Football by nature remains the most popular sport in the country and the FNB Premiership feeds from the masses in terms of following. The competition's 30-match marathon also adds to the numbers, with the contest spread over 10 months. Although the league games attendance has been generally low, this season has seen increased interest. The premiership records the highest number of fans at a single game, with an estimated 22, 000 fans attending the Gaborone derby featuring Township Rollers and Gaborone United as well as the recent clash between Township Rollers and Mochudi Centre Chiefs. The figures are around one million people watching the premiership through live matches and broadcasts over the entire season. The numbers eclipse the now defunct, motorsport 1000km Toyota Desert Race (TDR) or Mantshwabisi, as it is commonly known.
The three-day-long event attracted over a 100, 000 spectators, albeit in a far shorter period than the football league season. In the place of Mantshwabisi, in came Sarona Kalahari 1000 Race, Botswana's first ever 1, 000km off-road racing competition. The race did not reach the same heights as Mantshwabisi as the first edition attracted around 20, 000 spectators. It is believed that the numbers could have been higher but the dates of the event clashed with the 2025 FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix that was held at the National Stadium. The track and field event, however, did not attract the same numbers as the first edition. In 2023, the World Athletics (WA) Continental Tour event matched the Gaborone derby selling out the venue's seating capacity of 22,000. This remains the highest number of spectators in a single local athletics event. The two non-football events are the only ones that come close to attendances recorded in the Premier League matches. The Botswana Golden Grand Prix has, however, attracted a gold-laden line up of former and current world and Olympic champions.
