The Most Popular Sports in Austria (Top 22 Ranked)

Soccer leads Austria with 270,519 registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband) in 2024, ahead of Tennis and Skiing. Ranking of 22 sports.

This page ranks the sports of Austria by one number that is collected the same way for all of them: Sport Austria, the umbrella organization of Austrian sport, collects yearly membership counts reported directly by each national sport federation to the federal statistics office, all using the same 31 December reporting date, which makes the counts comparable across sports. The figures come from Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024.

Soccer is on top, followed by Tennis and Skiing. The full table below covers 22 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.

The Most Popular Sports in Austria

The table counts registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband), 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 2024.

#	Sport	Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband)	Governing body
1	Soccer	270,519	Austrian Football Association (OFB)
2	Tennis	199,091	Austrian Tennis Federation (OTV)
3	Skiing	137,162	Austrian Ski Association (OSV)
4	Golf	125,897	Austrian Golf Association (OGV)
5	Gymnastics	98,359	Austrian Gymnastics Federation (OFT)
6	Sport climbing	87,035	Austria Climbing (Kletterverband Osterreich, KVO)
7	Ice stock sport	67,431	Stocksport Austria (Bund Osterreichischer Eis- und Stocksportler, BOE)
8	Equestrian sport	48,147	Austrian Equestrian Federation (Osterreichischer Pferdesportverband, OEPS)
9	Cycling	45,245	Austrian Cycling Federation (Cycling Austria, ORV)
10	Athletics	32,287	Austrian Athletics Federation (OLV)
11	Table tennis	27,508	Austrian Table Tennis Federation (OTTV)
12	Volleyball	27,413	Austrian Volleyball Federation (OVV)
13	Judo	24,163	Austrian Judo Federation (OJV)
14	Basketball	22,565	Basketball Austria (formerly Austrian Basketball Federation, OBV)
15	Shooting sport	22,418	Austrian Shooting Federation (Osterreichischer Schutzenbund, OSB)
16	Handball	20,768	Austrian Handball Federation (OHB)
17	Triathlon	19,619	Austrian Triathlon Federation (OTRV)
18	Air sports	19,469	Austrian Aero Club (Osterreichischer Aero-Club, OAeC)
19	Sailing	17,253	Austrian Sailing Federation (Osterreichischer Segel-Verband, OeSV)
20	Archery	16,811	Austrian Archery Federation (Osterreichischer Bogensportverband, OBSV)
21	Luge	15,941	Austrian Luge Federation (Osterreichischer Rodelverband, ORV)
22	Karate	10,130	Austrian Karate Federation (Osterreichischer Karatebund, OKB)

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
Soccer	8,792	The ADMIRAL Bundesliga drew its highest average attendance in years across the 2024/25 season.
Tennis	82,000	The Erste Bank Open in Vienna set an all-time attendance record in 2025.
Alpine skiing	45,000	The Saturday downhill at the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbuhel sold out well ahead of race day.

Is There a National Sport of Austria?

Austria has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No Austrian federal law names an official national sport; sport is a matter for the nine federal states rather than a single national statute.

• Soccer. Football is Austria’s most widely played sport and is generally treated as the country’s de facto national sport in club membership terms.
• Skiing. Skiing shaped Austria’s sporting identity after the Second World War and is often described as the country’s unofficial national sport.

Sports That Were Invented in Austria

• Alpine skiing technique. The modern alpine skiing technique was developed in Lilienfeld, Austria, by Mathias Zdarsky and published in 1896.

#1 Soccer

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 270,519 (Austrian Football Association (OFB), 2024)
• Top national league: ADMIRAL Bundesliga
• Best known athlete: David Alaba. Austria’s national team captain has won three UEFA Champions League titles, two with Bayern Munich in 2013 and 2020 and one with Real Madrid in 2022

David Alaba has captained the Austria national football team and become the country’s most decorated modern player, winning three UEFA Champions League titles: two with Bayern Munich, in 2013 and 2020, and a third with Real Madrid after his move in 2021.

Football remains Austria’s largest club sport by a wide margin, with 270,519 registered members across the country’s federations at the end of 2024, well ahead of the next ranked sports.

#2 Tennis

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 199,091 (Austrian Tennis Federation (OTV), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Dominic Thiem. Won the 2020 US Open, becoming the first Austrian man to capture a Grand Slam singles title, and reached a career-high world number 3 ranking

Dominic Thiem became the first Austrian man to win a Grand Slam singles title when he beat Alexander Zverev in five sets at the 2020 US Open final, capping a run that took him to a career-high world number 3 ranking.

Tennis is Austria’s second-largest club sport, with 199,091 members registered at the end of 2024, and the country’s biggest domestic tournament, the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, has become one of the sport’s most attended indoor events.

#3 Skiing

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 137,162 (Austrian Ski Association (OSV), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Marcel Hirscher. Won a record eight consecutive overall World Cup titles for Austria from 2012 to 2019, the most in alpine skiing history

Marcel Hirscher won eight consecutive overall World Cup titles between 2012 and 2019 racing for Austria, a record unmatched in the history of alpine skiing.

