Football (or soccer) is the most popular sport in England, although cricket is probably the most popular sport in the summer as football is played in the winter. However, there are regional variations. For example, Rugby union is very popular in the west country (e.g. Bath and Gloucester), whilst rugby league reigns supreme in parts of the north-west (e.g. St Helen's and Wigan).
This answer may be inaccurate: it depends upon how you judge the popularity of a sport.
If judged by the number of spectators, i.e. people with a 'passive' interest in the sport, then yes, football would be the correct answer, as football grounds all over the country bear witness each week of the season (not to mention armchair fans, in front of the TV!)
However, the most popular 'participant' sport in the UK (i.e. the one that has most people actually taking part on a regular basis) is fishing!
Government figures place the number of active anglers higher than any other outdoor activity, in the UK!
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England's most popular sports and pastimes are football-soccer, cricket, and tennis.