The Most Popular Sports in France (Top 20 Ranked)

Soccer leads France with 2,352,238 annual sport federation licenses in 2024, ahead of Tennis and Equestrian sports. Ranking of 20 sports.

This page ranks the sports of France by one number that is collected the same way for all of them: Number of annual licenses (licenses annuelles) issued by each ministry-approved sports federation in a calendar year; this excludes other, non-comparable participation titles and volunteer licenses, so it is a consistent measure across federations. The figures come from Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee.

Soccer is on top, followed by Tennis and Equestrian sports. The full table below covers 20 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.

The Most Popular Sports in France

The table counts annual sport federation licenses, 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 listed sports account for 17,161,064 in total. The reference year is 2024.

#	Sport	Annual sport federation licenses	Governing body
1	Soccer	2,352,238	French Football Federation (FFF)
2	Tennis	1,169,754	French Tennis Federation (FFT)
3	Equestrian sports	648,254	French Equestrian Federation (FFE)
4	Basketball	615,771	French Basketball Federation (FFBB)
5	Handball	591,324	French Handball Federation (FFHB)
6	Judo	547,671	French Judo, Jujitsu, Kendo and Associated Disciplines Federation (FFJDA)
7	Golf	442,536	French Golf Federation (ffgolf)
8	Rugby union	424,293	French Rugby Federation (FFR)
9	Swimming	402,371	French Swimming Federation (FFN)
10	Gymnastics	341,987	French Gymnastics Federation (FFGym)
11	Athletics	313,957	French Athletics Federation (FFA)
12	Petanque	302,920	French Petanque and Provencal Game Federation (FFPJP)
13	Sailing	302,042	French Sailing Federation (FFVoile)
14	Shooting sports	275,116	French Shooting Federation (FFTir)
15	Karate	249,719	French Karate and Associated Disciplines Federation (FFKDA)
16	Badminton	208,986	French Badminton Federation (FFBaD)
17	Table tennis	182,499	French Table Tennis Federation (FFTT)
18	Volleyball	155,635	French Volleyball Federation (FFVolley)
19	Underwater sports	134,745	French Underwater Studies and Sports Federation (FFESSM)
20	Mountaineering and climbing	120,060	French Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (FFME)

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	27,948	Ligue 1 set an all time attendance record in the 2024-25 season.
Rugby union	16,114	The Top 14 also set a new average attendance record in the 2024-25 season.
Tennis	675,080	Roland Garros drew a record number of on site spectators in 2024.

Is There a National Sport of France?

France has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No sport is designated as France’s official national sport by any law or government decree.

• Soccer. Soccer functions as France’s de facto national sport, with by far the largest number of federation licenses of any sport.

Sports That Were Invented in France

• Petanque. Petanque was invented in 1907 in La Ciotat, in the south of France.
• Savate. Savate, a kicking and punching combat sport, developed in France in the 19th century and is regarded as the ancestor of French boxing.

#1 Soccer

• Annual sport federation licenses: 2,352,238 (French Football Federation (FFF), 2024)
• Top national league: Ligue 1
• Best known athlete: Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe scored four goals as France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, including a goal in the final against Croatia, and was named Best Young Player of the tournament

Soccer is the largest organized sport in France by membership, with 2,352,238 annual licenses recorded by the French Football Federation in 2024. It is the leading discipline among the Olympic summer federations tracked by Insee that year.

The sport is played at every level, from the professional Ligue 1 down to thousands of local clubs. Kylian Mbappe, who scored four goals as France won the 2018 World Cup, is one of the players most associated with the sport’s standing in the country.

#2 Tennis

• Annual sport federation licenses: 1,169,754 (French Tennis Federation (FFT), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Amelie Mauresmo. Mauresmo won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006 and became the first French player, male or female, to reach the world number one ranking, in September 2004

Tennis is the second largest federation by annual licenses in France, with 1,169,754 recorded in 2024. The sport benefits from a dense network of clubs and from the visibility of the Roland Garros Grand Slam tournament held in Paris.

Amelie Mauresmo is one of the sport’s leading French figures, having won two Grand Slam singles titles in 2006 and reached the world number one ranking in 2004, the first French player of either gender to do so.

#3 Equestrian sports

• Annual sport federation licenses: 648,254 (French Equestrian Federation (FFE), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Penelope Leprevost. Leprevost was part of the French team that won the team show jumping gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, alongside two team silver medals at the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010 and 2014

Equestrian sports rank third among French federations by annual licenses, with 648,254 recorded in 2024. The French Equestrian Federation has one of the highest shares of female license holders of any federation in the country.