Skiing counted 137,162 members across Austria’s ski clubs at the end of 2024, and the sport is closely tied to national identity, with the annual Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbuhel drawing tens of thousands of spectators each January.

#4 Golf

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 125,897 (Austrian Golf Association (OGV), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Bernd Wiesberger. A nine-time winner on the European (DP World) Tour who became the first Austrian to play at the Ryder Cup, in 2021 at Whistling Straits

Bernd Wiesberger has won nine titles on the European Tour and in 2021 became the first Austrian golfer to compete at the Ryder Cup, representing Team Europe at Whistling Straits.

Golf had 125,897 registered members in Austria at the end of 2024, ranking it among the country’s four largest club sports alongside football, tennis and skiing.

#5 Gymnastics

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 98,359 (Austrian Gymnastics Federation (OFT), 2024)

Gymnastics is organized nationally by the Austrian Gymnastics Federation, which oversees artistic gymnastics, trampoline, acrobatics and aerobics for clubs across the country.

The sport counted 98,359 club members at the end of 2024, placing it among Austria’s five largest sports by membership and ahead of long-established disciplines such as equestrian sport and cycling.

#6 Sport climbing

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 87,035 (Austria Climbing (Kletterverband Osterreich, KVO), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Jakob Schubert. A six-time world champion in sport climbing who has also won two Olympic bronze medals, at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024

Jakob Schubert has won six IFSC World Championship titles and two Olympic bronze medals, at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, making him one of the most successful competitive climbers of his generation.

Climbing had grown to 87,035 club members in Austria by the end of 2024, reflecting the sport’s rapid rise since it entered the Olympic program alongside the country’s mountain terrain, which supports both indoor and outdoor climbing.

#7 Ice stock sport

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 67,431 (Stocksport Austria (Bund Osterreichischer Eis- und Stocksportler, BOE), 2024)

Ice stock sport, in which players slide weighted pucks toward a target on ice, is organized nationally by Stocksport Austria and is contested both on natural ice and on artificial rinks.

The sport reported 67,431 club members at the end of 2024, making it one of Austria’s largest team sports by membership despite receiving comparatively little international media coverage.

#8 Equestrian sport

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 48,147 (Austrian Equestrian Federation (Osterreichischer Pferdesportverband, OEPS), 2024)

Equestrian sport in Austria covers show jumping, dressage and eventing and is governed nationally by the Austrian Equestrian Federation, a member of the International Equestrian Federation since 1962.

The federation counted 48,147 club members at the end of 2024, making equestrian sport one of Austria’s ten largest sports by registered membership.

#9 Cycling

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 45,245 (Austrian Cycling Federation (Cycling Austria, ORV), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Anna Kiesenhofer. Won Austria’s first Olympic cycling gold medal since 1896 in the women’s road race at the Tokyo 2020 Games, and the country’s first Summer Olympics gold of any kind since 2004

Anna Kiesenhofer produced one of the biggest upsets in Olympic cycling history when she rode away from the field to win the women’s road race at the Tokyo 2020 Games, Austria’s first Summer Olympics gold medal since 2004 and its first cycling gold since 1896.

Competitive cycling had 45,245 club members registered with the Austrian Cycling Federation at the end of 2024, a count that covers road, track, mountain bike and BMX racing rather than everyday cycling.

#10 Athletics

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 32,287 (Austrian Athletics Federation (OLV), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Ivona Dadic. Won bronze in the heptathlon at the 2016 European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, one of the country’s best results in a multi-event discipline

Ivona Dadic won bronze in the heptathlon at the 2016 European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, one of the strongest results by an Austrian athlete in a multi-event discipline in recent decades.

Track and field clubs reported 32,287 members at the end of 2024, and the sport is organized nationally by the Austrian Athletics Federation, which runs the country’s age-group and championship competitions.

#11 Table tennis

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 27,508 (Austrian Table Tennis Federation (OTTV), 2024)

Table tennis in Austria is organized by the Austrian Table Tennis Federation, a member of the International Table Tennis Federation, with regional associations running leagues in every federal state.

The sport had 27,508 registered club members at the end of 2024, keeping it narrowly ahead of volleyball among Austria’s mid-sized club sports.

#12 Volleyball

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 27,413 (Austrian Volleyball Federation (OVV), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Clemens Doppler. A four-time Olympian in beach volleyball who won European Championship gold in 2003 and 2007 and reached the 2017 World Championship final on home sand in Vienna

Clemens Doppler competed at four Olympic Games in beach volleyball for Austria and won European Championship gold in 2003 and 2007 before reaching the 2017 World Championship final on home sand in Vienna.

Volleyball, including its beach discipline, had 27,413 club members registered with the Austrian Volleyball Federation at the end of 2024.

