Soccer leads Iraq, ahead of Weightlifting and Boxing. Ranking of 13 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Iraq by the evidence behind each one, because no single verified quantitative measure, such as federation membership, license counts, or a national participation survey, could be confirmed for Iraq in this run, so ranks rest on organizational scale, Olympic and continental competitive record, and documented public following rather than a shared number.
Soccer is on top, followed by Weightlifting and Boxing. The full table below covers 13 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.
The Most Popular Sports in Iraq
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 | The Iraq Football Association is listed as a full member association of the Asian Football Confederation, with national team and competition information published on this page. |
| 2 | Weightlifting | Weightlifting produced Iraq’s first Olympic medal and has remained one of the country’s most consistently supported Olympic sports through its national federation. |
| 3 | Boxing | Boxing has a long competitive history in Iraq through national championships and regional Arab and Asian tournaments organized by the national federation. |
| 4 | Wrestling | Wrestling is organized nationally and Iraq has fielded competitors at Asian and Olympic qualifying events for decades. |
| 5 | Taekwondo | Taekwondo has grown into one of Iraq’s stronger Olympic sports, with national training centers producing competitors for Asian and world qualifying events. |
| 6 | Basketball | Basketball draws a strong public following in Iraq, with club matches in Baghdad and other cities historically attracting large crowds, and the men’s national team was one of Asia’ |
| 7 | Bodybuilding | Bodybuilding and fitness sport have an organized federation structure in Iraq with national championships feeding into Asian competition. |
| 8 | Volleyball | Volleyball is played at club and national team level in Iraq under a federation affiliated with continental Asian volleyball competition. |
| 9 | Swimming | Swimming is organized nationally and Iraqi swimmers have competed at Asian championships and Olympic Games, including through universality entry places. |
| 10 | Athletics | Track and field is organized nationally and Iraq has sent athletes to Asian championships and Olympic Games for decades. |
| 11 | Judo | Judo is organized nationally in Iraq with competitors entered in Asian and world qualifying events. |
| 12 | Table Tennis | Table tennis has an active national federation structure with domestic championships and Asian qualifying participation. |
| 13 | Handball | Handball is organized nationally in Iraq with a domestic league feeding the national team’s Asian championship appearances. |
Is There a National Sport of Iraq?
Iraq has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. Iraq has not designated a national sport by law or government decree, based on the sources checked in this run.
- Soccer. Soccer functions as Iraq’s de facto national sport based on its organizational scale, media coverage, and public following, without a formal legal designation.
#1 Soccer
- Governing body: Iraq Football Association
- Top national league: Iraqi Premier League
- Best known athlete: Younis Mahmoud. He captained the Iraq national team to the 2007 AFC Asian Cup title and finished as the tournament’s top scorer, the country’s best known achievement in the sport
Soccer is the dominant organized sport in Iraq, run nationally by the Iraq Football Association and represented internationally through the Asian Football Confederation. The men’s national team, nicknamed the Lions of Mesopotamia, competes in AFC qualifying tournaments and plays within a domestic league structure topped by the Iraqi Premier League.
The sport draws the largest crowds and the most media coverage of any activity in the country, with matches played in stadiums across Baghdad, Basra, and Erbil. Youth development runs mainly through club academies affiliated with the national federation rather than informal recreational play.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Weightlifting
- Governing body: Iraqi Weightlifting Federation
- Best known athlete: Abdul Wahid Aziz. He won a bronze medal in weightlifting at the 1960 Rome Olympics, the first Olympic medal in Iraq’s history
Weightlifting occupies a central place in Iraqi Olympic sport, organized through the Iraqi Weightlifting Federation and feeding national teams into Asian and world qualifying events. The sport’s status rests on a long competitive record rather than mass recreational participation.
National training programs concentrate on producing competitors for continental and Olympic qualification, and the sport is treated as one of Iraq’s flagship Olympic disciplines alongside boxing and wrestling.
Latest Posts about Weightlifting
#3 Boxing
- Governing body: Iraqi Boxing Federation
Boxing is organized nationally through the Iraqi Boxing Federation, with domestic championships used to select competitors for Arab and Asian tournaments. The sport has a long standing presence in Iraqi Olympic sport administration.
Training centers for boxing operate mainly in larger cities, and the sport’s national profile comes from continental competition results rather than broad club membership numbers.
