The Most Popular Sports in Sri Lanka (Top 14 Ranked)

Cricket leads Sri Lanka, ahead of Volleyball and Rugby union. Ranking of 14 sports.

This page ranks the sports of Sri Lanka by the evidence behind each one, because no single comparable count (registered federation members, licenses, or a national participation survey) could be verified across sports for Sri Lanka in this fast research pass, so the ranking below is ordered by documented status instead: active national federation, international competition record, school and club structure, and widely reported cultural prominence.

Cricket is on top, followed by Volleyball and Rugby union. The full table below covers 14 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.

The Most Popular Sports in Sri Lanka

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	Cricket	Sri Lanka Cricket is the sport’s official governing body, confirmed by its own website, and the national team’s matches draw the country’s largest television audiences of any sport
2	Volleyball	Volleyball is widely reported as Sri Lanka’s officially designated national sport, and it is played in villages and schools across the country at a scale that supports this status,
3	Rugby union	Rugby union has a long organized school competition in Sri Lanka, especially among schools in and around Kandy, and the annual Clifford Cup school and club tournaments draw large c
4	Soccer	Football is governed nationally by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka and has a large recreational and club following, particularly in Colombo and other urban centers, even thoug
5	Athletics	Track and field is a core part of Sri Lanka’s school sports meet calendar, and the country has produced Olympic and Asian level medalists in sprint and middle distance events.
6	Netball	Netball is one of the most widely played sports among girls and women in Sri Lankan schools, and the national team competes regularly at Asian championship level.
7	Swimming	Swimming is organized nationally by the Sri Lanka Amateur Swimming Union, with school and club competition concentrated where pool infrastructure exists, mainly in Colombo and a ha
8	Badminton	Badminton is organized nationally by the Sri Lanka Badminton Association and is widely played recreationally in schools and community halls across the country.
9	Boxing	Amateur boxing has organized clubs in several cities and a national federation that sends boxers to South Asian and Commonwealth level competition.
10	Elle	Elle is a traditional Sri Lankan bat and ball game that predates the introduction of cricket to the island and is still played at village and school level, particularly during rura
11	Chess	Chess has a national federation and a growing tournament circuit in schools and clubs, with Sri Lankan players competing at South Asian and international rated events.
12	Carrom	Carrom is one of the most widely played indoor games in Sri Lankan homes and community centers, with an organized federation running club and national level competition.
13	Basketball	Basketball is organized nationally by the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation and is played mainly in school and university settings in urban areas.
14	Table tennis	Table tennis is organized by the Sri Lanka Table Tennis Association and is commonly played in schools and community clubs as a low cost indoor sport.

Is There a National Sport of Sri Lanka?

Volleyball. Volleyball is widely reported as the officially designated national sport of Sri Lanka, a status commonly dated to a government decision in the early 1990s.
Cricket. Despite volleyball holding the reported formal national sport designation, cricket is the sport most Sri Lankans actually follow and play, and it draws the country’s largest sport audiences.

Sports That Were Invented in Sri Lanka

Elle. Elle is generally described as a traditional Sri Lankan bat and ball game that predates the widespread introduction of cricket to the island.

#1 Cricket

Governing body: Sri Lanka Cricket
Top national league: Lanka Premier League
Best known athlete: Muttiah Muralitharan. Muttiah Muralitharan retired in 2010 as the leading wicket taker in both Test and one day international cricket history, a record that still stands, and remains Sri Lanka’s most internationally recognized athlete

Cricket is organized nationally by Sri Lanka Cricket, which fields the men’s and women’s national teams and runs the domestic Lanka Premier League. The sport has the deepest school and club structure in the country and the largest following of any sport in Sri Lanka.

Muttiah Muralitharan is the sport’s best known player internationally, having retired as the all time leading wicket taker in both Test and one day international cricket. Sri Lanka’s 1996 Cricket World Cup win remains a defining moment in the country’s sporting history.

#2 Volleyball

Governing body: Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation

Volleyball is widely reported as Sri Lanka’s national sport, a status commonly dated to a government designation in the early 1990s. It is played informally in village grounds and school yards across the island, more widely than almost any other organized sport.

The Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation organizes national league and school competitions, and beach volleyball has grown as a related recreational and competitive variant along the coast.

Latest Posts about Volleyball

#3 Rugby union

Governing body: Sri Lanka Rugby
Top national league: Clifford Cup

Rugby union has been played in Sri Lankan schools since the colonial era and remains strongest in and around Kandy, where several schools maintain long standing rugby programs. The Clifford Cup is the country’s oldest and most followed club and school rugby competition.

Big school rugby matches, particularly during the annual rugby season, draw crowds that rank among the largest for any domestic sporting fixture in Sri Lanka outside cricket.

Latest Posts about Rugby

#4 Soccer

Governing body: Football Federation of Sri Lanka
Top national league: Sri Lanka Football Premier League

Football is organized nationally by the Football Federation of Sri Lanka and is played widely as a recreational and club sport in Colombo and other urban centers, alongside a domestic Premier League structure.

The men’s national team has a modest international record compared with cricket or rugby, but grassroots and club level participation keeps the sport among the most widely played in the country.

