Badminton leads Malaysia, ahead of Soccer and Sepak takraw. Ranking of 15 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Malaysia by the evidence behind each one, because no single verified participation, membership, or licensing survey was retrieved this run, so the ranking rests on general, well established facts about each sport’s federation standing, international results, and national media presence in Malaysia rather than on one comparable count.
Badminton is on top, followed by Soccer and Sepak takraw. 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 Malaysia
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 | Badminton | BAM is the officially recognized national governing body for badminton in Malaysia and runs the Akademi Badminton Malaysia training center in Kuala Lumpur. |
| 2 | Soccer | FAM administers the domestic league system, including the Malaysia Super League, and the men’s and women’s national teams. |
| 3 | Sepak takraw | Sepak takraw is organized nationally with regular state and national championships and is a fixture of Malaysia’s Southeast Asian Games program. |
| 4 | Field hockey | MHC organizes the national men’s and women’s teams and hosts the annual Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, an established international invitational tournament. |
| 5 | Squash | SRAM is the national federation for squash and has overseen a competitive pathway that produced multiple world ranked players. |
| 6 | Ten-pin bowling | MTBC governs a national competitive circuit that has repeatedly produced world championship medalists. |
| 7 | Track cycling | The federation runs the national track program based at the velodrome in Nilai, which has produced world championship medalists in sprint events. |
| 8 | Silat (Pencak Silat) | PESAKA governs competitive silat in Malaysia, which is contested as a medal sport at the SEA Games. |
| 9 | Motorsport | The federation oversees national motorsport, including events historically run at the Sepang International Circuit. |
| 10 | Swimming | The federation runs the national swimming team and domestic age group competition structure feeding SEA Games and Asian Games squads. |
| 11 | Rugby | The union governs the national fifteens and sevens programs, which compete in Asia Rugby regional competition. |
| 12 | Table tennis | The association organizes national ranking tournaments and the teams that represent Malaysia at SEA Games and Asian level events. |
| 13 | Mobile Legends esports | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has been contested as an official medal event at the SEA Games, with Malaysian teams among the region’s competitive field. |
| 14 | Netball | The association governs the national women’s netball team, which competes regionally including at the SEA Games. |
| 15 | Basketball | The association runs national league and national team competition, including participation in ASEAN Basketball League club sides based in Malaysia. |
Is There a National Sport of Malaysia?
Malaysia has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No Malaysian statute or government decree designating an official national sport was located this run; badminton and sepak takraw are the two sports most commonly described in Malaysian public discussion as de facto national games.
- Badminton. Badminton is widely referred to in Malaysian media and public commentary as the country’s unofficial national sport because of its sustained grassroots popularity and international results.
- Sepak takraw. Sepak takraw is also frequently described as a Malaysian national or traditional game because of its cultural roots in the Malay Peninsula and long standing domestic competition structure.
Sports That Were Invented in Malaysia
- Sepak takraw. Sepak takraw traces its roots to traditional kick games played across the Malay Peninsula and wider Southeast Asia, with Malaysia and Thailand both central to its modern development and codified rules.
- Silat. Silat is a Malay martial art with origins in the Malay Archipelago, practiced in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Singapore, and developed in Malaysia into a codified competitive sport alongside its traditional cultural role.
#1 Badminton
- Governing body: Badminton Association of Malaysia
- Best known athlete: Lee Chong Wei. Three time Olympic singles silver medalist (2008, 2012, 2016) and long time world number one, widely regarded as the country’s most recognized athlete in any sport
Badminton holds the most prominent place in Malaysian sport, with organized play running from school and club level up to a national training system centered on the Akademi Badminton Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. The country’s men’s team has repeatedly reached the final rounds of the Thomas Cup, the sport’s top international team event.
Coverage of major badminton events, especially the Malaysia Open and Thomas and Uber Cup ties, draws sustained national broadcast and press attention. The sport is commonly cited in Malaysian media as the country’s unofficial national game.
Latest Posts about Badminton
#2 Soccer
- Governing body: Football Association of Malaysia
- Top national league: Malaysia Super League
Association football has the broadest grassroots participation of any team sport in Malaysia, played informally in nearly every town and school and organized formally through club and state league structures under FAM.
The Malaysia Super League is the top professional division and regularly draws the largest domestic stadium crowds of any league sport in the country, alongside strong television and streaming interest.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#3 Sepak takraw
- Governing body: Malaysia Sepak Takraw Association
Sepak takraw, a kick volleyball game played with a woven rattan or synthetic ball, is deeply rooted in Malaysian sporting culture and is frequently described in local media as a traditional national game.
Malaysia is consistently one of the strongest sepak takraw nations in the region, competing for medals against Thailand and other Southeast Asian teams at regional championships and the SEA Games.
#4 Field hockey
- Governing body: Malaysian Hockey Confederation
Field hockey has a long competitive history in Malaysia, with the men’s national team a regular presence at the Hockey World Cup and Asian Games.
The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, hosted annually in Ipoh, is one of Malaysia’s best known recurring international sporting events and draws national teams from around the world.
Latest Posts about Field Hockey
#5 Squash
- Governing body: Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia
- Best known athlete: Nicol David. Held the world number one ranking in women’s squash for roughly nine consecutive years through the 2010s and won multiple World Open titles, making her one of Malaysia’s most decorated individual athletes
Squash grew into one of Malaysia’s strongest individual sports on the back of a sustained national development program, producing world ranked players across two decades.
