It is safe to say that the FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, with millions of fans flying to the host countries to witness some of the greatest athletes live in person. Amongst the fans witnessing the global spectacle are cricketers, who specially take time out from their busy schedule to watch the football tournament.
Several cricketers are avid football fans, including Kuldeep Yadav, Stuart Broad and Virat Kohli, to name a few. However, only a select bunch have visited a FIFA World Cup game in person.
Here are three cricketers who have attended the FIFA World Cup:
3. Ellyse Perry – Australia
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The first member on the list actually attended a FIFA World Cup, not as a fan but as a player! Australian all-rounder Ellyse Perry has represented her nation in both international cricket and football. Four years after making her cricket debut for the Aussies, Perry, who was juggling two sports, was selected in Australia’s women’s soccer team squad for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.
Perry made two appearances for Australia in the tournament. Most famously, she scored a goal against Sweden in the quarter-finals, which her side went on to lose 3-1. She thus became the only professional athlete to feature in both the ICC Women’s World Cup and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Perry, however, decided to leave football behind in 2013 and fully focus on cricket. She recently won the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup in England.
