Soccer leads Guatemala, ahead of Basketball and Road cycling. Ranking of 12 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Guatemala by the evidence behind each one, because no web search was available in this fast run and no single verified numeric metric (members, licenses, or a national participation survey) could be retrieved for Guatemala. The order below rests on qualitative, general-knowledge evidence: federation presence, depth of domestic league or competition structure, youth participation reach, and recorded international results, not on a comparable count.
Soccer is on top, followed by Basketball and Road cycling. The full table below covers 12 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.
The Most Popular Sports in Guatemala
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 | Soccer runs the country’s only fully professional, multi division domestic league system and its national team draws the largest media and stadium following of any sport in Guatema |
| 2 | Basketball | Basketball has a dense informal infrastructure of public and school courts across Guatemalan cities and towns, making it one of the most accessible organized sports for children af |
| 3 | Road cycling | The Vuelta a Guatemala is a long running multi stage national race with a decades long history, and roadside crowds along its route are a recognized part of the country’s sporting |
| 4 | Athletics (race walking) | Race walking within athletics is the discipline that produced Guatemala’s first Olympic medal, which raised the sport’s national profile and drew increased federation and youth pro |
| 5 | Shooting sports | Shooting produced Guatemala’s second ever Olympic medal, at the 2024 Paris Games, which is treated as unverified in this run because it rests on general knowledge rather than a sou |
| 6 | Badminton | Badminton is a minority sport by participation but has an outsized international profile in Guatemala because of one long serving elite player, which supports its ranking here on c |
| 7 | Volleyball | Volleyball has an established school and club competition structure in Guatemala, particularly for girls and young women, which supports its place in the mid range of the ranking. |
| 8 | Boxing | Boxing has a longstanding amateur club tradition in Guatemala and regularly sends competitors to regional and international qualifying tournaments. |
| 9 | Weightlifting | Weightlifting is a consistent part of Guatemala’s regional and Pan American competition presence, supporting a modest but organized competitive base. |
| 10 | Swimming | Swimming is organized through club and school programs in the larger Guatemalan cities and is a regular part of the country’s Central American and Pan American competition delegati |
| 11 | Tennis | Tennis is played through a network of private clubs in Guatemala’s larger cities and has a regular national federation calendar of junior and adult tournaments. |
| 12 | Baseball and softball | Baseball and softball have an organized but comparatively small federation presence in Guatemala, well behind their status in neighboring Caribbean basin countries, which places th |
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 | National team matches and Liga Nacional de Guatemala games are widely described as drawing the country’s largest sports audiences, though no specific attendance or ratings figure was verified in this run. |
Is There a National Sport of Guatemala?
Guatemala has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No search was available in this fast run to confirm whether Guatemala has ever designated an official national sport by law or government decree, so this entry is left unresolved rather than guessed.
- Soccer. Soccer functions as Guatemala’s de facto national sport in everyday and media use, based on its dominant league structure and national team following, even without a confirmed legal designation.
Sports That Were Invented in Guatemala
- Mesoamerican ballgame. The ancient Mesoamerican ballgame, played on stone courts found at Maya sites across the region, is part of the archaeological and cultural record of the area that is now Guatemala, though it is a historical practice rather than an organized modern sport.
#1 Soccer
- Governing body: Guatemalan Football Federation (Federacion Nacional de Futbol de Guatemala, FEDEFUT)
- Top national league: Liga Nacional de Guatemala (Liga Guate)
- Best known athlete: Carlos Ruiz. Carlos Ruiz, known as El Pescadito, is Guatemala’s all time leading scorer for the men’s national team and played several Major League Soccer seasons with FC Dallas and the Los Angeles Galaxy
Soccer is the dominant sport in Guatemala, organized nationally by FEDEFUT and played through the Liga Nacional de Guatemala, commonly known as Liga Guate. Historic clubs based in Guatemala City, including Comunicaciones and Municipal, carry decades of rivalry and draw the country’s largest club followings.
The men’s national team match schedule is the most closely followed sports calendar in the country, and youth soccer programs, whether formal club academies or informal neighborhood matches, are the most common entry point into organized sport for Guatemalan children.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Basketball
- Governing body: Guatemalan Basketball Federation (Federacion Nacional de Baloncesto de Guatemala)
Basketball ranks as the second most widely played sport in Guatemala, supported by the national federation and by school and municipal leagues that reach children in both urban and smaller communities.
Outdoor courts are a common feature of Guatemalan neighborhoods and school grounds, and youth basketball programs are frequently cited alongside soccer as the two sports most Guatemalan children are introduced to first.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#3 Road cycling
- Governing body: Guatemalan Cycling Federation (Federacion Nacional de Ciclismo de Guatemala)
- Top national league: Vuelta a Guatemala
Competitive road cycling has a long tradition in Guatemala, centered on the Vuelta a Guatemala, a multi stage national tour that has run for decades and passes through many towns outside the capital.
Local cycling clubs and regional teams feed riders into the national circuit, and stage finishes of the Vuelta typically draw roadside spectators well beyond the cycling community itself.
