL teams. The following table contains the 10 most searched American Football teams in the UK in 2021 compared with 2020.
Team | League | Annual Searches 2020 | Annual Searches 2021 |
---|---|---|---|
Miami Dolphins | AFC | 484,700 | 641,000 |
Green Bay Packers | NFC | 452,800 | 605,400 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | NFC | 298,400 | 569,600 |
New England Patriots | AFC | 472,800 | 486,100 |
Dallas Cowboys | NFC | 360,600 | 472,900 |
Chicago Bears | NFC | 389,300 | 469,300 |
Buffalo Bills | AFC | 351,500 | 456,200 |
Cleveland Browns | AFC | 339,500 | 420,000 |
Kansas City Chiefs | AFC | 381,400 | 332,600 |
Philadelphia Eagles | NFC | 293,100 | 278,900 |
Miami Dolphins are the most popular team in the UK, generating 641,000 annual searches in the UK. This is then followed by the Green Bay Packers with 452,800 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 569,600 searches. The Buccaneers saw a huge increase in 2021 vs 2020 thanks to their success in the Super Bowl. The Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals were the three least searched American Football clubs in the UK. The Washington Commanders/Washington Football Team are excluded from this following their name change.
Summary: American Football Statistics Roundup
While American Football is not seen as one of the most popular sports in the UK, it still has a significant fan base and level of participation. The UKs most popular team is the Miami Dolphins and they are searched more frequently than the sport itself.
We hope these statistics have helped you better understand the scope of the game in the UK.