Soccer leads Uzbekistan, ahead of Kurash and Boxing. Ranking of 10 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Uzbekistan by the evidence behind each one, because no federation membership count, license count, or national participation survey for Uzbekistan could be retrieved in this fast mode run, so the ranking rests on federation prominence, Olympic and world championship results, and domestic league visibility rather than on a single comparable number.
Soccer is on top, followed by Kurash and Boxing. 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 Uzbekistan
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 | Soccer has the largest domestic league structure in the country, the Uzbekistan Super League, and draws the widest youth participation and media coverage of any sport in Uzbekistan |
| 2 | Kurash | Kurash is a traditional Central Asian jacket wrestling style that was codified into a modern competitive ruleset in Uzbekistan and is actively promoted by the government as a signa |
| 3 | Boxing | Uzbekistan has become one of the strongest Olympic boxing nations, with multiple gold medalists across recent Summer Games, which drives high domestic interest in the sport. |
| 4 | Wrestling | Freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling have a long competitive tradition in Uzbekistan and regularly produce Olympic and world championship medalists. |
| 5 | Judo | Judo has produced Olympic medalists for Uzbekistan and is supported by a dedicated national training program. |
| 6 | Taekwondo | Taekwondo is an established Olympic combat sport in Uzbekistan with a regular presence in continental and world qualifying events. |
| 7 | Gymnastics | Artistic gymnastics has an internationally recognized figure in Oksana Chusovitina, who competed for Uzbekistan across multiple Olympic Games. |
| 8 | Weightlifting | Weightlifting has a long standing Olympic program in Uzbekistan tied to the country’s Soviet era sports school system. |
| 9 | Volleyball | Volleyball is played widely in schools and universities and has an organized domestic league structure. |
| 10 | Basketball | Basketball has an active domestic league and youth development structure, with growing media visibility in recent years. |
Is There a National Sport of Uzbekistan?
Uzbekistan has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No confirmed law or government decree formally designating a national sport for Uzbekistan could be established in this fast mode research run, since verification against a primary legal or government source was not possible.
- Kurash. Kurash is widely treated as Uzbekistan’s de facto national sport because it originated in the country, was codified there in modern form, and receives sustained government promotion at home and abroad.
Sports That Were Invented in Uzbekistan
- Kurash. Kurash is a traditional Central Asian jacket wrestling style whose modern competitive rules were codified in Uzbekistan in the late 1990s under Komil Yusupov.
#1 Soccer
- Governing body: Uzbekistan Football Association
- Top national league: Uzbekistan Super League
- Best known athlete: Eldor Shomurodov. Shomurodov is the national team’s regular starting forward and has played in Italy’s Serie A for Roma and Cagliari, the highest level any Uzbek outfield player has reached in Europe in recent years
Soccer is the most widely played and watched sport in Uzbekistan. The Uzbekistan Super League is the country’s top domestic competition, and the national team has become one of the more competitive sides in Asian qualifying tournaments.
Youth participation is broad, with club academies present in most large cities. Eldor Shomurodov, who has played in Italy’s Serie A, is the best known current player from the country.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Kurash
- Governing body: Uzbekistan Kurash Federation
- Best known athlete: Komil Yusupov. Yusupov is credited with systematizing the modern rules of kurash in 1998 and led the International Kurash Association that spread the sport internationally
Kurash is a jacket wrestling sport with roots in the region that were formalized into modern competition rules in Uzbekistan in the late 1990s. It is taught in schools and practiced widely across the country.
The sport carries strong state backing, and Tashkent has hosted major international kurash championships. Komil Yusupov, who led the modern codification of the sport, remains its most closely associated figure.
#3 Boxing
- Governing body: Uzbekistan Boxing Federation
- Best known athlete: Bakhodir Jalolov. Jalolov won Olympic gold in the super heavyweight division at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games and has also held world amateur boxing titles
Boxing enjoys a large following in Uzbekistan, built on a state supported training system that has produced multiple Olympic champions in the past two Summer Games cycles.
Bakhodir Jalolov, an Olympic gold medalist in the super heavyweight division at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, is the sport’s most prominent current figure in the country.