Latest Posts about Soccer

#5 Athletics

Governing body: Sri Lanka Amateur Athletic Association
Best known athlete: Susanthika Jayasinghe. Susanthika Jayasinghe won the silver medal in the women’s 200 meters at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Sri Lanka’s first Olympic medal by a woman and one of the country’s most celebrated athletic achievements

Athletics is organized by the Sri Lanka Amateur Athletic Association and forms a central part of the school sports meet calendar nationwide, with inter school and inter provincial meets drawing wide youth participation.

Susanthika Jayasinghe’s silver medal in the 200 meters at the 2000 Sydney Olympics remains the sport’s best known individual achievement and a lasting reference point for Sri Lankan track and field.

Latest Posts about Athletics

#6 Netball

Governing body: Netball Federation of Sri Lanka

Netball is organized by the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka and is one of the most widely played team sports among girls and women in the school system, with inter school tournaments held nationwide.

The national team competes regularly at Asian championship level, and netball is generally regarded as the leading organized sport for women in the country alongside athletics.

#7 Swimming

Governing body: Sri Lanka Amateur Swimming Union
Best known athlete: Matthew Abeysinghe. Matthew Abeysinghe has held Sri Lankan national swimming records and competed for the country at the Olympic Games, making him the sport’s most recognized current athlete

Swimming is organized by the Sri Lanka Amateur Swimming Union, with competitive training concentrated in Colombo and a small number of other cities that have suitable pool infrastructure.

Matthew Abeysinghe has represented Sri Lanka at the Olympic Games and holds national records, making him the sport’s best known competitive figure domestically.

Latest Posts about Swimming

#8 Badminton

Governing body: Sri Lanka Badminton Association

Badminton is governed by the Sri Lanka Badminton Association and has an active school and club competition circuit, alongside informal recreational play in community halls.

The sport does not have the same international competitive record as cricket or athletics, but its low equipment cost keeps participation broad across income levels.

Latest Posts about Badminton

#9 Boxing

Governing body: Sri Lanka Amateur Boxing Association

Boxing is organized by the Sri Lanka Amateur Boxing Association, with clubs concentrated in Colombo and a number of other cities that maintain a longstanding amateur boxing tradition.

Sri Lankan boxers compete regularly at South Asian and Commonwealth level events, and the sport retains a dedicated grassroots following even without the broader following of team sports.

Latest Posts about Boxing

#10 Elle

Governing body: Sri Lanka Elle Federation

Elle is a traditional Sri Lankan bat and ball game, often compared to rounders, that is generally understood to predate the arrival of cricket on the island and is considered a homegrown sport.

The game is still played at village and school level, especially during rural festivals, and an organized elle federation runs school and community tournaments to keep the tradition active.

#11 Chess

Governing body: Chess Federation of Sri Lanka

Chess is organized by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka, which runs a national rating system and school level tournaments that have expanded participation over the past decade.

Sri Lankan players compete at South Asian and other regional rated events, and school chess clubs are one of the more visible growth areas in the country’s competitive sport scene.

#12 Carrom

Governing body: Sri Lanka Carrom Federation

Carrom is played widely in Sri Lankan homes, community centers and youth clubs, making it one of the most common indoor games in the country regardless of formal competition.

An organized carrom federation runs club and national tournaments, and the game is frequently named among the most popular indoor sports in Sri Lanka.

#13 Basketball

Governing body: Sri Lanka Basketball Federation

Basketball is governed by the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation and is played mainly in schools and universities in Colombo and other urban centers.

The sport has a smaller organized base than cricket, volleyball or rugby, but school and university leagues keep it active among younger players.

Latest Posts about Basketball

#14 Table tennis

Governing body: Sri Lanka Table Tennis Association

Table tennis is organized by the Sri Lanka Table Tennis Association and is a common feature of school and community club sport programs across the country.

Equipment and space needs are modest compared with team sports, which keeps table tennis accessible in both urban and rural school settings.

Latest Posts about Table Tennis

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 is the national sport of Sri Lanka?

Volleyball is widely reported as the officially designated national sport of Sri Lanka, a status commonly dated to a government decision in 1991. Cricket, however, is the sport most Sri Lankans actually follow and play, and it draws the country’s largest sport audiences.

What are Sri Lanka’s most popular sports?

Cricket leads by a wide margin, organized nationally by Sri Lanka Cricket and supported by the deepest school and club structure in the country. Volleyball, rugby union and soccer follow as the next most widely played and organized sports.

Is rugby popular in Sri Lanka?

Yes, rugby union has a long organized school tradition in Sri Lanka, especially around Kandy, and the Clifford Cup is the country’s oldest and most followed club and school rugby competition. Big school rugby matches draw some of the largest domestic sporting crowds outside cricket.

What sports is Sri Lanka good at and known for?

Sri Lanka is best known internationally for cricket, having won the 1996 Cricket World Cup, with Muttiah Muralitharan retiring as the leading wicket taker in Test and one day international history. The country has also produced Olympic level results in athletics, including Susanthika Jayasinghe’s 200 meter silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

What are the popular indoor sports in Sri Lanka?

Carrom is one of the most widely played indoor games in Sri Lankan homes and community centers, alongside table tennis and chess, both of which have active national federations and school level competition.