Soccer leads Costa Rica, ahead of Surfing and Athletics. Ranking of 15 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Costa Rica by the evidence behind each one, because no single official participation survey or comparable national federation membership count for Costa Rica could be confirmed in this session (search quota exhausted). Ranking rests on federation presence, competitive structure, media coverage and cultural visibility instead of one uniform figure.
Soccer is on top, followed by Surfing and Athletics. 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 Costa Rica
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 | Fedefutbol governs the top domestic league (Liga Promerica) and the men’s national team, which has reached six FIFA World Cups and the 2014 quarterfinals. |
| 2 | Surfing | Costa Rica has coastline on both the Pacific and Caribbean, with breaks such as Pavones, Santa Teresa, Tamarindo and Playa Hermosa that support a year round surf culture and regula |
| 3 | Athletics | Road races and marathons draw large numbers of recreational participants in San Jose and other cities throughout the year. |
| 4 | Swimming | Competitive swimming has organized clubs and a national federation, and produced the country’s first Olympic medal. |
| 5 | Cycling | The Vuelta a Costa Rica, a multi stage road race, has run for decades and is one of the longer running national cycling tours in the Americas. |
| 6 | Basketball | Basketball has an organized domestic league structure and national federation, with regular participation in Central American competitions. |
| 7 | Volleyball | Volleyball is played widely in schools and clubs, with both indoor and beach formats present given the country’s coastlines. |
| 8 | Boxing | Amateur boxing is organized through gyms and a national federation, with fighters competing in regional and international amateur circuits. |
| 9 | Taekwondo | Taekwondo has a large network of youth schools across the country and an active national federation sending athletes to regional and world events. |
| 10 | Sport fishing | Costa Rica markets itself internationally as a billfish sport fishing destination, particularly for sailfish on the Pacific coast, and regulates sport fishing licensing through INC |
| 11 | Golf | Golf is played at a small number of resort and private club courses, organized under a national federation with limited but organized competitive activity. |
| 12 | Corridas a la tica | Corridas a la tica, a bullfighting event without killing the bull, is a centerpiece of the annual Zapote Festival in San Jose each December and draws large crowds. |
| 13 | Tope and rodeo | Horse parades called topes and rodeo style bull riding events are tied to the cattle ranching culture of Guanacaste province and appear at regional festivals. |
| 14 | Baseball | Baseball has a much smaller organized presence in Costa Rica than in neighboring Nicaragua or Panama, with limited domestic league activity. |
| 15 | Tennis | Tennis is played mainly through private clubs in the Central Valley, with a national federation organizing amateur and junior competitions. |
Is There a National Sport of Costa Rica?
Costa Rica has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No law or executive decree establishing an official national sport for Costa Rica was found; this reflects general knowledge rather than a verified legal search, since web search was unavailable in this session.
- Soccer. Soccer functions as the de facto national sport of Costa Rica given its dominant participation, media coverage and cultural presence compared to every other sport.
#1 Soccer
- Governing body: Costa Rican Football Federation (Fedefutbol)
- Top national league: Liga Promerica
- Best known athlete: Keylor Navas. Goalkeeper who won multiple UEFA Champions League titles with Real Madrid and remains the most capped and most recognized Costa Rican men’s national team player
Soccer is the dominant sport in Costa Rica, played and followed in every part of the country. The top domestic competition is Liga Promerica, and clubs such as Saprissa, Alajuelense and Herediano draw the largest and most consistent crowds of any sport in the country.
The men’s national team has qualified for six FIFA World Cups and reached the quarterfinals in 2014, the country’s best result at that tournament. Keylor Navas, a goalkeeper who won several UEFA Champions League titles with Real Madrid, is the sport’s best known Costa Rican athlete internationally.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Surfing
- Governing body: Costa Rican Surfing Federation
Surfing has a large following in Costa Rica because of the country’s exposure to both the Pacific and the Caribbean. Towns such as Tamarindo, Santa Teresa and Playa Hermosa built parts of their local economy around surf tourism and surf schools.
Pavones, on the southern Pacific coast, is known internationally for one of the longest lefthand waves in the world. Domestic surf contests are held throughout the year and draw both local and visiting competitors.
Latest Posts about Surfing
#3 Athletics
- Governing body: Costa Rican Athletics Federation
- Best known athlete: Nery Brenes. Sprinter who won the 400 meters at the 2012 World Indoor Championships and reached an Olympic final, the country’s most successful track athlete
Running is one of the most widely practiced competitive sports in Costa Rica outside soccer. Road races and organized marathons in San Jose and other cities regularly attract large fields of amateur runners alongside elite competitors.
Nery Brenes is the country’s most successful track athlete, winning the 400 meters at the 2012 World Indoor Championships and reaching an Olympic final, results that raised the sport’s profile domestically.
Latest Posts about Athletics
#4 Swimming
- Governing body: Costa Rican Swimming Federation
- Best known athlete: Silvia Poll. Won silver in the 200 meters freestyle at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Costa Rica’s first ever Olympic medal
Swimming has a long competitive history in Costa Rica and is organized through clubs affiliated with the national federation. It is also one of the sports most associated with the country’s early Olympic success.
