The Most Popular Sports in Ukraine (Top 20 Ranked)

Soccer leads Ukraine, ahead of Boxing and Athletics. Ranking of 20 sports.

This page ranks the sports of Ukraine by the evidence behind each one, because no single registration or participation dataset for Ukraine was retrieved in this run, so ranking is based on general knowledge of organized federation presence, competitive results, and cultural prominence rather than a comparable count.

Soccer is on top, followed by Boxing and Athletics. The full table below covers 20 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.

The Most Popular Sports in Ukraine

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. The reference year is 2026.

#	Sport	Basis for the placing
1	Soccer	The UAF is the recognized national governing body for football in Ukraine, overseeing the Ukrainian Premier League and the men’s and women’s national teams.
2	Boxing	Ukraine has produced multiple Olympic and professional world boxing champions across recent decades, giving the sport an outsized cultural profile relative to many other countries.
3	Athletics	Ukraine maintains an organized national athletics federation and has a long record of Olympic and World Championship medals in track and field events.
4	Basketball	The FBU is the official governing body for basketball in Ukraine and organizes the men’s Superleague along with national team competitions.
5	Wrestling	Wrestling carries a strong organized club tradition in Ukraine inherited from the Soviet sports school system and continues to produce Olympic-level competitors in both freestyle a
6	Gymnastics	Ukraine fields organized national programs in both artistic and rhythmic gymnastics with an established record of Olympic and World Championship results.
7	Swimming	Swimming is organized nationally with pool infrastructure in major cities and a federation that sends athletes to European and World Championships and the Olympics.
8	Volleyball	Volleyball is organized through a national federation with both indoor and beach disciplines represented in domestic and European competition.
9	Tennis	Ukraine’s national tennis federation oversees a domestic competition circuit, and the country has produced players who have reached the top tier of world rankings.
10	Ice Hockey	Ice hockey is organized nationally with a domestic league and a men’s national team that has competed in IIHF World Championship divisions.
11	Fencing	Ukraine’s fencing federation has produced consistent Olympic and World Championship medalists in saber, giving the sport a stronger competitive record than its participation size w
12	Judo	Judo is organized nationally through a federation affiliated with the International Judo Federation and fields competitors at European and World Championships.
13	Handball	Handball is organized through a national federation with a domestic league and national teams that compete in European qualifying tournaments.
14	Weightlifting	Weightlifting has an organized national federation and a long competitive history in Ukraine dating to the Soviet training system.
15	Rowing	Rowing is organized nationally with training centers on Ukraine’s river systems and a federation that sends crews to European and World Championships.
16	Cycling	Cycling as a competitive sport is organized through a national federation covering road, track, and mountain bike disciplines.
17	Taekwondo	Taekwondo is organized through a national federation affiliated with World Taekwondo and fields competitors at European and Olympic qualifying events.
18	Kickboxing	Kickboxing has an organized national federation and has produced multiple world-level competitors in professional combat sport promotions.
19	Rugby	Rugby is organized through a national federation with a small but growing domestic club competition and a men’s national team competing in European lower divisions.
20	Chess	Chess is recognized as an organized competitive discipline in Ukraine, with a national federation affiliated with FIDE and a strong record of grandmaster-level players.

Is There a National Sport of Ukraine?

Ukraine has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No law or government decree designating an official national sport of Ukraine was identified in this run.

• Soccer. Football is widely treated as Ukraine’s de facto national sport due to its dominant participation base, media coverage, and the cultural prominence of the national team and top clubs.

#1 Soccer

• Governing body: Ukrainian Association of Football
• Top national league: Ukrainian Premier League
• Best known athlete: Andriy Shevchenko. Won the Ballon d’Or in 2004 while at AC Milan and later managed the Ukrainian national team to the quarterfinals of UEFA Euro 2020, making him the most internationally recognized Ukrainian footballer

Soccer is the dominant spectator and participation sport in Ukraine, organized nationally through the Ukrainian Association of Football and played at professional level in the Ukrainian Premier League. Clubs such as Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk have long histories in European competition and draw the largest domestic followings of any sport in the country.