Latest Posts about Boxing
#4 Wrestling
- Governing body: Wrestling Federation of Uzbekistan
Wrestling, in its Olympic freestyle and Greco Roman forms, is practiced across a network of regional sports schools that feed the national team program.
The sport shares a training culture with kurash in many clubs, and wrestlers frequently cross over between the two disciplines at a young age.
Latest Posts about Wrestling
#5 Judo
- Governing body: Judo Federation of Uzbekistan
- Best known athlete: Diyorbek Urozboev. Urozboev won Olympic gold in the men’s 66 kilogram division at the London 2012 Games, one of the country’s best known judo results
Judo has a solid competitive base in Uzbekistan, supported by a national training center and a steady presence at international tournaments.
Diyorbek Urozboev, who won Olympic gold at London 2012, remains one of the sport’s most recognized names in the country.
Latest Posts about Judo
#6 Taekwondo
- Governing body: Taekwondo Federation of Uzbekistan
Taekwondo has grown steadily in Uzbekistan as part of the country’s broader investment in Olympic combat sports.
Clubs are concentrated in major cities, and the national federation runs its own qualifying circuit feeding into continental championships.
Latest Posts about Taekwondo
#7 Gymnastics
- Governing body: Gymnastics Federation of Uzbekistan
- Best known athlete: Oksana Chusovitina. Chusovitina competed at eight Olympic Games between 1992 and 2020, representing Uzbekistan for most of that span, and is widely regarded as one of the longest serving elite gymnasts in the sport’s history
Gymnastics in Uzbekistan is strongly associated internationally with Oksana Chusovitina, who represented the country across an unusually long Olympic career.
The sport has a smaller domestic participation base than soccer or the combat sports, but its international visibility for Uzbekistan is high.
Latest Posts about Gymnastics
#8 Weightlifting
- Governing body: Weightlifting Federation of Uzbekistan
Weightlifting has been part of Uzbekistan’s Olympic sport structure since the country’s independence, building on training methods inherited from the Soviet sports school system.
It remains a smaller participation sport compared to soccer or combat sports but keeps a consistent presence at continental championships.
Latest Posts about Weightlifting
#9 Volleyball
- Governing body: Volleyball Federation of Uzbekistan
Volleyball is a common school and university sport in Uzbekistan, with an organized domestic competition for men’s and women’s clubs.
The national teams compete regularly in Asian regional tournaments, though international results have been modest compared with the combat sports.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#10 Basketball
- Governing body: Basketball Federation of Uzbekistan
- Top national league: Uzbekistan Basketball Super League
Basketball has expanded in Uzbekistan over the past decade, supported by a domestic super league and youth academy programs in Tashkent and other large cities.
The national team competes in Asian regional qualifying events, and the sport’s visibility has grown alongside broader investment in indoor arenas.
Latest Posts about Basketball
Sources
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 Uzbekistan?
Soccer draws the widest following in Uzbekistan, followed by kurash, boxing, wrestling, and judo. Combat sports have a particularly strong tradition, reflected in the country’s Olympic boxing and judo results.
What is the national sport of Uzbekistan?
There is no confirmed law naming an official national sport of Uzbekistan. Kurash, a jacket wrestling style codified in the country in the late 1990s, is widely treated as the de facto national sport because of its local origin and government backing.
What is Uzbekistan’s favorite sport to play?
Soccer is the sport most widely played at the youth and club level in Uzbekistan, organized around the domestic Uzbekistan Super League. Kurash and wrestling also have broad grassroots participation through school and club programs.
What is Uzbekistan known for in sport?
Internationally, Uzbekistan is best known for its strength in Olympic combat sports, especially boxing, where fighters such as Bakhodir Jalolov have won multiple Olympic gold medals, and for kurash, the wrestling style it originated and promotes worldwide.
What is the biggest traditional sport in Uzbekistan?
Kurash is the country’s most prominent traditional sport. It is a jacket wrestling style with roots in the region that was formalized into a modern competitive discipline in Uzbekistan and is now practiced internationally.
