Soccer leads Colombia, ahead of Cycling and Basketball. Ranking of 15 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Colombia by the evidence behind each one, because no single comparable figure (registered federation members, licenses, or a national participation survey) could be confirmed for Colombia in this session, so the ranking is ordered by documented evidence of participation, professional league presence, and international results rather than one uniform number.
Soccer is on top, followed by Cycling and Basketball. The full table below covers 15 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.
The Most Popular Sports in Colombia
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 | Soccer is organized nationwide by the Colombian Football Federation and runs the country’s top professional league, the Categoria Primera A, making it the sport with the broadest p |
| 2 | Cycling | Road cycling has a large following in Colombia, with mountain terrain producing riders who compete at the top of European stage racing. |
| 3 | Basketball | Basketball is played nationwide in schools and has a professional men’s league that competes yearly. |
| 4 | Baseball | Baseball is concentrated on the Caribbean coast, particularly Cartagena and the department of Bolivar, and has produced players who reached Major League Baseball. |
| 5 | Athletics | Track and field produces some of Colombia’s most consistent Olympic and world championship medals, especially in jumping events. |
| 6 | Weightlifting | Weightlifting is a consistent source of Olympic and Pan American medals for Colombia. |
| 7 | BMX | BMX has become one of Colombia’s strongest Olympic disciplines relative to the size of the sport nationally. |
| 8 | Boxing | Boxing has produced multiple world champions from Colombia across different weight classes over recent decades. |
| 9 | Roller skating | Colombia has been one of the leading nations in world speed skating championships for several decades. |
| 10 | Volleyball | Volleyball is played in schools and recreational leagues across Colombia, with beach volleyball also practiced along the Caribbean coast. |
| 11 | Tejo | Tejo, a target sport with roots among indigenous communities in the Andean highlands, was declared Colombia’s national sport by national legislation in 2000. |
| 12 | Swimming | Swimming is taught through club and school programs and Colombian swimmers compete regularly at Pan American level. |
| 13 | Softball | Women’s softball is concentrated on the Caribbean coast alongside baseball and Colombia fields competitive national teams regionally. |
| 14 | Golf | Golf has a smaller player base tied to private clubs but has produced a PGA Tour winner from Colombia. |
| 15 | Taekwondo | Taekwondo is practiced through club and school programs and Colombia regularly enters combat sport competitions at Pan American and Olympic level. |
Is There a National Sport of Colombia?
- Tejo. Tejo was declared the national sport of Colombia by national legislation passed in 2000.
- Soccer. Soccer is the de facto most played and most watched sport in Colombia, despite tejo holding the legal title of national sport.
Sports That Were Invented in Colombia
- Tejo. Tejo traces its origins to indigenous communities in the Andean highlands of what is now Colombia, predating the modern Colombian state.
#1 Soccer
- Governing body: Colombian Football Federation
- Top national league: Categoria Primera A
- Best known athlete: James Rodriguez. Won the Golden Boot as top scorer of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and has played for clubs including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, making him the country’s best known active player
Soccer is played and followed at every level in Colombia, from neighborhood matches to the professional Categoria Primera A. The Colombian Football Federation oversees national teams and youth development across the country.
James Rodriguez became a global name after finishing as top scorer of the 2014 World Cup, and Colombian clubs and national teams remain the most watched sporting events in the country.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Cycling
- Governing body: Colombian Cycling Federation
- Best known athlete: Egan Bernal. Became the first Colombian and first Latin American to win the Tour de France in 2019, and also won the Giro d’Italia in 2021
Cycling holds a place in Colombian sport that goes beyond casual following, with mountain roads used as informal training grounds for generations of riders. Local and national road races draw large roadside crowds.
Egan Bernal’s 2019 Tour de France win and 2021 Giro d’Italia win are widely regarded as the high points of Colombian cycling on the international stage.
Latest Posts about Cycling
#3 Basketball
- Governing body: Colombian Basketball Federation
- Top national league: Liga Profesional de Baloncesto de Colombia
Basketball is a common school and recreational sport across Colombian cities, supported by a domestic professional league that runs an annual season.
The sport does not draw the same crowds as soccer or cycling, but it has a stable base of players and clubs in most major cities.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#4 Baseball
- Governing body: Colombian Baseball Federation
- Top national league: Liga Profesional de Beisbol Colombiano
- Best known athlete: Edgar Renteria. Drove in the winning run of the 1997 World Series and later won the 2010 World Series with the San Francisco Giants, becoming the best known Colombian player in Major League Baseball history
Baseball is a regional strength rather than a nationwide one, concentrated in Caribbean coast cities such as Cartagena and Barranquilla where it has been played for generations.
Edgar Renteria’s two World Series winning hits, in 1997 and 2010, remain the sport’s best known achievement for Colombia internationally.
Latest Posts about Baseball
#5 Athletics
- Governing body: Colombian Athletics Federation
- Best known athlete: Caterine Ibarguen. Won Olympic gold in the triple jump at Rio 2016 after taking silver in London 2012, and was also a world champion in the event
Track and field is practiced through school and club programs across the country, with jumping events in particular producing internationally competitive athletes.
