Football leads Nigeria with 14,233,877 nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport. Ranking of 9 sports, with sources.
This page ranks the sports of Nigeria by one number that is collected the same way for all of them: Counts youths aged 15 to 35 across Nigeria who told National Bureau of Statistics enumerators they are involved in each sport, combining recreational and professional involvement and both sexes, from the only nationwide survey found that breaks sport participation down by sport in a comparable way. The figures come from National Bureau of Statistics Nigeria, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, Final Report, Table 45.
Football is on top, followed by Track and field and Basketball. The full table below covers 9 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.
The Most Popular Sports in Nigeria
The table counts nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport, 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. The listed sports account for 21,454,455 in total. The reference year is 2012.
| # | Sport | Nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport | Governing body |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Football | 14,233,877 | Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) |
| 2 | Track and field | 3,648,744 | Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) |
| 3 | Basketball | 1,435,680 | Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) |
| 4 | Volleyball | 712,610 | Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) |
| 5 | Tennis | 458,203 | Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) |
| 6 | Boxing | 439,073 | Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) |
| 7 | Hockey | 134,434 | Nigeria Hockey Federation (NHF) |
| 8 | Swimming | 129,904 | Nigeria Aquatics Federation |
| 9 | Wrestling | 88,908 | Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) |
One caveat applies to every ranking of this kind: someone who plays two sports is counted twice, once in each federation, and sports people mostly do on their own, such as running or hiking, barely show up at all.
Most Played and Most Watched Are Not the Same Sport
Membership and license numbers tell you what people do. Audience figures tell you what they watch, and the two lists rarely have the same sport on top.
| Sport | Figure | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Football | 10.3 million | The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semifinal between Nigeria and South Africa drew a combined unique television audience across SuperSport and SABC platforms. |
Is There a National Sport of Nigeria?
Nigeria has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No Nigerian statute designates an official national sport. The Nigerian Football Association Act, which established the Nigeria Football Federation as a body corporate, does not declare football or any other sport the country’s national sport, and no statement of a legally designated national sport was found on the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development or National Sports Commission websites.
- Football. Football is Nigeria’s de facto national sport by participation. The 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey recorded far more youths aged 15 to 35 involved in football than in any other sport it measured.
Sports That Were Invented in Nigeria
- Dambe. Dambe, a bare knuckle striking sport practiced by the Hausa people of northern Nigeria for centuries, is one of the country’s indigenous combat sports and has recently been organized into modern televised competition.
#1 Football
- Nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport: 14,233,877 (Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), 2012)
- Top national league: Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL)
Football is Nigeria’s largest sport by participation. The 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey by the National Bureau of Statistics recorded 14,233,877 youths aged 15 to 35 who were involved in the sport, whether recreationally or professionally, more than in any other sport measured in the same survey. The Nigeria Football Federation governs the sport, and the men’s top flight is organized as the Nigeria Premier Football League.
The Super Eagles and the Super Falcons represent Nigeria internationally as the men’s and women’s national teams under the federation. Both national teams are the country’s most visible sporting representatives and compete regularly at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Track and field
- Nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport: 3,648,744 (Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), 2012)
Track and field ranks second among Nigeria’s sports by participation. The 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey recorded 3,648,744 youths aged 15 to 35 involved in track and field, either recreationally or professionally, with participation skewed toward young women rather than young men. The Athletics Federation of Nigeria governs the sport and selects national teams for continental and global competition.
Nigerian sprinters and jumpers compete at the Commonwealth Games, the African Championships and the World Athletics Championships under the federation’s colors, and the sport has produced several of the country’s best known Olympic competitors.
Latest Posts about Track and Field
#3 Basketball
- Nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport: 1,435,680 (Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), 2012)
- Top national league: NBBF Premier League
- Best known athlete: Hakeem Olajuwon. Born in Lagos, he led an NBA franchise to consecutive championships and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball is Nigeria’s third most participated sport in the 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, with 1,435,680 youths aged 15 to 35 reporting involvement, either recreationally or professionally. The Nigeria Basketball Federation runs the men’s national team, known as D’Tigers, and the women’s team, known as D’Tigress, alongside a domestic league.
Hakeem Olajuwon, born in Lagos, is the sport’s most prominent Nigerian born figure internationally, having led an NBA franchise to consecutive championships before his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Nigerian players also form part of the pipeline of African talent entering United States college and professional basketball.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#4 Volleyball
- Nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport: 712,610 (Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), 2012)
Volleyball ranks fourth by participation in the 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, with 712,610 youths aged 15 to 35 reporting involvement. Unlike football, boxing, swimming, wrestling and tennis, the survey found volleyball participation weighted toward young women rather than young men, both in recreational and professional settings.
