Most Popular Sports by Country 2024; Check Complete List

Sports have always played an important role in shaping culture and uniting communities around the world. They transcend borders and languages, providing entertainment, promoting competition and creating moments of national pride. Every country has its favorite sports, which are deeply rooted in its traditions and social values. The diversity of global sports preferences reflects not only regional tastes but also historical and cultural influences.

List of the most popular sports by country in 2024

In 2024, the sports world remains as vibrant as ever. Football continues to dominate much of the world, but unique national sports such as cricket in South Asia, ice hockey in Canada and rugby in New Zealand illustrate the diversity of sporting passions around the world. Here is the complete list:

nation

most popular sports

olympic medal

Afghanistan

cricket

3

Albania

football

0

Algeria

football

No. 22

Andorra

football

1

Angola

football

0

Anguilla

rowing race

0

Antigua and Barbuda

cricket

0

Argentina

football

115

Armenia

football

32

Australia

football

Chapter 636

Austria

football

Chapter 412

Azerbaijan

football

75

Bahrain

football

6

Bangladesh

cricket

0

Barbados

cricket

1

belarus

football

126

Belgium

football

Chapter 202

Belize

football

0

Benin

football

0

Bhutan

archery

0

Bolivia

football

1

Bosnia and Herzegovina

football

2

Botswana

football

4

Brazil

football

182

Brunei

football

0

Bulgaria

football

246

Burkina Faso

football

1

Burundi

football

4

Cambodia

football

1

Cameroon

football

6

Canada

puck

604

central african republic

football

0

Chad

football

0

Chile

football

14

Colombia

football

53

Comoros

football

0

costa rica

football

4

Croatia

football

63

cuba

baseball

Chapter 259

Cyprus

football

3

Czech Republic

football

135

Congo

football

0

Denmark

football

Chapter 232

Djibouti

football

2

Dominican Republic

baseball

No. 17

East Timor

football

0

Ecuador

football

11

Egypt

football

62

El Salvador

football

1

Equatorial Guinea

football

1

Eritrea

football

4

Estonia

basketball

48

Eswatini

football

0

Ethiopia

football

79

micronesia

football

0

Fiji

football

4

Finland

puck

507

France

football

1,039 people

Gabon

football

1

Georgia

football

51

Germany

football

1,972

Ghana

football

6

Greece

football

169

Greneda

football

4

Guatemala

football

2

Guinea

football

0

Guinea-Bissau

football

0

Guyana

cricket

1

Haiti

football

3

Honduras

football

1

Hungary

football

601

Iceland

football

6

India

cricket

58

Indonesia

football

40

Iran

football

101

Iraq

football

2

Ireland

Gaelic games

45

Israel

football

twenty three

Italy

football

Chapter 885

jamaica

cricket

94

Japan

baseball

690

Jordan

football

6

Kazakhstan

football

108

Kenya

football

128

Kosovo

football

4

Kuwait

football

4

Kyrgyzstan

football

14

Laos

football

0

Latvia

puck

43

lebanon

football

5

Lesotho

football

0

Liberia

football

0

Libya

football

0

Liechtenstein

football

11

Lithuania

basketball

40

Luxembourg

football

8

madagascar

football

0

Malawi

football

0

Malaysia

football

No. 19

Maldives

football

0

Mali

football

0

malta

football

0

Marshall Islands

basketball

0

mauritania

football

0

Mauritius

football

2

Mexico

football

101

moldova

football

13

Monaco

football

2

Mongolia

wrestling

36

Montenegro

football

1

Morocco

football

34

Mozambique

football

2

Myanmar

football

0

Namibia

football

5

Nauru

football

1

Nepal

cricket

0

Netherlands

football

Chapter 512

new caledonia

football

0

New Zealand

football

160

Nicaragua

baseball

0

Niger

football

3

Nigeria

football

35

north korea

football

67

Norway

football

617

Oman

football

0

Pakistan

cricket

12

Palau

baseball

0

Palestine

football

0

Panama

baseball

3

papua new guinea

football

0

Paraguay

football

1

People’s Republic of China

basketball

898

Peru

football

7

the Philippines

basketball

15

Poland

football

Chapter 346

Portugal

football

35

Puerto Rico

baseball

14

Qatar

football

11

republic of macedonia

football

13

republic of congo

football

0

Romania

football

Chapter 332

Russia

football

1,984

Rwanda

football

0

Saint Kitts and Nevis

football

0

saint lucia

football

1

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

cricket

0

san marino

football

3

Saudi Arabia

football

8

Senegal

football

1

Serbia

football

33

Seychelles

football

0

Sierra Leone

football

0

Singapore

football

14

Slovakia

football

57

slovenia

football

85

solomon islands

football

0

somalia

football

0

South Africa

football

106

South Korea

football

Chapter 447

South Sudan

football

0

Spain

football

208

Sri Lanka

cricket

3

Sudan

football

1

Surinam

football

3

Sweden

football

Chapter 740

Switzerland

football

Chapter 441

Syria

football

4

sao tome and principe

football

0

Taiwan

baseball

0

Tajikistan

football

6

Tanzania

football

2

Thailand

football

61

Bahamas

basketball

No. 19

Gambia

football

0

togo

football

1

Trinidad and Tobago

cricket

twenty two

Tunisia

football

20

turkey

football

134

Turkmenistan

football

2

Uganda

football

15

Ukraine

football

225

United Arab Emirates

football

3

U.K.

football

1,036

USA

american football

3,105

Uruguay

football

11

Uzbekistan

football

66

Vanuatu

football

0

Venezuela

baseball

34

Vietnam

football

14

Yemen

football

0

Zambia

football

5

Zimbabwe

football

8

NOTE: This list was compiled using multiple online sources and will be updated annually. All data are current as of October 2024. All data is provisional and subject to change.

While the most popular sports reflect national pride, success in international competitions such as the Olympics often highlights different sports. Germany, for example, may have soccer as its most popular sport, but its prowess in a range of Olympic sports is unparalleled, with nearly 2,000 medals.

From football’s popularity in Europe and Latin America to cricket’s cultural significance in South Asia, sport offers a look into the heart of every country. It will be interesting to see how these global trends change as the world of sports evolves, especially as new sports stars rise and international leagues continue to grow.