Soccer leads Kuwait, ahead of Camel racing and Equestrian. Ranking of 15 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Kuwait by the evidence behind each one, because no verified member, license, or participation survey numbers for Kuwait sports federations were retrieved this run: WebSearch was unavailable and all five WebFetch attempts to check federation and Olympic sites failed with network errors. The ranking below is ordered by general prevalence, organizational presence, and international competitiveness from general knowledge, not from a measured base figure.
Soccer is on top, followed by Camel racing and Equestrian. 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 Kuwait
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 is organized nationally with a top domestic league, the Kuwait Premier League, and a men’s national team that has competed at the AFC Asian Cup and, once, the FIFA World Cup |
| 2 | Camel racing | Camel racing is a long-standing traditional sport across Kuwait and the wider Gulf, run at dedicated tracks with organized seasonal race meetings. |
| 3 | Equestrian | Kuwait maintains an equestrian federation affiliated with the international equestrian federation and fields riders in regional and international show jumping and endurance events. |
| 4 | Basketball | Kuwait runs a domestic basketball league and a national team that has taken part in Asian and Gulf regional championships for decades. |
| 5 | Handball | Kuwait’s national handball team has been a competitive presence at Asian championships and Asian Games over several decades. |
| 6 | Volleyball | Kuwait fields men’s and women’s volleyball structures with domestic club competition and national team participation in Asian and Arab regional events. |
| 7 | Table tennis | Table tennis is organized nationally in Kuwait with club level competition and participation in Asian and Arab championships. |
| 8 | Shooting | Shooting is Kuwait’s most internationally decorated Olympic sport, anchored by trap and double trap competition. |
| 9 | Swimming | Kuwait maintains a national swimming federation with club level training and participation in Arab and Asian regional swimming championships. |
| 10 | Bodybuilding and powerlifting | Strength sports have an established gym culture and federation structure in Kuwait, with competitors taking part in Asian and Arab bodybuilding and powerlifting championships. |
| 11 | Taekwondo | Taekwondo is one of the more established martial arts in Kuwait, with a national federation and competitors sent to Asian and world championship events. |
| 12 | Sailing | Sailing and traditional dhow racing have an organized club structure in Kuwait tied to the country’s Gulf coastline and maritime history. |
| 13 | Cricket | Cricket has an organized club and league structure in Kuwait driven largely by its South Asian expatriate population, with a national team affiliated to the International Cricket C |
| 14 | Rugby | Rugby in Kuwait is played mainly through expatriate club sides that compete in Gulf regional club tournaments. |
| 15 | Motorsport | Kuwait has an organized motorsport federation running desert rallying and circuit events affiliated with regional Gulf motorsport bodies. |
Is There a National Sport of Kuwait?
Kuwait has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No Kuwaiti law or government decree designating an official national sport was found or verifiable this run; Kuwait does not appear to have a legally designated national sport in the way some countries do.
- Soccer. Soccer is Kuwait’s de facto national sport in practice, based on its dominant domestic league structure, national team history including a 1982 FIFA World Cup appearance, and the scale of its club and youth base compared with other sports in the country.
#1 Soccer
- Governing body: Kuwait Football Association
- Top national league: Kuwait Premier League
- Best known athlete: Bader Al-Mutawa. Longtime captain of the Kuwait national team and a Kuwait SC attacking midfielder, widely regarded as one of the most capped players in Kuwaiti football history
Soccer is the dominant team sport in Kuwait, run through the Kuwait Football Association and played in a structured domestic league system topped by the Kuwait Premier League. Clubs such as Al Arabi, Al Qadsia, and Kuwait SC carry long rivalries that draw the largest domestic sports followings in the country.
The men’s national team has represented Kuwait at the FIFA World Cup once, in 1982, and has been a regular presence at the AFC Asian Cup. Youth academies and school leagues feed the sport’s base, and it remains the most commonly played sport among boys and young men nationwide.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Camel racing
- Governing body: Kuwait Camel Racing Club / Public Authority for Sport
Camel racing is one of the oldest organized sports in Kuwait, tied to Bedouin heritage and practiced at purpose built tracks on the outskirts of Kuwait City. Races are held through the cooler months of the year and remain a visible part of national cultural life.
As in neighboring Gulf states, Kuwaiti camel racing has shifted toward robot jockeys in place of child riders following regional reforms, and the sport continues to draw dedicated local followers alongside its cultural and ceremonial importance.
#3 Equestrian
- Governing body: Kuwait Equestrian Federation
Equestrian sport in Kuwait spans show jumping, endurance riding, and traditional horsemanship, supported by private stables and clubs concentrated around Kuwait City. The sport carries strong prestige among Kuwait’s wealthier families and is closely tied to Gulf equestrian culture.
Kuwaiti riders and horses regularly appear in Gulf Cooperation Council and Arabian regional competitions, and the sport benefits from substantial private investment in stables and imported bloodstock.
Latest Posts about Equestrian
#4 Basketball
- Governing body: Kuwait Basketball Association
- Top national league: Kuwait Basketball League
Basketball has a well established club structure in Kuwait, with a domestic league feeding a national team that has a long history in Gulf and Asian regional competition. Clubs are often linked to the same sporting associations that run soccer sides.
The sport is popular in schools and universities, and Kuwait has hosted or taken part in Gulf Cooperation Council basketball tournaments over multiple decades, giving it a steady competitive base.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#5 Handball
- Governing body: Kuwait Handball Association
Handball is organized through club sides tied to Kuwait’s main multi sport associations, with a national team that has taken part in Asian championship competition. The sport draws a smaller but committed following compared with soccer and basketball.
Kuwait has periodically reached the latter stages of Asian handball tournaments, giving the sport a consistent, if lower profile, competitive tradition within the country’s team sport landscape.
