Soccer leads Turkey, ahead of Basketball and Volleyball. Ranking of 10 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Turkey by the evidence behind each one, because no single consistently reported participation, membership, or licensing figure was available for Turkish sports within this run (session search quota exhausted, only site-existence checks allowed). Ranking reflects federation scope, competitive structure, and documented international results rather than a shared numeric measure. The figures come from T.C. Genclik ve Spor Bakanligi (Ministry of Youth and Sports).
Soccer is on top, followed by Basketball and Volleyball. The full table below covers 10 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.
The Most Popular Sports in Turkey
The table counts evidence, not people who say they like a sport. It is the figure that is published the same way for every sport in the list, which is what makes the rows comparable.
| # | Sport | Basis for the placing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soccer | Federation runs a full national pyramid of professional and amateur leagues topped by the Super Lig; consistently the largest fan following of any sport in Turkey by general public |
| 2 | Basketball | Federation runs the top domestic men’s league, the Basketbol Super Ligi, and Turkish clubs have won EuroLeague titles, giving the sport strong continental visibility behind soccer. |
| 3 | Volleyball | Federation runs the Sultanlar Ligi, whose clubs regularly reach European club finals, and the women’s national team has reached the podium at continental and world level competitio |
| 4 | Wrestling | Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling are organized nationally alongside the traditional oil wrestling discipline, and Turkish wrestlers have repeatedly reached world and Olympic pod |
| 5 | Weightlifting | Turkey has produced some of Olympic weightlifting’s most dominant competitors, with national training organized under the ministry structure; the sport has an outsized historical p |
| 6 | Athletics | Turkish sprinters and distance runners have taken major medals at World and European Championship level in recent years under a nationally organized training system. |
| 7 | Taekwondo | Turkey has produced multiple Olympic and World medalists in taekwondo across weight categories, supported through nationally organized training programs. |
| 8 | Boxing | Boxing maintains an established domestic championship structure and a pipeline into European and World amateur competition, though with a smaller public profile than Turkey’s leadi |
| 9 | Swimming | Swimming has an organized domestic championship structure with growing youth participation programs, though a smaller international medal record than Turkey’s leading disciplines. |
| 10 | Handball | Handball has an organized domestic league and national team structure, with participation concentrated in club systems tied to major cities, and a smaller public following than Tur |
Is There a National Sport of Turkey?
Turkey has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No sport is established as Turkey’s national sport by statute or cabinet decree, based on general public record; no such statutory designation was located during this run.
- Yagli gures (oil wrestling). Oil wrestling is widely described as Turkey’s traditional or de facto national sport because of its centuries old cultural role, though the status is customary rather than statutory.
Sports That Were Invented in Turkey
- Yagli gures (oil wrestling). Turkish oil wrestling traces its organized tournament tradition to the Kirkpinar competition, held annually in Edirne since the 14th century and often cited as one of the world’s oldest continuously running sporting events.
#1 Soccer
- Governing body: Turkish Football Federation (TFF)
- Top national league: Super Lig
- Best known athlete: Hakan Calhanoglu. Current captain of the Turkey men’s national team and a regular starter for Inter Milan, making him the most prominent active Turkish player on the international stage
Association football is the dominant spectator and participation sport in Turkey, organized nationally by the Turkish Football Federation through a pyramid of professional and amateur leagues headed by the Super Lig. Clubs such as Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas, and Trabzonspor draw the largest and most consistent fan followings of any sport in the country.
The men’s national team reached the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup and of Euro 2008, results still widely referenced in Turkish sports culture. Current captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who plays for Inter Milan, is among the most prominent Turkish players competing internationally today.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Basketball
- Governing body: Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF)
- Top national league: Basketbol Super Ligi (BSL)
- Best known athlete: Alperen Sengun. NBA center for the Houston Rockets and the highest profile active Turkish basketball player internationally
Basketball ranks as Turkey’s second major team sport, run by the Turkish Basketball Federation under a domestic top flight known as the Basketbol Super Ligi. Clubs including Fenerbahce Beko and Anadolu Efes have won EuroLeague titles, giving the sport strong continental visibility.
The men’s national team reached the final of the 2010 FIBA World Championship, which Turkey hosted. Alperen Sengun, drafted into the NBA and now playing for the Houston Rockets, is currently the country’s best known active player.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#3 Volleyball
- Governing body: Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF)
- Top national league: Sultanlar Ligi
- Best known athlete: Eda Erdem Dundar. Long standing captain of the women’s national team, Filenin Sultanlari, through its run of European and world level medal finishes
Volleyball, especially the women’s game, has grown into one of Turkey’s most followed sports, governed by the Turkish Volleyball Federation. The women’s top division, the Sultanlar Ligi, includes clubs such as Vakifbank and Eczacibasi that regularly compete in European finals.
