Google Year in Search 2024: Sporting events dominate; Imane Khelif tops most-searched athletes, Hardik Pandya features too

Imane Khelif has emerged as the most searched athlete globally in Google’s Year in Search report for 2024. Hardik Pandya and Shashank Singh from India are also part of the list while sporting events like Copa America and UEFA European Championship dominated the overall search category.

Google's Year in Search report for 2024 is dominated by sporting events and sporting stars. Images: Reuters

According to Google’s Year in Search report, 2024 was a standout year for sports. Major sporting events – Copa America, UEFA European Championship, and ICC Men’s T20 World Cup – topped the list of overall searches, while the Olympics ranked third among the biggest news items on Google. Notable athletes such as Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, legendary boxer Mike Tyson, Spanish footballer Lamine Yamal, and US gymnast Simone Biles were also among the top 10 most searched individuals on Google in 2024.

Two Indians – Hardik Pandya and Shashank Singh – featured among the world’s top 10 most searched athletes while Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo missed out. The most searched athlete of the year was Imane Khelif, who won the welterweight gold medal at the Paris Olympics but has consistently faced questions over her female gender.

Tyson is second on the list of most searched sportspersons in 2024. The 58-year-old iconic boxer returned to professional boxing in November when he took on YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a Netflix-backed match. Barcelona’s 17-year-old football Yamal, who led Spain to Euro 2024 title, is third in the list followed by Biles, who won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics, and Paul.

Hardik Pandya features in top 10 most searched athletes

Hardik Pandya and Shashank Singh are seventh and ninth respectively on the list.

Pandya, who captained Mumbai Indians during the Indian Premier League (2024), was constantly in the news after replacing Rohit Sharma in the leadership role and also helped India win the T20 World Cup 2024. Shashank had a memorable IPL with Punjab Kings, scoring 354 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 164.65.

The list of most searched teams was dominated by American sides with MLB side New York Yankees featuring at the top followed by Los Angeles Dodgers and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, who play in MLS. The only European football team in the top 10 list is Bayer Leverkusen, who set a European record of 51 games in a row without loss across all competitions in the 2023-24 season.

Searches (Global)

Copa América
UEFA European Championship
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
India vs England
Liam Payne
Donald Trump
India vs Bangladesh
iPhone 16
Olympic Games Paris 2024
Catherine, Princess of Wales

News (Global)

US Election
Excessive heat
Olympics
Hurricane Milton
台風 気象 情報 台風 第 10 号 (Japanese for “Typhoon Weather Information Typhoon No.10”)
Iran
Rafah
Crowdstrike
Trump shot
Menendez brothers

Most searched people (Global)

Donald Trump
Catherine, Princess of Wales
Kamala Harris
Imane Khelif
Joe Biden
Mike Tyson
JD Vance
Lamine Yamal
Simone Biles
Diddy

Most searched athlete (Global)

Imane Khelif
Mike Tyson
Lamine Yamal
Simone Biles
Jake Paul
Nico Williams
Hardik Pandya
Scoie Scheer
Shashank Singh
Rodri

Most searched sports team (Global)

New York Yankees
Los Angeles Dodgers
Inter Miami CF
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Boston Celtics
New York Mets
Dallas Mavericks
Argentina national football team
Minnesota Timberwolves
Edmonton Oilers