Among various football competitions, the most influential is the FIFA World Cup, held every four years since its inception in Uruguay in 1930. Due to World War II, it was not held for two editions, but resumed in 1950 and has continued uninterrupted since. Brazil's national football team, with a record 20 appearances, has won the tournament five times. Italy and Germany each have four championships to their names, followed by Argentina and Uruguay with two titles each. England, France, and Spain have won once each. Other international tournaments include the Olympic football competition, one of the oldest events in the Olympic Games. In terms of continental competitions, the UEFA European Championship stands out as the highest level with the greatest impact. Many countries also have domestic football leagues, featuring club teams competing against each other. The Serie A (Italy), Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany), and Ligue 1 (France) are known as the "Big Five Leagues" due to their long histories and minimal restrictions on foreign players, attracting top talent from around the world. One of the most thrilling types of matches are the local derbies, with teams from the same city competing fiercely against each other. Notable derbies include the Milan derby between AC Milan and Inter Milan. The match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid is often referred to as 'El Clásico' or the 'National Derby' in Spain. The English Premier League has seen its titles dominated by four teams over the past 17 years: Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, and Arsenal.

Famous tennis events include the Grand Slams, Davis Cup, Tennis Masters Cup, ATP Masters Series, Fed Cup, Year-End Championships, and the Olympic tennis event. Notably, the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and the Olympics are competitions where players represent their countries, unlike other events where players compete individually. The Grand Slam consists of four major annual tennis tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. The ATP Tour Masters 1000 is made up of nine tournaments and is second in importance only to the Grand Slams in men's tennis. Each champion of these events earns 1,000 ranking points. When Hamilton Jordan took over as the chairman of the ATP in 1990, he rebranded the nine most significant tournaments outside the Grand Slams as the 'Super Nine', which later became the ATP Masters Series. Every November, the top eight players compete in the round-robin ATP Tour Finals, currently held in London. Relevant organizations include the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) overseeing men's professional tennis, and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) governing women's professional tennis.