Newsback vs Sports Association
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Sports Association leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #544, ahead of Newsback at #1,532. Over the last 7 days Sports Association slipped 39 places and Newsback slipped 19 places. Newsback has the largest install base, roughly 6× the next: 600+ active installs against 100+ for Sports Association. Downloads this week: Sports Association 99 and Newsback 13.
| Metric | Newsback | Sports Association |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,532 ▼ 19 | #544 ▼ 39 |
| Active installs | 600+ | 100+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 13 | 99 |
| Rating | no ratings | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Block theme |
| Last updated | Feb 19, 2026 | Oct 19, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.1.0 | 2.0 |
| Best rank on record | #1,488 | #182 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Oct 2022 | Jun 2026 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Newsback or Sports Association?
By active installs, Newsback: 600+ sites run it against 100+ for Sports Association, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 24, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Newsback or Sports Association?
Sports Association, at #544 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Newsback at #1,532. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Newsback a block theme or a classic theme? And Sports Association?
Newsback is a classic theme, Sports Association is a block theme. Block themes are built for the Site Editor; classic themes use the Customizer and widget areas.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each theme’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the themes have moved over time rather than a single day.