Is Cricket Harder Than Soccer? (In-Depth Comparison)

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world to the point that it has billions of fans worldwide due to how popular it is in the UK, India, and Australia. Only soccer stands up to cricket as one of the most popular sports in the entire world. But, while soccer may be just as popular or even more popular, you might be wondering which between them is the more challenging sport. So, is cricket harder than soccer?

Cricket is more difficult than soccer. That’s because cricket requires you to use patience, intelligence, and discipline on top of the skills and athleticism you need. On the other hand, soccer is more about pure athleticism, conditioning, and skills instead of relying on other non-athletic factors. 

As popular as soccer might be all around the world, there are plenty of different reasons why cricket is just as good and even more difficult than soccer. So, even though cricket isn’t the most popular sport in the west, it is still very much one of the greatest sports in the world not only because of its popularity but also because of how it requires more than just athleticism and skill. This is what makes it a challenging sport.

Which is more popular between soccer and cricket?

If you live in the west or in the American continent, one of the things you need to understand is that there are other sports that are much more popular and more inclusive than the biggest sports that are played in the US and in other American countries.

Those who are more exposed to western sports like baseball, basketball, and American soccer don’t realize that there are plenty of different sports with billions of followers worldwide. So, even though some people who are more exposed to western sports believe that these sports are just copies of baseball and American football, cricket and soccer are originals in their own right.

That said, when it comes to popularity, there are no sports that stand up to how many fans soccer and cricket have all over the world. You can thank that to how soccer and cricket are popular in populous countries for that. That’s because African and Asian countries are big fans of soccer and cricket.

So, as popular as soccer and cricket may be compared to all of the other sports in the world, which between them is the more popular sport?

With that said, there is no sport that’s more popular than soccer as this is an inclusive sport that is played in every country in the world. According to World Atlas, soccer has an estimated number of 4 billion fans throughout the entire globe. This makes it the world’s most popular sport.

But while soccer is indeed the world’s most popular sport, what a lot of other people don’t know is the fact that cricket is not far behind. That’s because cricket is popular in the UK, India, and Australia, which are all populous countries. As such, there is an estimated number of 2.5 billion cricket fans all over the world. This makes it only second to soccer in terms of popularity.

Given that soccer and cricket are two of the world’s most popular sports, what you should know is that these are actually pretty similar than most people think they are even though the mechanics of these sports are pretty much different. And you would be surprised to know that one of these sports is actually more challenging to play than the other.

Is cricket harder than soccer ?

Cricket and soccer are the two most widely played sports wherever in the world you may go as they have fans that are nearly equal to the world’s entire population. As such, there is no arguing against the fact that plenty of people all over the world know what cricket and soccer are as they are probably fans of either or both of these sports.

But while not a lot of people actually try to debate which between cricket and soccer is the better sport as this seems to be a subjective topic that is based almost entirely on a person’s individual preference and point of view, the difficulty is an entirely different topic. 

As such, you may be wondering which between cricket and soccer is the more difficult and more challenging sport.

Now, when it comes to difficulty, there are different things that need to be considered because the way cricket is played is far different compared to soccer. Both of these sports utilize 11 players and are played on a pitch. But, other than that, the differences between these sports tend to be night and day.

Still, when it comes to these sports, what we can argue is that cricket is actually the more difficult one to play. 

Yes, you may be raising your eyebrows now, especially if you are a fan of soccer. But listen to us when we are saying that we are not judging these sports based on which is better. Instead, we are only talking about which one is the harder one to play. And when you read on, you will see arguments that may be able to convince you to understand our points.

What makes cricket more challenging to play than soccer?

Now that we have made the declaration that cricket may in fact be more difficult to play than soccer, here are some arguments that may be able to support our statement:

• Weather conditions come into play more in cricket compared to soccer. Yes, a rainy and windy game can affect a soccer player’s play but this can affect a cricket player more because rainy and windy conditions are more likely to affect the smaller cricket ball compared to the bigger and heavier soccer ball. Compare the dimensions and weight of a Nivia Cricket Ball to an American Challenge Brasilia Soccer Ball to understand the difference.
• Cricket involves more patience than probably most of the sports you can play. That’s because you need a certain amount of patience not only as a batsman but also as a bowler. A wrong move made due to your lack of patience in cricket can make an entire difference in the game’s entire outcome.
• In cricket, strategy and cleverness come into play more because of how you need to be able to find a way to outsmart your opponent especially if they have the physical advantage over you. So, when the opposing teams have bigger, stronger, and more athletic players, the best way to beat them is through a sound team strategy. In comparison, soccer can be won by players who are simply superior in terms of their athletic gifts.
• Cricket comes with different formats that require you to be able to learn each one of them if you want to be able to stand out as a cricket player. The rules of these formats and the way they are played can vary from one format to another, and that’s one makes the game even more challenging than it already is. soccer is universal in the sense that there are only slight changes to its rules depending on the format.

All that said, we are not saying that cricket is the better sport of the two. Instead, we are only pointing out things that can make it possibly the more challenging sport compared to soccer, which is often seen as a sport that is all about pure physical prowess and learned skills. 

Then again, both cricket and soccer are sports that are unique in their own right. As such, neither of the two can be deemed better than the other when seen from an objective standpoint. Of course, there are plenty of benefits that one can get from learning how to play both cricket and soccer.