The women’s national team, nicknamed Filenin Sultanlari, won the 2023 European Championship and has reached podium finishes at world level competitions. Team captain Eda Erdem Dundar has been a long standing figure in that program.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#4 Wrestling
- Governing body: Turkey’s Olympic-style wrestling program (ministry-organized)
- Best known athlete: Taha Akgul. Multiple time world and Olympic champion in men’s freestyle wrestling, one of the sport’s most decorated active competitors
Wrestling carries deep historical weight in Turkey, tied to the centuries old tradition of yagli gures, or oil wrestling, alongside Olympic style freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling organized nationally through the country’s sport ministry structure. Turkish wrestlers have consistently placed among the world’s top competitors across multiple weight classes.
Taha Akgul has won world and Olympic titles in freestyle wrestling, becoming one of the sport’s most decorated active competitors and a widely recognized figure in Turkish sport more broadly.
Latest Posts about Wrestling
#5 Weightlifting
- Governing body: Turkey’s Olympic weightlifting program (ministry-organized)
- Best known athlete: Naim Suleymanoglu. Won three consecutive Olympic gold medals (1988, 1992, 1996) and is widely regarded as one of the greatest weightlifters in the sport’s history
Weightlifting has an outsized place in Turkish sport history relative to its participation base, with the country producing some of the discipline’s most dominant lifters. National training programs are organized alongside the sport’s federation under the ministry structure.
Naim Suleymanoglu, nicknamed Pocket Hercules, won three consecutive Olympic gold medals and is widely regarded as one of the greatest weightlifters in the sport’s history, a legacy still referenced in Turkish sport coverage today.
Latest Posts about Weightlifting
#6 Athletics
- Governing body: Turkey’s national athletics program (ministry-organized)
- Best known athlete: Ramil Guliyev. Won the 200 meters at the 2017 World Championships in London representing Turkey, one of the country’s highest profile individual athletics results
Track and field is organized nationally in Turkey, with growing international results in sprint and distance events over the past decade. Turkish athletes have taken major medals at World Championship and European level competitions in recent years.
Ramil Guliyev won the 200 meters at the 2017 World Championships in London while representing Turkey, one of the country’s highest profile individual athletics results to date.
Latest Posts about Athletics
#7 Taekwondo
- Governing body: Turkey’s Olympic taekwondo program (ministry-organized)
- Best known athlete: Servet Tazegul. Won Olympic gold in taekwondo at the 2012 London Games, part of a sustained run of Turkish success in the sport at major championships
Taekwondo has a strong competitive base in Turkey, supported through national training programs, and has produced multiple Olympic and World medalists across weight categories over the past two decades.
Servet Tazegul won Olympic gold in taekwondo at the 2012 London Games, part of a sustained run of Turkish success in the sport at major championships.
Latest Posts about Taekwondo
#8 Boxing
- Governing body: Turkey’s national amateur boxing program (ministry-organized)
Boxing maintains an established competitive structure in Turkey, with domestic championships feeding into international amateur and, increasingly, professional competition.
The sport continues to produce competitors at European and World amateur championships, though it operates with a smaller public profile than Turkey’s leading team sports such as soccer, basketball, and volleyball.
Latest Posts about Boxing
#9 Swimming
- Governing body: Turkey’s national swimming program (ministry-organized)
Swimming is organized nationally in Turkey with domestic championship structures and growing youth participation programs supported through school and club systems.
The sport has a smaller international medal record than Turkey’s leading disciplines, but it maintains a consistent competitive base at the domestic level.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#10 Handball
- Governing body: Turkey’s national handball program (ministry-organized)
Handball has an organized domestic league and national team structure in Turkey, with participation concentrated in club systems tied to major cities.
The sport has a smaller public following than Turkey’s top team sports but maintains steady competitive activity at the national level.
Latest Posts about Handball
Sources
- T.C. Genclik ve Spor Bakanligi (Ministry of Youth and Sports)
- Turkish Football Federation (TFF)
- Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF)
- Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF)
Figures on this page come from national federations and statistics offices and are only as current as their latest published report. Last reviewed: August 2026.
FAQ
What are the most popular sports in Turkey?
Association football is Turkey’s most widely followed sport, organized nationally by the Turkish Football Federation through the Super Lig. Basketball and volleyball rank close behind, both with strong domestic leagues and internationally competitive national teams, and wrestling and weightlifting carry particular historical weight in Turkish sport.
What is the national sport of Turkey?
Turkey has no sport established as its legal national sport by statute or cabinet decree. Oil wrestling, or yagli gures, is widely treated as the country’s traditional or de facto national sport because of its centuries old role in Turkish culture, centered on the Kirkpinar tournament.
What sport is Turkey known for?
Turkey is best known internationally for association football, along with a strong historical record in wrestling and weightlifting, disciplines in which Turkish athletes have produced some of the sport’s most decorated competitors.
What is Turkey’s most popular sport?
Association football is Turkey’s most popular sport by organized participation and fan following, led by clubs such as Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktas, and Trabzonspor competing in the Super Lig.
What is Turkey’s traditional national sport?
Oil wrestling, known as yagli gures, is widely regarded as Turkey’s traditional national sport, rooted in the Kirkpinar tournament held in Edirne since the 14th century, though it holds no formal statutory designation.