The Nigeria Volleyball Federation organizes the senior men’s and women’s national teams and domestic league competitions, including beach volleyball. The federation is affiliated with the African Volleyball Confederation and fields teams at continental championships.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#5 Tennis
- Nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport: 458,203 (Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), 2012)
Tennis ranks fifth by participation in the 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, with 458,203 youths aged 15 to 35 reporting involvement, either recreationally or professionally. The Nigeria Tennis Federation governs the sport and organizes national junior and senior competitions.
Nigeria fields teams in the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup through the federation, competing in the African zone groups of both competitions. Domestic professional tournaments, including the Lagos Open, also form part of the country’s tennis calendar.
Latest Posts about Tennis
#6 Boxing
- Nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport: 439,073 (Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF), 2012)
Boxing ranks sixth by participation in the 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, with 439,073 youths aged 15 to 35 reporting involvement, either recreationally or professionally, and participation weighted more heavily toward young men than young women. The Nigeria Boxing Federation governs the amateur and professional sport nationally.
The federation is recognized by World Boxing and by the Nigeria Olympic Committee, and it organizes national trials that feed the country’s Olympic and Commonwealth Games boxing squads. Northern Nigeria also has a long tradition of Dambe, a separate bare knuckle striking sport distinct from Olympic style boxing.
Latest Posts about Boxing
#7 Hockey
- Nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport: 134,434 (Nigeria Hockey Federation (NHF), 2012)
Hockey ranks seventh by participation in the 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, with 134,434 youths aged 15 to 35 reporting involvement, either recreationally or professionally. Unlike football, boxing, swimming, wrestling and tennis, the survey found hockey participation weighted toward young women rather than young men.
The Nigeria Hockey Federation governs the sport and organizes the men’s and women’s national teams for African and Commonwealth competition. The federation reports to the Nigeria Olympic Committee alongside the country’s other Olympic sport federations.
Latest Posts about Field Hockey
#8 Swimming
- Nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport: 129,904 (Nigeria Aquatics Federation, 2012)
Swimming ranks eighth by participation in the 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, with 129,904 youths aged 15 to 35 reporting involvement, either recreationally or professionally. The survey found a distinct gender pattern in the sport, with recreational swimming skewed toward young men while professional swimming skewed heavily toward young women.
The Nigeria Aquatics Federation governs swimming alongside other aquatic disciplines and selects national teams for African and Commonwealth competition. Nigerian swimmers compete internationally under the federation’s colors at continental championships and multi sport games.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#9 Wrestling
- Nigerians aged 15 to 35 involved in the sport: 88,908 (Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), 2012)
Wrestling ranks ninth by participation in the 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, with 88,908 youths aged 15 to 35 reporting involvement, either recreationally or professionally, and no professional participation recorded for either sex in the survey. The Nigeria Wrestling Federation governs Olympic style wrestling nationally.
The federation organizes national trials that feed Nigeria’s teams for the Commonwealth Games and the African Wrestling Championships. Nigeria’s wrestling program includes separate structures for men’s freestyle and women’s freestyle wrestling under the same national federation.
Latest Posts about Wrestling
Sources
- National Bureau of Statistics Nigeria, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, Final Report, Table 45
- SuperSport, AFCON 2024 viewership report
- Laws of Nigeria, Nigerian Football Association Act (hosted by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre)
- Forbes Africa
- National Bureau of Statistics Nigeria & Federal Ministry of Youth Development, 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, Table 45
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 is the national sport of Nigeria?
Nigeria has no sport designated as the national sport by law. The Nigerian Football Association Act of 1992 established the Nigeria Football Federation as a body corporate but did not name a national sport. Football is nonetheless the de facto national sport, drawing far more youth participation than any other sport in the 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey.
What are the most popular sports in Nigeria?
By the 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey, the sports with the most youth participation are football, with 14,233,877 youths involved, followed by track and field with 3,648,744, and basketball with 1,435,680. Volleyball, tennis and boxing follow further behind in the same survey.
What sports are played in Nigeria?
The 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey measured youth involvement in football, track and field, basketball, volleyball, tennis, boxing, hockey, swimming and wrestling, in descending order of participation. Football alone accounted for 14,233,877 of the youths surveyed.
What are traditional sports in Nigeria?
Dambe, a bare knuckle striking sport practiced by the Hausa people of northern Nigeria for centuries, is one of the country’s indigenous traditional sports. It remains distinct from the Olympic style boxing organized by the Nigeria Boxing Federation.
What are Nigeria’s biggest sports?
Nigeria’s biggest sport by participation is football, with 14,233,877 youths aged 15 to 35 reporting involvement in the 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey. Track and field ranks second with 3,648,744 participants, and basketball third with 1,435,680.