Silvia Poll won silver in the 200 meters freestyle at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the first Olympic medal in Costa Rican history, and remains the sport’s most referenced figure domestically.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#5 Cycling
- Governing body: Costa Rican Cycling Federation
Road cycling has a established competitive scene in Costa Rica, centered on club racing and the annual Vuelta a Costa Rica, a multi stage race that has run for decades and draws teams from across the region.
Beyond racing, cycling clubs are active in San Jose and the Central Valley, and the sport benefits from Costa Rica’s mountainous terrain, which is used for both road and mountain bike events.
Latest Posts about Cycling
#6 Basketball
- Governing body: Costa Rican Basketball Federation
Basketball is played at club and school level across Costa Rica, with a domestic league structure organized under the national federation.
The national teams compete in Central American and Caribbean regional tournaments, and the sport has a steady, if smaller, following compared to soccer.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#7 Volleyball
- Governing body: Costa Rican Volleyball Federation
Volleyball is a common school and club sport in Costa Rica, played in both indoor and beach formats. The beach version benefits from the country’s Pacific and Caribbean coastlines.
Women’s volleyball in particular has a visible domestic following, with club competitions organized under the national federation.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#8 Boxing
- Governing body: Costa Rican Boxing Federation
Boxing has a longstanding amateur tradition in Costa Rica, organized through local gyms and the national federation, with fighters competing in Central American circuits.
The sport draws a smaller but committed following, concentrated in urban gyms rather than large public venues.
Latest Posts about Boxing
#9 Taekwondo
- Governing body: Costa Rican Taekwondo Federation
Taekwondo is one of the most widely taught martial arts in Costa Rica, with schools operating in most cities and a national federation that sends athletes to international competitions.
Its popularity is concentrated among children and teenagers, who make up the large majority of registered practitioners at local clubs.
Latest Posts about Taekwondo
#10 Sport fishing
- Governing body: Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura (INCOPESCA)
Sport fishing is a significant recreational and tourism activity in Costa Rica, especially offshore fishing for sailfish and marlin on the Pacific coast.
Licensing and regulation of sport fishing fall under INCOPESCA, and the activity supports a network of charter operators along both coasts.
Latest Posts about Fishing
#11 Golf
- Governing body: Costa Rican Golf Federation
Golf remains a smaller sport in Costa Rica, concentrated at resort courses and private clubs rather than public facilities.
The national federation organizes amateur tournaments, and the sport is tied closely to the tourism industry near coastal resort areas.
Latest Posts about Golf
#12 Corridas a la tica
Corridas a la tica is a distinct Costa Rican tradition in which improvised participants enter a ring with a bull that is not injured or killed, unlike bullfighting in Spain or Mexico.
The event is a highlight of the Zapote Festival held in San Jose every December and remains one of the most attended traditional sporting spectacles in the country.
#13 Tope and rodeo
Tope, a formal horse parade, and rodeo style bull riding are rooted in the cattle ranching culture of Guanacaste province in northern Costa Rica.
These events appear at regional festivals throughout the year and remain closely tied to rural identity rather than to organized national league competition.
#14 Baseball
- Governing body: Costa Rican Baseball Federation
Baseball is played in Costa Rica but at a much smaller scale than in neighboring Nicaragua or Panama, where the sport has a far larger following.
Domestic activity is limited to amateur clubs, and the sport does not have the stadium infrastructure or media coverage that soccer has.
Latest Posts about Baseball
#15 Tennis
- Governing body: Costa Rican Tennis Federation
Tennis in Costa Rica is concentrated in private clubs, mostly in the Central Valley around San Jose, rather than in public facilities.
The national federation runs junior and amateur tournaments, and the sport has a smaller but stable base compared to soccer or running.
Latest Posts about Tennis
Sources
- Costa Rican Football Federation (Fedefutbol)
- Costa Rican Athletics Federation
- Costa Rican Basketball Federation
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 Costa Rica?
Soccer is the most popular sport in Costa Rica by participation, media coverage and cultural presence. It is governed by the Costa Rican Football Federation (Fedefutbol), whose top domestic competition is Liga Promerica and whose men’s national team reached the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals in 2014.
What is the national sport of Costa Rica?
Costa Rica has no law or decree establishing an official national sport. Soccer is widely treated as the de facto national sport because of its dominant participation and following compared to any other sport in the country.
What sports are popular in Costa Rica?
Beyond soccer, surfing is very popular given the country’s Pacific and Caribbean coastlines, along with running and road races, competitive swimming, and road cycling, highlighted by the long running Vuelta a Costa Rica stage race.
What sports are played in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica has organized national federations and competitions for soccer, surfing, athletics, swimming, cycling, basketball, volleyball, boxing, taekwondo, golf, baseball and tennis, alongside traditions such as corridas a la tica and tope events tied to Guanacaste’s ranching culture.
What are the top three sports in Costa Rica?
The top three sports in Costa Rica are soccer, surfing and running. Soccer leads by a wide margin, while surfing benefits from the country’s two coastlines and running draws large fields at road races and marathons throughout the year.
