Did you know that football leads as the most popular sport in the world? If you think that popularity is based on fans alone, you are wrong. A survey carried out by FIFA discloses a world tally of up to 250 million players.
To be precise, there are around four active football players in every 100 people worldwide. The English Premier League (EPL) turns out to be the most followed in the world.
In terms of the fan base, soccer enjoys up to 3.5 billion followers in the world. That’s half the world’s population, right? Arsenal has the most passionate fans, while Manchester United turns out to be the most supported club in the world.
According to the 2019 Wealth Ranking by Forbes, Manchester united was ranked the richest club in EPL. The team is followed closely by Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool in that order.
In Africa, most soccer fans chant EPL, thanks to the distribution of signed players in all corners of the continent. Kenya has been well represented by Victor Wanyama, who played for Southampton and Tottenham Hotspurs before moving to CF Montreal.
Related: The Best 10 Sites to Stream Football Matches (EPL) Live
Most Supported EPL Football clubs in Kenya
| Football Club | EPL | UEFA Champions | UEFA-Europa | FA |
| Arsenal | 13 | – | 1 | 13 |
| Manchester United | 20 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| Chelsea | 6 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Manchester City | 8 | – | 1 | 6 |
| Tottenham Hotspurs | 2 | – | 2 | 8 |
| Liverpool | 19 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| Southampton | – | – | 1 | |
| Leicester | 1 | – | ||
| Everton | 9 | – | 1 | 5 |
| Hull city | – | – | – | – |
1. Arsenal
Among the football fans in Kenya, the largest population supports the Gunners. Even when the club is on a series of beatings, the fans stick by it. No wonder Arsenal is the Premier League club with the most passionate fans in the world.
Arsenal’s popularity in Kenya can be revealed by its exceptional steps. For instance, you will find Arsenal Kenya Supporters Club started in 2010, boasts over 300 registered members. The supporters club is involved in charity work.
Despite Arsenal commanding a huge following of enthusiastic fans, the fans seem to have nothing to enjoy. When the United Nations ranked the country among the unhappy nations in the world, Kenyans attributed the low ranking to the Gunners.
With the club having a good record in the 2003-2004 season, the fans have waited for long. The club finished the whole season unbeaten.
2. Manchester United
The Red Devils ranks second in Kenya. However, you will be forgiven for mistaking it as the first. The club has a good winning record with a total of 13 titles.
Manchester united emerges as the most successful club in the history of the Maiden League from 1992. Besides, Manchester United is the richest club in EPL.
The club has quite a huge following, and the fans have not been left behind. Like the Gunners, the Red Devil’s fans created the Kenya Manchester United Supporters club, which is officially recognized. Some legendary players of all time include David Beckham, Ryan Neville, and Ryan Giggs.
A Notable African player ever signed by Manchester united is Quinton Fortune from South Africa. Manchester United is the highest-paying football club in EPL. One of the biggest wins for the Red Devils was in 1995, with the club scoring 9-0 against Ipswich.
To recognize the club’s support in Kenya, Chevrolet gifted a branded car to a renowned radio presenter Maina Kageni for being a diehard fan. Manchester united turns out to be the best football club to support.
3. Chelsea
Chelsea earns its third position in terms of its popularity in Kenya. The Blues have earned a place in the hearts of quite a large number of Kenyans.
The admiration of Didier Drogba must have a hand in its huge fan base. Didier Drogba won the African footballer of the year in 2006 and 2009. Besides, Didier Drogba has remained among the top five players to score the highest number of goals.
Other notable African players include John Mikel, Solomon Kalou, Victor Moses, and Samuel Eto’o. Chelsea was perceived as unbeatable at home after more than 80 unbeaten matches between 2004 and 2008.
4. Liverpool
Liverpool ranks as the fourth most supported EPL team in Kenya. The club has been visiting countries worldwide in a tour dubbed LFC World. The tour presented by Standard Chartered Bank aims to allow interactions between Liverpool fans and their favorite players.
To recognize its Kenyan fans, Liverpool had scheduled to visit Kenya in 2019. However, the organizers announced a postponement of the event. Liverpool players such as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have brought the club closer to the heart of many Kenyans.
They won the 2018/2019 Champions League. They are at the top in EPL and the title favorites. We must mention that they have won the most Champions League in England.
5. Manchester City
The club is the fifth in support base in the country. The popularity of Manchester City is on a steady rise. The club has had a hot competition trying to outshine their all-time rivalry Manchester United.
The rivalry has been revealed in the dubbed Manchester derby, which dates from 1902. Despite the club being the fourth most popular in Kenya, it’s the second among the richest clubs in EPL.
The club wowed the fans in the 2018/2019 season when they broke several records. During the record-breaking season, they smashed a record 11 previous standings. Some of the records they broke include the most goals, most points, most wins, and the best title-winning margin.
5. Tottenham Hotspurs
Tottenham closes our list of The Big Six. The is the second club in the English Premier League to sign a Kenyan.
Victor Wanyama joined Tottenham from Southampton in 2016. When Wanyama revealed his intentions to leave the Spurs, the fans were in disbelief. It had been the expectation that he would attain 100 appearances in the club. Wanyama confirmed his move to Montreal Impact of Canada.
Tottenham fans quickly tell you that the club was the first to win the UEFA cup. They managed a UEFA Champions League final after a shock comeback against Ajax. However, they were outdone by Liverpool.
7. Southampton
Southampton ranks as the seventh most popular England Premier League team in Kenya. Signing Victor Wanyama after the 2014 world cup, Southampton fans in the country have increased tremendously.
Besides, Southampton has shown interest in advancing young coaches and players in Kenya. Even as the country looks forward to the 2022 world cup.
8. Leicester City
If you walk along the streets of football fans, at least you won’t fail to hear a mention of Leicester City. The club surprised many football fans in the 2015-2016 seasons when it emerged as the EPL winner. The shock win gave Leicester a chance to enjoy UEFA Champions League football after several decades.
Leicester City has participated in empowering young football fans in Kenya. In the Leicester under-15 side, Kenya boasts of a young and talented Mwandime Kazungu from Kilifi county.
9. Everton
The support for Everton FC in Kenya can never go unnoticed. The club is among the EPL clubs to have a match with a Kenya Premier League team. Everton has played with Gor Mahia and Kariobangi Sharks.
The games have created a fan base in Kenya that is on the rise. Surprisingly, Everton has won more Premier Leagues than Chelsea, Man City, and Tottenham. That tells you they were giants in the past.
10. Hull City
If an overwhelming reception is anything to go by, Hull City has quite a massive following in Kenya. In a match hosted at Kasarani Stadium, Hull city carried the day with a 4-3 win on penalties against Gor Mahia. The Stadium attracted a crowd that had not been witnessed again for more than 20 years.
But after dropping to Championship, their star is dwindling in the Kenyan scene. The future does not look attractive for the team because they are among the bottom 5 in the Championship.
Conclusion
EPL is considered the most successful league in the world. Most of the games are played majorly on Saturdays and Sundays. In the two days, you will feel the energy in the young population in Kenya.
It’s normal for a team to have a huge fan base in its home country. For instance, Juventus is the most supported club in Italy.
As Manchester United gleams as the most popular premier league team, the star is not likely to fade any soon. Entertainment joints are full to the core as cheering fills the air. The most passionate fans, Arsenal, are never left behind, either.
In terms of wealth, despite Manchester United emerging as the EPL highest-paying football club in 2019, La Liga league team Barcelona carried the flag entire Europe.