Youth participation runs through school and club systems affiliated with the UAF, and the men’s national team has reached the finals of major tournaments including the 2006 World Cup and UEFA Euro 2020, both of which sustained broad public interest in the sport.

#2 Boxing

• Governing body: Ukrainian Boxing Federation
• Best known athlete: Oleksandr Usyk. Became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 2024, having previously held all four major world titles at cruiserweight, making him one of the most decorated active boxers globally

Boxing occupies a prominent place in Ukrainian sport, built on a strong amateur and Olympic pipeline that has produced a steady line of world-level professionals. The Klitschko brothers, Wladimir and Vitali, held world heavyweight titles for much of the 2000s and 2010s and remain closely associated with the sport’s popularity in the country.

That tradition continued with Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk, both multiple-weight world champions, whose fights are followed widely by Ukrainian audiences and covered extensively in national media.

#3 Athletics

• Governing body: Athletic Association of Ukraine
• Best known athlete: Sergey Bubka. Set 35 world records in pole vault and won six consecutive World Championship titles between 1983 and 1997, making him widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes Ukraine has produced

Track and field has a long competitive tradition in Ukraine, carried over from the strong Soviet-era athletics system and sustained since independence through national championships and a structured youth development pathway.

Ukrainian athletes have continued to reach Olympic podiums in disciplines including high jump and pole vault, and the sport retains a significant organized club base across the country’s regional sports schools.

#4 Basketball

• Governing body: Basketball Federation of Ukraine
• Top national league: Ukrainian Basketball Superleague

Basketball is organized nationally through the Basketball Federation of Ukraine, which runs the Superleague as the country’s top domestic competition alongside age-grade and youth programs.

The men’s national team has competed at recent EuroBasket tournaments, and interest in the sport has grown in urban centers where club and school programs are most established.

#5 Wrestling

• Governing body: Wrestling Federation of Ukraine

Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling remain firmly established in Ukraine through regional sports schools that trace their structure back to the Soviet-era training system, which produced a long line of internationally competitive wrestlers.

The sport continues to be supported through dedicated national federations for both disciplines and remains a regular source of Ukrainian medals at European and World Championships.

#6 Gymnastics

• Governing body: Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation
• Best known athlete: Oleg Verniaiev. Won the Olympic gold medal in parallel bars at the 2016 Rio Games, the country’s most prominent recent result in artistic gymnastics

Gymnastics in Ukraine spans both artistic and rhythmic disciplines, each supported by national federations and a network of specialized training schools that have operated since the Soviet period.

Ukrainian gymnasts, including rhythmic specialists, have repeatedly placed on Olympic and World Championship podiums, keeping the sport visible in national sports coverage despite a smaller participation base than football.

#7 Swimming

• Governing body: Swimming Federation of Ukraine

Competitive swimming is supported by municipal and school pool facilities in Ukraine’s larger cities, with structured youth programs feeding into the national federation’s championship system.

The sport has a smaller mass participation base than football or boxing but maintains a consistent presence at international meets through its national training centers.

#8 Volleyball

• Governing body: Volleyball Federation of Ukraine

Volleyball is played at club and school level across Ukraine, with a national league structure feeding both the men’s and women’s national teams that compete in European qualifying tournaments.

The sport has a long-standing amateur base, particularly in schools and universities, though it draws less domestic media coverage than football or boxing.

#9 Tennis

• Governing body: Ukrainian Tennis Federation
• Best known athlete: Elina Svitolina. Reached a career-high world number three ranking and won the WTA Finals round-robin stage undefeated in 2018, becoming the most successful Ukrainian tennis player of her generation

Tennis has grown in visibility in Ukraine over the past decade, driven largely by the international success of players such as Elina Svitolina and Sergiy Stakhovsky on the professional tours.

Domestic participation is concentrated in club facilities in larger cities, with the national federation running junior development programs that feed into international tour play.