Show jumping is the discipline’s most visible branch internationally. Penelope Leprevost was part of the French team that won Olympic team gold in show jumping at Rio 2016.

#4 Basketball

• Annual sport federation licenses: 615,771 (French Basketball Federation (FFBB), 2024)
• Top national league: Betclic Elite
• Best known athlete: Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama was named 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year, receiving all 99 first place votes, after averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and a league leading 3.6 blocks per game for the San Antonio Spurs

Basketball had 615,771 annual licenses with the French Basketball Federation in 2024, placing it fourth among the country’s sports federations. The domestic top division is Betclic Elite.

The sport’s international profile has grown with the success of French players abroad. Victor Wembanyama became the first French player to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, in 2024.

#5 Handball

• Annual sport federation licenses: 591,324 (French Handball Federation (FFHB), 2024)
• Top national league: LNH Starligue
• Best known athlete: Nikola Karabatic. Karabatic was named IHF World Player of the Year three times, in 2007, 2014 and 2016, and won three Olympic gold medals with the French national team

Handball ranked fifth among French sports federations in 2024, with 591,324 annual licenses. The domestic top division is the LNH Starligue.

The French men’s national team has won multiple Olympic and world titles since the 1990s. Nikola Karabatic, a three time IHF World Player of the Year, was one of the team’s central figures during that period.

#6 Judo

• Annual sport federation licenses: 547,671 (French Judo, Jujitsu, Kendo and Associated Disciplines Federation (FFJDA), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Teddy Riner. Riner has won five Olympic gold medals in judo, including at the 2012, 2016 and 2024 Games, and holds a record 11 world championship titles

Judo is the sixth most licensed sport in France, with 547,671 annual licenses in 2024. The French federation also covers jujitsu, kendo and related disciplines.

Teddy Riner is the sport’s most decorated French athlete, with five Olympic gold medals and eleven world championship titles across his career, making him the most successful judoka in Olympic history.

#7 Golf

• Annual sport federation licenses: 442,536 (French Golf Federation (ffgolf), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Celine Boutier. Boutier won the Amundi Evian Championship in 2023, her first major title and the first major win in her native France, becoming only the third French woman to win a major

Golf recorded 442,536 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, ranking seventh among the country’s sports. Participation has grown steadily over the past decade.

Celine Boutier is the sport’s leading current French player, having won the Amundi Evian Championship on home soil in 2023, her first major title on the LPGA Tour.

#8 Rugby union

• Annual sport federation licenses: 424,293 (French Rugby Federation (FFR), 2024)
• Top national league: Top 14
• Best known athlete: Antoine Dupont. Dupont was named World Rugby Men’s Player of the Year for 15s in 2021 and for Sevens in 2024, and captained France to Olympic gold in rugby sevens at the 2024 Paris Games

Rugby union had 424,293 annual licenses with the French Rugby Federation in 2024, making it the eighth most licensed sport nationally. The domestic top division, the Top 14, draws some of the largest club crowds of any rugby competition.

Antoine Dupont is the sport’s most prominent current French player, the only player to have won World Rugby Player of the Year in both the 15s and Sevens formats, most recently in 2024.

#9 Swimming

• Annual sport federation licenses: 402,371 (French Swimming Federation (FFN), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Leon Marchand. Marchand won four individual gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, each in an Olympic record time, across the 400m and 200m individual medley, 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke

Swimming had 402,371 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, ranking ninth among the country’s sports federations. Interest in the sport rose sharply around the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Leon Marchand became the face of that surge in interest, winning four individual gold medals in the Paris 2024 pool, all in Olympic record times.

#10 Gymnastics

• Annual sport federation licenses: 341,987 (French Gymnastics Federation (FFGym), 2024)

Gymnastics recorded 341,987 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, placing it tenth among the country’s sports. The federation covers artistic, rhythmic and other gymnastics disciplines.

The sport has one of the highest shares of female license holders among the larger French federations, with clubs spread across most regions of the country.

#11 Athletics

• Annual sport federation licenses: 313,957 (French Athletics Federation (FFA), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Renaud Lavillenie. Lavillenie won Olympic gold in the pole vault at London 2012 and later set the world indoor record of 6.16m in 2014, a mark that stood for over six years

Athletics had 313,957 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, ranking eleventh among the country’s sports. The federation covers track and field events from youth to elite level.

Renaud Lavillenie is one of the sport’s most successful French competitors, an Olympic pole vault champion in 2012 who went on to set a world indoor record in 2014.