#4 Athletics (race walking)
- Governing body: Guatemalan Athletics Federation (Federacion Nacional de Atletismo de Guatemala)
- Best known athlete: Erick Barrondo. Erick Barrondo won the silver medal in the men’s 20 kilometer race walk at the 2012 London Olympics, the first Olympic medal in Guatemalan history
Athletics, and race walking in particular, gained lasting national attention after Erick Barrondo’s silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics, the first Olympic medal Guatemala had ever won.
That result gave the national athletics federation a higher public profile and is widely credited with drawing more young athletes into structured race walking and distance training programs.
#5 Shooting sports
- Governing body: Guatemalan Shooting Federation (Federacion Nacional de Tiro de Guatemala)
- Best known athlete: Jean Pierre Brol. Jean Pierre Brol won a bronze medal in men’s skeet shooting at the 2024 Paris Olympics, reported at the time as only the second Olympic medal in Guatemalan history
Competitive clay target shooting has a smaller but organized base in Guatemala through the national shooting federation, with athletes competing in regional and international qualifying events.
The discipline’s national profile rose sharply after a Guatemalan competitor reached the Olympic podium in skeet shooting at the 2024 Paris Games, one of only a handful of Olympic medals in the country’s history.
#6 Badminton
- Governing body: Guatemalan Badminton Federation (Federacion Nacional de Badminton de Guatemala)
- Best known athlete: Kevin Cordon. Kevin Cordon reached the men’s singles semifinals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first Central American badminton player to advance that far at the Games, and he represented Guatemala across several Olympic cycles
Badminton has a small but well organized competitive base in Guatemala, built largely around the national federation’s development squads rather than widespread casual play.
The sport’s national visibility rests heavily on the career of Kevin Cordon, whose Olympic and international results are the primary reason badminton is followed in Guatemala at all.
Latest Posts about Badminton
#7 Volleyball
- Governing body: Guatemalan Volleyball Federation (Federacion Nacional de Voleibol de Guatemala)
Volleyball is organized nationally through school leagues and club competitions and is one of the more commonly played team sports for girls and young women in Guatemala.
Regional and national tournaments feed a domestic competitive calendar, though the sport draws a smaller general audience than soccer or basketball.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#8 Boxing
- Governing body: Guatemalan Boxing Federation (Federacion Nacional de Boxeo de Guatemala)
Amateur boxing has a long standing club tradition in Guatemala, with gyms concentrated in Guatemala City and other urban centers training fighters for national and regional tournaments.
The sport does not draw the crowds that soccer does, but it has a steady base of practitioners and a recognized place in the country’s Olympic sport pipeline.
Latest Posts about Boxing
#9 Weightlifting
- Governing body: Guatemalan Weightlifting Federation (Federacion Nacional de Levantamiento de Pesas de Guatemala)
Olympic weightlifting is practiced in Guatemala through a national federation that sends lifters to Central American, Pan American, and world qualifying events.
Participation is concentrated in dedicated gyms rather than schools, giving the sport a smaller but steady competitive community.
Latest Posts about Weightlifting
#10 Swimming
- Governing body: Guatemalan Swimming Federation (Federacion Nacional de Natacion de Guatemala)
Competitive swimming in Guatemala is organized mainly through private clubs and school programs concentrated in Guatemala City and a handful of other urban centers with pool access.
Guatemalan swimmers regularly compete at Central American and Pan American age group and championship meets, though the sport’s reach outside cities with pools is limited.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#11 Tennis
- Governing body: Guatemalan Tennis Federation (Federacion Nacional de Tenis de Guatemala)
Tennis in Guatemala is centered on private clubs in Guatemala City and other larger urban areas, with the national federation running junior development and ranking tournaments.
Access is more limited outside these clubs, which keeps the sport smaller in overall reach than soccer, basketball, or cycling.
Latest Posts about Tennis
#12 Baseball and softball
- Governing body: Guatemalan Baseball and Softball Federation (Federacion Nacional de Beisbol y Softbol de Guatemala)
Baseball and softball are organized in Guatemala on a modest scale, unlike in several neighboring Caribbean basin countries where baseball is a leading national sport.
Guatemalan teams take part in Central American baseball and softball competitions, but the sport has never approached the scale of soccer, basketball, or cycling within the country.
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 Guatemala?
Soccer is the most popular sport in Guatemala by a wide margin. It has the country’s only fully developed professional league system, the Liga Nacional de Guatemala, and the men’s national team draws the largest media following of any sport.
What sports do Guatemalans play?
Alongside soccer, the most commonly played organized sports in Guatemala include basketball, road cycling, athletics, volleyball, boxing, and swimming, mostly through school programs, municipal courts, and national sport federations.
Is baseball important to Guatemala?
Baseball has a much smaller role in Guatemala than in several neighboring Caribbean basin countries. It is organized through a national federation and played in regional competitions, but it ranks well behind soccer, basketball, and cycling in national popularity.
What is the national sport of Guatemala?
No official law or government decree naming a national sport could be confirmed. In practice, soccer functions as the de facto national sport because of its dominant league and following.
What sports are popular for kids in Guatemala, including basketball?
Soccer and basketball are the two sports most Guatemalan children are introduced to first, supported by widespread school programs and public courts, with cycling and athletics also reaching youth through federation development programs.
