Google's 2024 Year in Search reveals sports dominated global searches. Major events like Copa America, UEFA European Championship, and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup topped overall search queries. The Olympics secured the third spot among the top news searches.
Several prominent athletes also made their mark in the top 10 most searched individuals. These included Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, boxing legend Mike Tyson, Spanish footballer Lamine Yamal, and US gymnast Simone Biles.
Two Indian athletes, Hardik Pandya and Shashank Singh, joined the ranks of the world's top 10 most searched athletes. Pandya and Shashank emerged as the seventh and ninth most-searched athletes, respectively, on the list.
Pandya, who led Mumbai Indians during the Indian Premier League 2024, was consistently in the news after replacing Rohit Sharma as the captain. He also played a role in India winning the T20 World Cup.
Shashank, meanwhile, had a memorable IPL with Punjab Kings, where he scored 354 runs in 14 matches.
However, sporting giants Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo were notably absent from the top 10.
Khelif, who clinched welterweight gold at the Paris Olympics, emerged as the most searched athlete. Her victory, however, has been accompanied by persistent questions regarding her gender.
Tyson secured the second position among the most searched sports personalities. The 58-year-old boxing icon returned to professional boxing in November. Tyson faced YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a highly publicised match that streamed live on Netflix.
Barcelona's rising star, 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, claimed the third spot. Yamal played a key role in Spain's victory at Euro 2024 in Germany.
Biles, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, followed Yamal in search rankings after securing three more gold medals in Paris. Jake Paul rounded out the top five most searched athletes.
The list of most searched teams was dominated by American clubs with Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise New York Yankees taking top spot followed by Los Angeles Dodgers (LA Dodgers) and Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami, who boast of Lionel Messi in their midst.
The only European football team in the top-10 was Bayer Leverkusen, who went the entire Bundesliga season without losing and clinched the title in the process. The Xabi Alonso-managed side went 51 straight games without defeat in all competitions in the 2023-24 season.
Most searched on Google in 2024
Copa AmericaUEFA European ChampionshipICC Men’s T20 World CupIndia vs EnglandLiam PayneDonald TrumpIndia vs BangladeshiPhone 16Olympic Games Paris 2024Catherine, Princess of Wales
Most searched people on Google in 2024
Donald TrumpCatherine, Princess of WalesKamala HarrisImane KhelifJoe BidenMike TysonJD VanceLamine YamalSimone BilesDiddy
Most searched athletes on Google in 2024
Imane KhelifMike TysonLamine YamalSimone BilesJake PaulNico WilliamsHardik PandyaScoie ScheerShashank SinghRodri
Most searched sports team on Google in 2024
New York YankeesLos Angeles DodgersInter Miami CFBayer LeverkusenBoston CelticsNew York MetsDallas MavericksArgentina national football teamMinnesota TimberwolvesEdmonton Oilers
Most searched on Google India
Indian Premier League (IPL) was the top-searched sporting event on Google India, said the tech giant in a recap of searches made in 2024. Following that was the T20 World Cup, where India triumphed in the West Indies and USA, in second place. In the top-10 were: Olympics, Pro Kabaddi League, Indian Super League, Women's Premier League, Copa America, Duleep Trophy, UEFA Euro and Under-19 World Cup.
As far as most-searched matches in the country is concerned, India vs England was the most searched for by the users based in the Indian geographic. Eight of the top-10 matches were Indian national team specific with two belonging to the IPL.
Sports dominated 5 out of the 10 trending people searches on Google India, with Vinesh Phogat, Hardik Pandya, Shahshank Singh, Abhishek Sharma, and Lakshya Sen emerging as trending personalities.
Most searched people on Google India:
Vinesh PhogatNitish KumarChirag PaswanHardik PandyaPawan KalyanShashank SinghPoonam PandeyRadhika MerchantAbhishek SharmaLakshya SenMost searched sporting events on Google India:
Indian Premier LeagueT20 World CupOlympicsPro Kabaddi LeagueIndian Super LeagueWomen's Premier LeagueCopa AmericaDuleep TrophyUEFA EuroUnder-19 World Cup
Most searched matches on Google India:
India vs EnglandIndia vs BangladeshIndia vs ZimbabweSri Lanka vs IndiaIndia vs AfghanistanIndia vs South AfricaIndia vs PakistanPakistan vs EnglandRoyal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super KingsChennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings
