Baseball leads the Dominican Republic, ahead of Basketball and Boxing. Ranking of 10 sports.
This page ranks the sports of the Dominican Republic by the evidence behind each one, because no single membership, license, or national participation survey covering all sports in the Dominican Republic could be confirmed without search access, so ranking is based on documented institutional and competitive evidence per sport rather than one comparable number. The figures come from Ministerio de Deportes y Recreacion (MIDEREC).
Baseball is on top, followed by Basketball 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 the Dominican Republic
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 2025.
| # | Sport | Basis for the placing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baseball | LIDOM operates the country’s professional winter league with six teams, and its champion regularly represents the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series. |
| 2 | Basketball | The Dominican Republic hosted and competed in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014, and fields a domestic top division league, the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Superior. |
| 3 | Boxing | MIDEREC lists boxing among the federations it recognizes and supports, and amateur boxing gyms operate in most major Dominican cities as a route into national and regional competit |
| 4 | Volleyball | The Dominican Republic women’s national volleyball team qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, one of a small number of national teams from the Americas outside the traditiona |
| 5 | Athletics | Felix Sanchez won Olympic gold in the men’s 400 meter hurdles for the Dominican Republic at both the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Games, plus three world championship titles. |
| 6 | Taekwondo | Gabriel Mercedes won an Olympic bronze medal for the Dominican Republic in men’s taekwondo at the Tokyo 2020 Games. |
| 7 | Soccer | The Liga Dominicana de Futbol, the country’s first fully professional soccer league, began play in 2022 as part of an effort to formalize a domestic top division. |
| 8 | Softball | MIDEREC recognizes softball as a supported federation, and it is commonly played as a companion sport to baseball in Dominican schools and community leagues. |
| 9 | Judo | MIDEREC lists judo among the Olympic sport federations it recognizes and funds for regional and continental competition. |
| 10 | Cycling | MIDEREC recognizes competitive cycling as a supported federation separate from everyday bicycle use, covering road and track events tied to regional championships. |
Is There a National Sport of the Dominican Republic?
the Dominican Republic has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No law or government decree formally designating an official national sport of the Dominican Republic could be confirmed.
- Baseball. Baseball functions as the country’s de facto national sport through its professional winter league and its role as the leading source of Dominican born Major League Baseball players.
#1 Baseball
- Governing body: Dominican Baseball Federation
- Top national league: Liga de Beisbol Profesional de la Republica Dominicana (LIDOM)
- Best known athlete: David Ortiz. Born in Santo Domingo, he won three World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox (2004, 2007, 2013), was named 2013 World Series MVP, and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022
Baseball is the sport most closely tied to Dominican national identity. The country runs its own professional winter league, LIDOM, in which six teams compete each season for a place in the Caribbean Series against champions from other Caribbean and Latin American leagues.
The Dominican Republic also supplies a large number of players to Major League Baseball academies, and Dominican born players regularly appear on MLB opening day rosters. David Ortiz, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022, remains the country’s best known player internationally.
Latest Posts about Baseball
#2 Basketball
- Governing body: Dominican Basketball Federation (FEDOMBALO)
- Top national league: Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Superior (LNB)
- Best known athlete: Al Horford. A multiple time NBA All-Star, he has captained the Dominican men’s national team, including at the FIBA World Cup hosted by the Dominican Republic in 2014
Basketball ranks among the most followed team sports in the country. The Dominican Republic has a functioning domestic top division, the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Superior, and its men’s national team has competed in FIBA World Cup qualification cycles.
The sport gained a further boost in 2014 when the Dominican Republic hosted the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Al Horford, an NBA veteran with several All-Star selections, has represented the national team as captain in major tournaments.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#3 Boxing
- Governing body: Dominican Boxing Federation
Boxing has a long standing amateur base in the Dominican Republic, with gyms in Santo Domingo and other cities feeding fighters into national championships and regional qualifiers for events such as the Central American and Caribbean Games.
The sport is formally recognized and supported by the national sports ministry alongside baseball and basketball, and it remains a common entry point for young athletes from lower income neighborhoods.
Latest Posts about Boxing
#4 Volleyball
- Governing body: Dominican Volleyball Federation
- Best known athlete: Bethania de la Cruz. Long time captain and outside hitter of the Dominican women’s national volleyball team, she led the squad through its qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Women’s volleyball is one of the Dominican Republic’s strongest international sports. The national team has placed consistently among the top teams at Pan American and NORCECA regional competitions over the past two decades.
That strength culminated in qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, led by longtime team captain Bethania de la Cruz. The sport is widely played in Dominican schools alongside baseball and basketball.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#5 Athletics
- Governing body: Dominican Athletics Federation
- Best known athlete: Felix Sanchez. He won Olympic gold in the 400 meter hurdles in 2004 and 2012 and was world champion in the event in 2001, 2003, and 2009, making him the country’s most decorated track and field athlete
Track and field has produced the Dominican Republic’s most consistent individual Olympic success. Felix Sanchez won gold in the 400 meter hurdles at both the 2004 and 2012 Olympics, separated by an eight year gap between titles.
More recently, Dominican sprinters and quarter milers have continued to reach global finals in the 400 meters, keeping athletics among the country’s leading individual sports at the international level.
Latest Posts about Athletics
#6 Taekwondo
- Governing body: Dominican Taekwondo Federation
- Best known athlete: Gabriel Mercedes. He won the Olympic bronze medal in the men’s under 58 kilogram taekwondo division at the Tokyo 2020 Games
Taekwondo has become one of the Dominican Republic’s more productive Olympic sports relative to its size, with national training programs feeding fighters into Pan American and world qualifying events.
Gabriel Mercedes brought home an Olympic bronze medal from the Tokyo 2020 Games in the under 58 kilogram division, adding to a run of Dominican taekwondo medals at continental championships in the years around that Games.
Latest Posts about Taekwondo
#7 Soccer
- Governing body: Dominican Football Federation
- Top national league: Liga Dominicana de Futbol (LDF)
Soccer has grown quickly in the Dominican Republic over the past decade, driven mainly by youth interest and migration from other Caribbean and Latin American countries where the sport dominates.
That growth led to the 2022 launch of the Liga Dominicana de Futbol, the country’s first fully professional soccer league, alongside a national team that competes in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying rounds.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#8 Softball
- Governing body: Dominican Softball Federation
Softball is played widely at the school and community level, benefiting from the same baseball culture and facilities that support the country’s professional winter league.
National softball teams compete in Pan American and Central American and Caribbean regional qualifiers, though the sport remains smaller in profile than baseball itself.
Latest Posts about Softball
#9 Judo
- Governing body: Dominican Judo Federation
Judo is one of several combat sports supported through the national Olympic sport structure, with dedicated federations preparing athletes for Central American and Caribbean Games and Pan American qualifiers.
The sport has a smaller public following than baseball or basketball but maintains a steady base of clubs training competitors for regional judo championships.
Latest Posts about Judo
#10 Cycling
- Governing body: Dominican Cycling Federation
Competitive cycling in the Dominican Republic centers on road racing, with national championships and stage races feeding riders into Central American and Caribbean and Pan American events.
The sport draws a smaller audience than the country’s leading team sports but has an established federation structure and a calendar of domestic races each year.
Latest Posts about Cycling
Sources
- Ministerio de Deportes y Recreacion (MIDEREC)
- Liga de Beisbol Profesional de la Republica Dominicana (LIDOM)
- International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
- International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Olympic qualification results
- International Olympic Committee Olympic Games results
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 the Dominican Republic?
Baseball is the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic. The country runs its own professional winter league, LIDOM, and is one of the largest sources of foreign born players in Major League Baseball, with David Ortiz as its best known player internationally.
What is the Dominican Republic’s national sport?
No law formally designates an official national sport of the Dominican Republic. Baseball is widely treated as the de facto national sport because of its professional league, LIDOM, and its central role in Dominican sporting identity.
What are popular sports in the Dominican Republic?
Besides baseball, basketball, boxing, volleyball, and athletics are among the most followed sports. Basketball has a domestic league and hosted the FIBA World Cup in 2014, while volleyball’s women’s team reached the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
What is the most popular professional sport in the Dominican Republic?
Baseball is the most popular professional sport, organized through LIDOM, the country’s professional winter league. Soccer became the second sport with a fully professional domestic league when the Liga Dominicana de Futbol began play in 2022.
What sports do people play in the Dominican Republic?
People in the Dominican Republic commonly play baseball, basketball, boxing, volleyball, soccer, and softball, along with individual sports such as athletics and taekwondo through federations recognized by the sports ministry, MIDEREC.
