# Which is bigger for England: 1966 Football World Cup or 2019 Cricket World Cup? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa, cricket\ **Created:** [July 15, 2019, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115 "2019-07-15T05:28:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shearer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/57b2e6/32.png) [@Shearer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shearer)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/21 "2019-07-15T16:22:59Z")
If the Cricket was on BBC1 it would have a few more million viewers. If the Womens football wasn’t it would have a few million less. At work the interest in the WWC was nil, cricket slightly above nil ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/22 "2019-07-15T18:04:23Z")
> [@Shearer](#): > > If the Cricket was on BBC1 it would have a few more million viewers. If the Womens football wasn’t it would have a few million less. > > At work the interest in the WWC was nil, cricket slightly above nil In a mixed office area the interest in the Women’s football was zero, I don’t remember a conversation. The cricket and tennis were pretty constant topics of discussion over their run. I tried to summon up enthusiasm for the Women’s world cup but the games I had on couldn’t hold my attention for too long and ended up as background. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/23 "2019-07-16T23:49:16Z")
The Cricket World cup is a bastardised version of the real game - extremely popular though it be. There’s no doubt still a few diehards left who will have ‘refused to watch it, because it’s not real cricket!’. The upcoming test series against Australia will garner as much or more interest. When they finally beat Australia in 2005 after 16 years and 8 losing series, it was a bigger story than this. The Soccer world cup is the biggest and most important sporting event in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/24 "2019-07-17T21:09:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Cricket is a distinctively British game (yes, there are other countries that play it, some with much greater populations, but they’re all part of the Commonwealth). Americans don’t get excited when a US team wins the baseball World Series, because of course they did. If it’s really been that long since England won the Cricket World Cup, it seems to me like that’s the much more interesting fact. > > Nearly everyone plays association football, though. The larger the field you’re competing against, the more significant the win. This last sentence isn’t necessarily true in a cricket context. Winning the CWC for sure is nice and scratches an itch, but I’d say beating the Aussies in the Ashes this summer will be more satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/25 "2019-07-18T01:02:27Z")
Well, OK, aside from specific rivalries. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/27 "2020-02-27T20:19:36Z")
Not even going to read the thread before posting, but it’s '66. The 2003 rugby world cup may also have been ‘bigger’ than the cricket world cup. I say this as a Scot who often supports the English cricket teams but who wouldn’t support their football or rugby teams. I predict that others will agree with me that winning the Ashes is bigger, or at least more meaningful, than the CWC. Let’s see… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/28 "2020-02-27T20:26:03Z")
Another prediction after reading the first post, who do you think invented cricket :D? (My 2d: Scotland and other countries contributed far more to the development of football than anybody outside England did to cricket before the professional era.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/29 "2020-02-27T20:37:51Z")
My predictions were correct, but I overlooked the fact that this is a demizom. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/30 "2020-02-28T09:44:25Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > I predict that others will agree with me that winning the Ashes is bigger, or at least more meaningful, than the CWC. Let’s see… I think this can be true in some cases (e.g. 2005, which was a dramatic series and ended a long drought), but a lot of recent series have been fairly humdrum victories by the home side, I would rank those lower than a World Cup win. Plus, the Ashes just proves you’re better than one other team (albeit in a more respected and venerable format of the game), to win the WC you have to demonstrate you are better than most, if not all, the best teams. There are many Ashes series which haven’t featured one of the top Test sides at the time, and quite a few which have featured neither! ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/31 "2020-02-28T11:08:50Z")
I do think the cricket world cup has overtaken the Ashes in importance, but the Ashes stretches back to 1882 with competition between the two sides from even before that. The cricket world cup has only been going since 1975. But I think it’s arguably a bigger deal now seeing as every cricket playing nation takes it so seriously. And it’s probably a win that gets more kids playing in the playgrounds than an Ashes win would - and that’s a great measure as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/32 "2020-02-28T12:12:31Z")
> [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](#): > > Another prediction after reading the first post, who do you think invented cricket :D? (My 2d: Scotland and other countries contributed far more to the development of football than anybody outside England did to cricket before the professional era.) Maybe not - > **[BBC NEWS | Europe | Cricket 'was invented in Belgium'](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7919429.stm)** > > New academic research claims cricket is not English, but was imported by immigrants from northern Belgium. > [@](#): > > New academic research claims cricket is not English, but was imported by immigrants from northern Belgium. ---
**Author:** ![Manwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Manwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manwich)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/33 "2020-02-28T18:08:48Z")
I’d say the 6.7056 m / s good jog is proud talk for many a Brit. Roger Banister also appeals with his stage name reference to staircases and buggery. ---
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/34 "2020-02-29T19:43:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Americans don’t get excited when a US team wins the baseball World Series, because of course they did. Not if it’s Toronto. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/35 "2020-02-29T22:32:04Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > On a scale of 1-10 I’ve got the football world cup at 10, cricket world cup at about a 7, Rugby world cup at 8, Andy Murray winning Wimbledon at 7, The GB Olympic Team triumphs or recent years at about an 8. > > That’s my personal assessment anyway Honestly, that really understates the importance of the World Cup. ---
**Author:** ![DorthyPrange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c89c15/32.png) [@DorthyPrange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorthyPrange)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/36 "2020-03-08T07:12:41Z")
In my view, 1966 FIFA world cup was a bigger event for England, since football has a global audience than cricket which is limited to few countries. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2020, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115/37 "2020-04-03T11:43:04Z")
Just a note that **The Stafford Crips** didn’t bump this thread; that was done by a spammer, who’s since been redcarded. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-bigger-for-england-1966-football-world-cup-or-2019-cricket-world-cup/837115.md?page=1)