Latest Posts about Boxing
#4 Wrestling
- Governing body: Iraqi Wrestling Federation
Wrestling is administered by the Iraqi Wrestling Federation and has a long standing place in the country’s Olympic sport structure, with competitors regularly entered in Asian qualifying events.
The sport is concentrated in dedicated training centers rather than widespread club participation, and its national standing rests on continental and Olympic qualification history.
Latest Posts about Wrestling
#5 Taekwondo
- Governing body: Iraqi Taekwondo Federation
Taekwondo is organized through the Iraqi Taekwondo Federation and has become one of the country’s more actively developed Olympic combat sports in recent years.
National squads train for Asian and world qualifying tournaments, and the sport’s growth has been driven by federation level investment rather than informal club growth.
Latest Posts about Taekwondo
#6 Basketball
- Governing body: Iraqi Basketball Federation
- Top national league: Iraqi Basketball League
Basketball is run by the Iraqi Basketball Federation and supports a domestic league alongside a national team that has historically been competitive within Asian basketball.
The sport draws a visible fan base at club matches in Baghdad and other cities, positioning it as one of the more widely followed team sports in the country after soccer.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#7 Bodybuilding
- Governing body: Iraqi Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation
Bodybuilding is administered through a national federation that runs domestic championships and selects competitors for Asian level events.
Gyms and training centers supporting the sport are concentrated in larger cities, and its organized structure sits alongside Iraq’s other strength sports such as weightlifting.
#8 Volleyball
- Governing body: Iraqi Volleyball Federation
Volleyball is organized through the Iraqi Volleyball Federation, with a domestic club structure supporting men’s and women’s national teams that enter Asian level competition.
The sport has a smaller public following than soccer or basketball but maintains a stable federation structure and regular domestic competition calendar.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#9 Swimming
- Governing body: Iraqi Swimming Federation
Swimming is run by the Iraqi Swimming Federation, which enters national competitors in Asian championships and Olympic qualifying rounds.
Competitive swimming in Iraq is concentrated around a small number of federation affiliated pools and training programs rather than broad public club membership.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#10 Athletics
- Governing body: Iraqi Athletics Federation
Athletics, covering track and field events, is administered by the Iraqi Athletics Federation, which has entered competitors in Asian championships and Olympic qualifying for many years.
The sport functions mainly through federation run training centers, with national records and championship selection handled centrally rather than through a large club network.
Latest Posts about Athletics
#11 Judo
- Governing body: Iraqi Judo Federation
Judo is administered by the Iraqi Judo Federation and fields competitors at Asian championships and world qualifying tournaments.
The sport is practiced mainly through federation affiliated clubs in larger cities, with national ranking used to select international entrants.
Latest Posts about Judo
#12 Table Tennis
- Governing body: Iraqi Table Tennis Federation
Table tennis is run by the Iraqi Table Tennis Federation, which organizes domestic championships and selects players for Asian qualifying events.
The sport is played mainly through federation affiliated clubs and school programs rather than a large independent club base.
Latest Posts about Table Tennis
#13 Handball
- Governing body: Iraqi Handball Federation
- Top national league: Iraqi Handball League
Handball is administered by the Iraqi Handball Federation, which runs a domestic league that feeds the men’s national team’s appearances at Asian championships.
The sport has a smaller following than soccer or basketball but maintains an active federation structure and a regular domestic competition calendar.
Latest Posts about Handball
Sources
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 sports does Iraq play?
Iraq’s most organized sports are soccer, weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, and taekwondo, followed by basketball, bodybuilding, volleyball, swimming, athletics, judo, table tennis, and handball. Soccer has by far the largest public following and media coverage, while weightlifting, boxing, and wrestling carry Iraq’s strongest Olympic competitive record.
What is the favorite sport in Iraq?
Soccer is Iraq’s favorite sport, run nationally by the Iraq Football Association and represented through the Asian Football Confederation. It draws the largest crowds and media attention of any sport in the country.
Which sport is most important in Iraq?
Soccer is the most important sport in Iraq by organizational scale and public following, with a domestic league topped by the Iraqi Premier League and a national team that has competed in Asian Football Confederation tournaments.
What is the sports and entertainment scene like in Iraq?
Soccer dominates Iraq’s sports scene, with basketball drawing a strong secondary following, particularly around club matches in Baghdad. Weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, and taekwondo form the core of Iraq’s Olympic sport programs, each run by its own national federation.
