Australians have a strong appetite for sports-driven travel, particularly within their own borders, according to new findings from YouGov.

According to the market research and data analytics firm's latest report—Sports Tourism: Measuring fan appetite—four in 10 (38 per cent) consumers across 17 markets have travelled specifically to attend a sporting event.

While the UAE residents were the most likely to have travelled to attend a sports event, Australia led among GenZ and millennials.

In Australia, 44 per cent of respondents said they had travelled domestically to attend a sporting event, placing Australians among the most likely globally to travel within their own country for sport.

With 2026 shaping up to be a landmark year in the global sporting calendar, nearly one in four consumers globally plan to take a sports-driven trip in the next 12 months.

The leading motivator for sports travel was the atmosphere and excitement of a live event (45 per cent), followed by supporting a team (40 per cent) and love of the sport (37 per cent).

While 28 per cent of global consumers saw sports-event travel as an opportunity to visit a new destination, this motivation was notably stronger among Australians (33 per cent), reinforcing sport’s role as both an entertainment and lifestyle driver in the market.

The report highlighted the powerful role that live events play in growing sports fandom. A quarter of consumers globally said they became a fan of a new sport after attending a live event in their home city, rising to 35 per cent of Gen Z and 34 per cent of Millennials.

Fan conversion potential was particularly strong in the Middle East and APAC, with 34 per cent of Australians saying they had become fans of a new sport after attending a live international match, ahead of India (50 per cent), the UAE (47 per cent) and Indonesia (40 per cent).

The top three live sporting events for Australians were soccer, AFL and tennis.

Food and live music consistently ranked as the top activities driving further interest in sports tourism experiences, showing that the quality of the on-site experience plays a big role in how fans judge a sport event.

Live music and concerts were the number entertainment option for Australians (41 per cent) at sporting events, followed by food trucks and food stands (40 per cent).

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