#10 Ice Hockey

• Governing body: Ukrainian Ice Hockey Federation
• Top national league: Ukrainian Hockey League

Ice hockey has a smaller but organized following in Ukraine, historically centered on clubs such as HC Donbas, which competed internationally before the league’s disruption in the 2010s.

The national federation continues to field teams in IIHF World Championship divisions, and the sport retains dedicated arenas and youth programs in a handful of cities.

#11 Fencing

• Governing body: Ukrainian Fencing Federation
• Best known athlete: Olga Kharlan. A multiple Olympic medalist and world champion in individual saber fencing, she is one of the most decorated fencers in the sport’s history and Ukraine’s most prominent Olympic athlete in recent Games

Fencing is a smaller-participation but internationally successful sport in Ukraine, supported by a national federation with specialized training centers concentrated mainly in Kyiv.

Saber fencing in particular has produced repeated Olympic and World Championship medals for Ukraine, keeping the sport in national sporting coverage around major tournaments.

#12 Judo

• Governing body: Judo Federation of Ukraine

Judo maintains an organized club structure in Ukraine, with training centers concentrated in larger cities and a national federation that sends athletes to European and World Championships.

The sport draws a smaller domestic audience than football or boxing but sustains a steady base of competitive clubs through school and university programs.

#13 Handball

• Governing body: Handball Federation of Ukraine

Handball is played at club level in Ukraine under the national federation, with a domestic league that feeds the men’s and women’s national teams.

Participation is concentrated in regional sports schools, and the sport has a smaller media profile than football or basketball domestically.

#14 Weightlifting

• Governing body: Weightlifting Federation of Ukraine

Weightlifting in Ukraine is organized through regional training centers that trace their methods to the Soviet-era sports school system, which historically produced a large share of the country’s Olympic weightlifters.

The national federation continues to run championship and qualification events, though the sport’s public visibility is lower than that of football or boxing.

#15 Rowing

• Governing body: Rowing Federation of Ukraine

Rowing is practiced at club level in Ukraine on the country’s major rivers, with the national federation operating training centers that feed international competition.

The sport has a comparatively small participant base but a consistent presence at European and World Championship regattas.

#16 Cycling

• Governing body: Cycling Federation of Ukraine

Competitive cycling in Ukraine covers road racing, track, and mountain biking under the national federation, with domestic race series feeding riders into international competition.

The sport’s organized racing base is smaller than football or boxing but has grown through club-level participation in recent years.

#17 Taekwondo

• Governing body: Taekwondo Federation of Ukraine

Taekwondo has an organized club network in Ukraine under the national federation, with competitors regularly entering European qualifying events for Olympic selection.

Participation is concentrated among youth and university-age athletes training at dedicated martial arts clubs in larger cities.

#18 Kickboxing

• Governing body: Kickboxing Federation of Ukraine

Kickboxing has built a significant following in Ukraine as combat sports gyms have expanded in major cities, with the national federation organizing amateur competition alongside a active professional scene.

Ukrainian fighters compete regularly in major international kickboxing and mixed combat promotions, which has helped sustain the sport’s domestic gym membership.

#19 Rugby

• Governing body: Ukrainian Rugby Federation

Rugby remains a minority sport in Ukraine relative to football or boxing, but it is organized nationally with club competitions concentrated in a handful of cities.

The men’s national team competes in the lower tiers of European rugby competition, and the sport has grown gradually through club-level youth recruitment.

#20 Chess

• Governing body: Ukrainian Chess Federation
• Best known athlete: Vassily Ivanchuk. A grandmaster ranked among the world’s top players for over two decades and a repeated Chess Olympiad medalist with Ukraine, he is widely regarded as the country’s most accomplished chess player

Chess is treated as an organized competitive sport in Ukraine, with a national federation running domestic championships and school-level programs that have produced a notable number of grandmasters relative to the country’s population.

Ukraine’s teams have placed on the podium at the Chess Olympiad multiple times, and individual Ukrainian players have regularly ranked among the world’s top grandmasters.

Sources

• Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF)
• Basketball Federation of Ukraine (FBU)

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.

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