Latest Posts about Handball
#6 Volleyball
- Governing body: Kuwait Volleyball Association
Volleyball is played through club competitions linked to Kuwait’s established sports clubs, with both indoor and beach formats present. The sport has a visible school and university presence alongside its club structure.
Kuwaiti national teams take part in Arab and Asian regional volleyball competitions, and the sport is commonly practiced recreationally along Kuwait’s Gulf coastline in its beach format.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#7 Table tennis
- Governing body: Kuwait Table Tennis Federation
Table tennis has a long standing club structure in Kuwait and is commonly played recreationally in community and school settings. National federation activity includes participation in Arab and Asian regional championships.
The low cost of entry and indoor format make table tennis widely accessible across age groups, and it remains one of the more consistently practiced individual sports in the country.
Latest Posts about Table Tennis
#8 Shooting
- Governing body: Kuwait Shooting Federation
- Best known athlete: Fehaid Al-Deehani. Won Olympic gold in double trap shooting for Kuwait at the 2012 London Games, then won a second Olympic gold in the same event at the 2016 Rio Games while competing under the Independent Olympic Athletes banner after Kuwait’s National Olympic Committee was suspended
Shooting is the sport in which Kuwait has produced its most significant international results, particularly in trap and double trap disciplines contested at the Olympic Games and Asian Games. The Kuwait Shooting Federation runs national ranges and training programs that feed this pipeline.
Kuwait’s Olympic shooting success, including Fehaid Al-Deehani’s gold medals in 2012 and 2016, has made the sport a point of national pride and a recruiting draw for younger competitive shooters.
#9 Swimming
- Governing body: Kuwait Swimming Federation
Swimming in Kuwait is practiced through club and school programs, supported by indoor pool facilities that offset the country’s hot climate for much of the year. The Kuwait Swimming Federation sends competitors to Arab and Asian regional meets.
The sport draws steady youth participation given its year round indoor training environment, though Kuwait has not produced swimmers who have reached global podium level at the Olympic Games.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#10 Bodybuilding and powerlifting
- Governing body: Kuwait Weightlifting and Bodybuilding Federation
Bodybuilding and powerlifting have a large recreational base in Kuwait, reflecting a wider Gulf region gym culture, alongside a competitive federation structure that sends athletes to Arab and Asian championships.
Private gyms are widespread across Kuwait City and its suburbs, and strength sports draw consistent youth and adult participation outside the formal club system as well as within it.
#11 Taekwondo
- Governing body: Kuwait Taekwondo Federation
Taekwondo has a well organized club and school presence in Kuwait, run through the national taekwondo federation. It is one of the more commonly practiced individual combat sports among Kuwaiti youth.
Kuwaiti taekwondo athletes have taken part in Asian and world championship level competition, and the sport benefits from affiliation with the wider Gulf and Asian taekwondo competitive circuit.
Latest Posts about Taekwondo
#12 Sailing
- Governing body: Kuwait Sailing and Sea Sports Club
Sailing in Kuwait spans both modern dinghy and yacht racing and traditional dhow racing, reflecting the country’s historical dependence on pearl diving and maritime trade along the Gulf coast. Clubs along Kuwait City’s waterfront run regular racing seasons.
Traditional dhow races remain a visible cultural event alongside modern sailing competition, and the sport has an organized federation presence that sends competitors to regional Gulf events.
Latest Posts about Sailing
#13 Cricket
- Governing body: Kuwait Cricket
Cricket in Kuwait is sustained mainly by its large South Asian expatriate community, with club leagues playing on grounds around Kuwait City and a national team that competes in ICC regional qualifying events.
Participation is concentrated among Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Sri Lankan residents, and the sport has grown alongside Kuwait’s expatriate population rather than through the country’s traditional sports federations.
#14 Rugby
- Governing body: Kuwait Rugby Football Union
Rugby union in Kuwait is organized primarily around expatriate club sides, which take part in Gulf regional tournaments alongside teams from Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
The sport remains a minority pursuit compared with soccer and basketball, but it has a stable club base tied to Kuwait’s Western and South African expatriate communities.
Latest Posts about Rugby
#15 Motorsport
- Governing body: Kuwait International Automobile Club
Motorsport in Kuwait includes desert rallying and circuit racing, run through a national automobile club affiliated with wider Gulf and international motorsport federations. Desert terrain around Kuwait provides a natural setting for off road events.
The sport draws a dedicated following tied to Kuwait’s car culture, with local drivers taking part in Gulf regional rally and racing series.
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 Kuwait?
Soccer is the most popular sport in Kuwait, organized through the Kuwait Football Association with a domestic top flight, the Kuwait Premier League, and a men’s national team that has appeared at the FIFA World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup. It has the largest club and youth participation base of any sport in the country.
What are Kuwait’s main national sport teams?
Kuwait’s most prominent national teams are in soccer, basketball, and handball, each competing in Asian and Arab regional championships, alongside a strong individual tradition in shooting sports.
Does Kuwait have an official national sport?
No law or government decree naming an official national sport was found or verifiable this run. In practice, soccer functions as Kuwait’s de facto national sport given its dominant league structure and following.
What sports do people in Kuwait play?
Beyond soccer, commonly practiced sports in Kuwait include basketball, handball, volleyball, table tennis, swimming, taekwondo, and traditional pursuits such as camel racing, equestrian sport, and sailing, alongside strength sports like bodybuilding and powerlifting.
What is Kuwait’s best known individual Olympic sport?
Shooting is Kuwait’s most internationally successful individual Olympic sport. Fehaid Al-Deehani won Olympic gold in double trap shooting for Kuwait at the 2012 London Games and again at the 2016 Rio Games, the second time competing under the Independent Olympic Athletes banner.