#12 Petanque

• Annual sport federation licenses: 302,920 (French Petanque and Provencal Game Federation (FFPJP), 2024)

Petanque had 302,920 annual licenses with its French federation in 2024, making it the largest non-Olympic federation in the country by that measure. The game originated in the south of France in the early twentieth century.

Clubs are concentrated in the south but present nationwide, and the game is played informally by many more people than are counted among its license holders.

#13 Sailing

• Annual sport federation licenses: 302,042 (French Sailing Federation (FFVoile), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Armel Le Cleac’h. Le Cleac’h won the 2016-17 Vendee Globe solo round the world race in a record time of 74 days, after finishing runner up in the two previous editions

Sailing had 302,042 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, ranking just behind petanque among the country’s sports federations. France has a long coastline on the Atlantic, the Channel and the Mediterranean that supports the sport.

Offshore racing is one of the sport’s most followed branches in France. Armel Le Cleac’h won the 2016-17 Vendee Globe solo round the world race in a record time.

#14 Shooting sports

• Annual sport federation licenses: 275,116 (French Shooting Federation (FFTir), 2024)

Shooting sports had 275,116 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, placing it fourteenth among the country’s sports. The federation governs both Olympic and non-Olympic shooting disciplines.

The federation’s license base has stayed among the largest of the non-team Olympic sports in France, alongside archery and other target sports.

#15 Karate

• Annual sport federation licenses: 249,719 (French Karate and Associated Disciplines Federation (FFKDA), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Steven Da Costa. Da Costa won the men’s -67kg gold medal at the karate competition’s Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, and is a three time world champion in that weight class

Karate had 249,719 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, ranking fifteenth among the country’s sports and making it the largest martial art federation after judo.

Steven Da Costa gave the sport a high profile result by winning the men’s -67kg gold medal when karate made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

#16 Badminton

• Annual sport federation licenses: 208,986 (French Badminton Federation (FFBaD), 2024)

Badminton had 208,986 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, ranking sixteenth among the country’s sports. The sport is practiced mostly through club and school structures.

Its license base has grown over the past decade, placing it ahead of several longer established federations in the annual Insee count.

#17 Table tennis

• Annual sport federation licenses: 182,499 (French Table Tennis Federation (FFTT), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Jean-Philippe Gatien. Gatien won the men’s singles title at the 1993 World Table Tennis Championships in Gothenburg, and remains the only French world champion in the sport

Table tennis had 182,499 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, ranking seventeenth among the country’s sports. Clubs are spread across most departments.

Jean-Philippe Gatien remains the sport’s benchmark French player, having won the men’s singles world title in 1993, a result no other French player has repeated.

#18 Volleyball

• Annual sport federation licenses: 155,635 (French Volleyball Federation (FFVolley), 2024)
• Top national league: Ligue A
• Best known athlete: Earvin Ngapeth. Ngapeth was named tournament MVP as France won Olympic gold in volleyball at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, scoring 92 points across six matches in the Paris tournament

Volleyball had 155,635 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, ranking eighteenth among the country’s sports. The men’s national team has become one of the strongest in the world over the past decade.

Earvin Ngapeth has been central to that rise, named tournament MVP as France won Olympic gold at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games.

#19 Underwater sports

• Annual sport federation licenses: 134,745 (French Underwater Studies and Sports Federation (FFESSM), 2024)

Underwater sports, including scuba diving and spearfishing, had 134,745 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, ranking nineteenth among the country’s sports.

The federation also issues a large number of non annual participation titles, reflecting occasional divers alongside its regular club members.

#20 Mountaineering and climbing

• Annual sport federation licenses: 120,060 (French Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (FFME), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Catherine Destivelle. Destivelle became the first woman to solo the north face of the Eiger in winter, in 1992, and was the first woman to receive the Piolet d’Or Lifetime Achievement Award for alpinism

Mountaineering and climbing had 120,060 annual licenses with the French federation in 2024, ranking twentieth among the country’s sports. Sport climbing has drawn additional interest since its Olympic debut in 2020.

Catherine Destivelle is one of the discipline’s best known French names, having soloed the north face of the Eiger in winter in 1992 and later received the Piolet d’Or Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sources

• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP)
• Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR)
• ESPN
• Ministere charge des Sports, Mission et organisation
• Federation Francaise de Petanque et Jeu Provencal (FFPJP)
• Larousse, Dictionnaire de francais
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee
• Insee / Injep-Medes, Licenses sportives et autres titres de participation par federation agreee

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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