Nicol David’s run at the top of the world rankings raised the sport’s domestic profile and remains the standard reference point for Malaysian squash.
Latest Posts about Squash
#6 Ten-pin bowling
- Governing body: Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress
- Best known athlete: Shalin Zulkifli. Multiple time world champion and long ranked among the top bowlers globally, one of the sport’s most successful Malaysian competitors
Ten-pin bowling is a well established competitive sport in Malaysia, supported by a network of centers in major cities and a national team program under MTBC.
Malaysian bowlers have won individual and team medals at world championships, giving the sport a stronger international track record than its recreational profile might suggest.
#7 Track cycling
- Governing body: Malaysian Cycling Federation
- Best known athlete: Azizulhasni Awang. Keirin world champion in 2017 and a multiple time world championship medalist, the most successful Malaysian track cyclist internationally
Track cycling, particularly sprint and keirin racing, has become one of Malaysia’s more prominent Olympic sports thanks to a dedicated national program built around the velodrome in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan.
Malaysia’s track sprinters have reached multiple world championship podiums, which has kept the sport visible in national sports coverage beyond its Olympic cycle appearances.
#8 Silat (Pencak Silat)
- Governing body: Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia
Silat is a traditional Malay martial art practiced across Malaysia both as a competitive sport and as a cultural discipline, taught in schools and community groups alongside its sporting federation structure.
As a SEA Games medal event, competitive silat gives Malaysia a regular international stage that reinforces its status as a nationally significant traditional sport.
#9 Motorsport
- Governing body: Malaysian Automobile Federation
Motorsport has a high public profile in Malaysia through the Sepang International Circuit, which hosted the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix from 1999 to 2017 and continues to host the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix.
Beyond top level international racing, karting and touring car competition have a sustained domestic following supported by circuits and clubs across the country.
#10 Swimming
- Governing body: Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia
Swimming is a core school and club sport in Malaysia, with a national federation structure that channels athletes from age group meets into SEA Games and Asian Games competition.
It ranks among the country’s more consistently funded Olympic sports, reflecting its role as both a competitive discipline and a widely taught life skill.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#11 Rugby
- Governing body: Malaysia Rugby Union
Rugby has an organized club and school competition base in Malaysia, particularly rugby sevens, which is contested at the SEA Games and through Asia Rugby’s regional circuit.
The national sevens team’s regional competitiveness has helped raise the sport’s domestic visibility relative to its smaller playing base.
Latest Posts about Rugby
#12 Table tennis
- Governing body: Table Tennis Association of Malaysia
Table tennis is widely played in Malaysian schools and community centers, with a national federation structure that supports a domestic ranking circuit.
The sport regularly contributes medals to Malaysia’s SEA Games campaigns, keeping it part of the country’s recognized competitive sport landscape.
Latest Posts about Table Tennis
#13 Mobile Legends esports
- Governing body: Malaysia Digital Esports Championship
Competitive esports, led by the mobile game Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, has grown into one of the most widely followed competitive activities among younger Malaysians, supported by domestic tournament circuits and team organizations.
Its inclusion as a SEA Games medal event has given Malaysian esports a formal competitive standing alongside traditional sports, even though it remains newer than the country’s established federations.
#14 Netball
- Governing body: Netball Association of Malaysia
Netball is one of the most established women’s team sports in Malaysia, played widely in girls’ schools and organized through a national federation and state associations.
The national team is a regular competitor at SEA Games netball tournaments, which keeps the sport in domestic sports coverage during those events.
#15 Basketball
- Governing body: Amateur Basketball Association of Malaysia
- Top national league: ASEAN Basketball League
Basketball is a common recreational and school sport in Malaysia, with organized competition extending to a Malaysian franchise in the regional ASEAN Basketball League.
While the national team has not matched the international success of sports like badminton or squash, the sport retains a large informal playing base in urban areas.
Latest Posts about Basketball
Sources
- Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM)
- Football Association of Malaysia (FAM)
- Amateur Basketball Association of Malaysia
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 Malaysia’s national sport?
Malaysia has no law or government decree naming an official national sport. Badminton and sepak takraw are the two sports most often described as de facto national games because of their popularity and cultural significance.
What are the most popular sports in Malaysia?
Badminton and soccer draw the widest following, backed by sepak takraw, field hockey, and squash as sports where Malaysia has a strong competitive and cultural presence. Badminton in particular carries the highest international profile through federation activity and sustained media coverage.
What is a traditional sport in Malaysia?
Sepak takraw, a kick volleyball game played with a woven ball, and silat, a traditional Malay martial art, are the two sports most closely tied to Malaysia’s traditional sporting culture. Both are organized nationally and contested at the SEA Games.
Has Malaysia won medals in badminton, soccer, sepak takraw, field hockey, and swimming?
Malaysia has a strong international record in badminton, including three Olympic singles silver medals for Lee Chong Wei, and is a consistently competitive sepak takraw and field hockey nation at Asian and Southeast Asian level. Soccer and swimming have a smaller international medal record but maintain large domestic federation structures under FAM and the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia.
Why is badminton considered Malaysia’s national sport?
Badminton is called Malaysia’s national sport in public discussion, not by law, because of its deep grassroots participation and the country’s long run of international success, most visibly Lee Chong Wei’s three Olympic singles silver medals and the men’s team’s repeated Thomas Cup finals under the Badminton Association of Malaysia.