Caterine Ibarguen’s Olympic gold in the triple jump at the 2016 Rio Games is one of the sport’s defining results for Colombia.
Latest Posts about Athletics
#6 Weightlifting
- Governing body: Colombian Weightlifting Federation
- Best known athlete: Maria Isabel Urrutia. Became Colombia’s first Olympic gold medalist at the Sydney 2000 Games, winning the women’s 75kg weightlifting event
Weightlifting has a smaller base of practitioners than soccer or basketball but a strong record of producing Olympic and Pan American medalists.
Maria Isabel Urrutia’s gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics was the first Olympic gold in Colombian history, in any sport.
Latest Posts about Weightlifting
#7 BMX
- Governing body: Colombian Cycling Federation (BMX division)
- Best known athlete: Mariana Pajon. Won Olympic gold in BMX racing at both London 2012 and Rio 2016, making her a two time Olympic champion in the sport
BMX racing has a smaller number of practitioners than mainstream team sports, concentrated around dedicated tracks in a handful of cities.
Mariana Pajon’s back to back Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016 made BMX one of the sports most associated with Colombian Olympic success.
#8 Boxing
- Governing body: Colombian Boxing Federation
Boxing is practiced in gyms across Colombian cities and has a long history as a route to professional careers, including world title fights held abroad.
The sport draws a dedicated following for major title bouts even though it does not have the broad daily participation of soccer or cycling.
Latest Posts about Boxing
#9 Roller skating
- Governing body: Colombian Roller Sports Federation
Speed skating on inline skates is taught through club programs in several Colombian cities and is one of the sports where national teams regularly reach world championship podiums.
The sport has a smaller general audience than soccer but a well organized competitive structure feeding national and junior teams.
#10 Volleyball
- Governing body: Colombian Volleyball Federation
Volleyball is a common school sport in Colombia and is also played recreationally on beaches along the Caribbean coast.
National teams compete regionally in South American competition, though the sport has a smaller professional structure than soccer or basketball.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#11 Tejo
- Governing body: Federacion Colombiana de Tejo
Tejo is played by throwing a metal disc at a clay target embedded with small gunpowder charges, traditionally in dedicated courts called tejo canchas found across the Andean interior of Colombia.
Its legal status as national sport, set in 2000, reflects its long history in the country rather than the size of its current player base compared to soccer or cycling.
#12 Swimming
- Governing body: Colombian Swimming Federation
Swimming is offered through club programs in most major Colombian cities and is a common part of school physical education.
Competitive results are strongest at the Pan American level, with fewer Colombian swimmers reaching world championship finals than in sports such as weightlifting or athletics.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#13 Softball
- Governing body: Colombian Softball Federation
Softball follows a similar regional pattern to baseball, with its strongest base on the Caribbean coast where both sports share facilities and players.
Colombian women’s national teams compete in Pan American and world qualifying events, though the sport has a small footprint outside the coastal region.
Latest Posts about Softball
#14 Golf
- Governing body: Colombian Golf Federation
- Best known athlete: Camilo Villegas. Won multiple PGA Tour events, including the 2008 BMW Championship and Tour Championship, and became one of the highest ranked Colombian golfers in history
Golf in Colombia is practiced mainly through private clubs in larger cities, giving it a smaller and more limited player base than team sports.
Camilo Villegas is the sport’s best known Colombian name internationally, with multiple PGA Tour wins including in 2008.
Latest Posts about Golf
#15 Taekwondo
- Governing body: Colombian Taekwondo Federation
Taekwondo is taught through martial arts clubs across Colombian cities, feeding national teams that compete at Pan American and Olympic qualifying events.
It has a smaller general following than soccer or cycling but a consistent competitive presence in continental combat sport events.
Latest Posts about Taekwondo
Sources
- Federacion Colombiana de Futbol
- Federacion Colombiana de Ciclismo (institutional reference, address not re-verified this session)
- Federacion Colombiana de Baloncesto (institutional reference, address not re-verified this session)
- Federacion Colombiana de Atletismo (institutional reference, address not re-verified this session)
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 most popular sport in Colombia?
Soccer is the most popular sport in Colombia, organized nationwide by the Colombian Football Federation and centered on the professional Categoria Primera A league. It draws the largest number of players and the widest media coverage of any sport in the country.
What is the national sport of Colombia?
Tejo, a traditional target sport played by throwing a metal disc at a clay target, was declared Colombia’s national sport by national legislation passed in 2000. Soccer is far more widely played and watched today, but tejo holds the formal legal title.
What sports do Colombians play?
Colombians widely play soccer and cycling, along with basketball, baseball on the Caribbean coast, athletics, weightlifting, BMX, and boxing. Tejo, roller skating, and volleyball also have established club and school programs across the country.
Which American sport is not also a popular sport in Colombia?
American football is not a popular sport in Colombia. Basketball, baseball, and soccer, the other sports commonly associated with the United States, all have organized federations and leagues in Colombia, but gridiron football does not have a comparable presence.
What are some favorite sports in Colombia for kids?
Soccer is the sport most commonly played by children in Colombia, taught through school programs and neighborhood clubs nationwide. Basketball, volleyball, athletics, and swimming are also common in school physical education programs.