#13 Judo

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 24,163 (Austrian Judo Federation (OJV), 2024)

Judo in Austria is governed by the Austrian Judo Federation, founded in 1947 and affiliated with the International Judo Federation, with clubs organizing competition across all weight classes.

The federation reported 24,163 club members at the end of 2024, making judo one of Austria’s larger combat sports by registered membership.

#14 Basketball

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 22,565 (Basketball Austria (formerly Austrian Basketball Federation, OBV), 2024)

Basketball is organized nationally by Basketball Austria, which has been a member of FIBA since 1934 and runs both the men’s and women’s national teams alongside domestic club competitions.

Club membership stood at 22,565 at the end of 2024, placing basketball just ahead of shooting sport among Austria’s mid-sized team disciplines.

#15 Shooting sport

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 22,418 (Austrian Shooting Federation (Osterreichischer Schutzenbund, OSB), 2024)

Sport shooting is governed by the Austrian Shooting Federation, founded in 1879 as the country’s oldest sports federation, covering rifle, pistol and clay target disciplines.

The federation counted 22,418 club members at the end of 2024, keeping shooting narrowly behind basketball in Austria’s club membership ranking.

#16 Handball

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 20,768 (Austrian Handball Federation (OHB), 2024)
• Top national league: Handball Liga Austria (HLA)

Handball is organized by the Austrian Handball Federation, founded in 1925, whose top clubs compete in the Handball Liga Austria alongside European club competitions.

The sport had 20,768 registered club members at the end of 2024, making it one of Austria’s established mid-sized team sports.

#17 Triathlon

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 19,619 (Austrian Triathlon Federation (OTRV), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Kate Allen. Won Austria’s gold medal in the women’s triathlon at the 2004 Athens Olympics after a dramatic sprint finish, the country’s first Olympic triathlon medal

Kate Allen won Austria’s gold medal in the women’s triathlon at the 2004 Athens Olympics, overtaking the front-runner in the closing meters of the run to finish in 2:04:43.45.

Triathlon clubs reported 19,619 members at the end of 2024, and the sport has grown steadily in Austria alongside the rise of mass-participation long-distance races.

#18 Air sports

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 19,469 (Austrian Aero Club (Osterreichischer Aero-Club, OAeC), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Paul Guschlbauer. A five-time competitor in the Red Bull X-Alps paragliding and hiking race who has finished on the podium four times and won the event’s Prologue race in 2015

Paul Guschlbauer has competed five times in the Red Bull X-Alps, the paragliding and hiking race across the Alps, finishing on the podium four times and winning the event’s Prologue race in 2015.

Air sports, covering gliding, paragliding, ballooning, skydiving and model flying, counted 19,469 club members under the Austrian Aero Club at the end of 2024.

#19 Sailing

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 17,253 (Austrian Sailing Federation (Osterreichischer Segel-Verband, OeSV), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher. Won back-to-back Olympic gold medals for Austria in the Tornado catamaran class at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Games

Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the Tornado catamaran class for Austria, at Sydney 2000 and again at Athens 2004.

Sailing clubs reported 17,253 members at the end of 2024, with the sport concentrated around Austria’s lakes, particularly the Neusiedler See near the Hungarian border.

#20 Archery

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 16,811 (Austrian Archery Federation (Osterreichischer Bogensportverband, OBSV), 2024)

Archery is organized by the Austrian Archery Federation, founded in 1963 and affiliated with World Archery since 1965, covering both target and field archery disciplines.

The federation counted 16,811 club members at the end of 2024, placing archery just ahead of tobogganing among Austria’s smaller but well-established club sports.

#21 Luge

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 15,941 (Austrian Luge Federation (Osterreichischer Rodelverband, ORV), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Wolfgang Kindl. A three-time World Champion in luge who won two Olympic silver medals at the Beijing 2022 Games, in the men’s singles and the team relay

Wolfgang Kindl won two Olympic silver medals at the Beijing 2022 Games, in the men’s singles luge and the team relay, adding to three World Championship titles won across his career.

Luge clubs, covering both natural and artificial tracks, reported 15,941 members at the end of 2024, with Austria’s track in Igls near Innsbruck among the sport’s major international venues.

#22 Karate

• Registered club members (Bundes-Sportfachverband): 10,130 (Austrian Karate Federation (Osterreichischer Karatebund, OKB), 2024)

Karate in Austria is governed by the Austrian Karate Federation, known internationally as Karate Austria, which organizes national championships across the sport’s kata and kumite disciplines.

The federation counted 10,130 club members at the end of 2024, the smallest membership among the sports in this ranking but still ahead of many other combat and target sports in the country.

Sources

• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• bundesliga.at season review
• Osterreichischer Tennisverband (OTV)
• Hahnenkamm-Races Kitzbuhel, official news
• Pranjic & Begovic, Historical roots and modern realities: Austria’s sports ecosystem, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (2025)
• American Alpine Club Publications, Mathias Zdarsky, the Pioneer of Alpine Skiing
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024
• Sport Austria – Mitgliederstatistik, Stand 31.12.2024

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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