Soccer leads Paraguay, ahead of Basketball and Futsal. Ranking of 12 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Paraguay by the evidence behind each one, because no single comparable participation figure (members, licenses, or a national survey) covering all sports in Paraguay could be confirmed in this fast pass, so the ranking follows documented federation presence, Olympic and continental record, and general prominence instead of one shared number.
Soccer is on top, followed by Basketball and Futsal. 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 Paraguay
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. The reference year is 2026.
| # | Sport | Basis for the placing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soccer | The APF’s official site runs Paraguay’s top domestic competitions, publishing match schedules, current standings and results for the men’s professional divisions such as the Torneo |
| 2 | Basketball | Basketball has an organized national federation and a men’s national team that has entered South American regional championships for decades, placing it behind only soccer in domes |
| 3 | Futsal | Futsal is organized under the national football structure and Paraguay fields men’s and women’s national teams that compete in South American qualifying tournaments for the FIFA Fu |
| 4 | Volleyball | Volleyball has an organized national federation and club scene, with national teams entering South American championships, and it is a common school sport, particularly for women. |
| 5 | Tennis | Paraguay has fielded competitive Davis Cup teams and produced players who reached the ATP tour, giving tennis an established organized base relative to most other individual sports |
| 6 | Rugby union | The Paraguayan national rugby team, nicknamed Los Yacares, competes in South American regional rugby competitions organized under Sudamerica Rugby, and the sport has an organized c |
| 7 | Cycling | Road cycling in Paraguay is organized around a national federation and an annual multi stage national tour, with regional teams and clubs entering road races across the country’s d |
| 8 | Athletics | Athletics is organized under a national federation that sends competitors to South American and Pan American championships and Olympic qualifying events across track and field disc |
| 9 | Swimming | Swimming has an organized national federation that sends competitors to South American and Pan American championships and Olympic qualifying meets. |
| 10 | Boxing | Boxing has a long standing national federation and an amateur club base that sends fighters to Pan American and Olympic qualifying events. |
| 11 | Golf | Paraguay has produced golfers who reached the PGA and LPGA tours, and the sport is organized nationally through a federation and a small number of clubs concentrated around Asuncio |
| 12 | Padel | Padel has expanded quickly in Paraguay in recent years, with new courts built in Asuncion and other cities and an organized federation entering South American padel competitions. |
Is There a National Sport of Paraguay?
Paraguay has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No Paraguayan law or government decree establishing an official national sport could be confirmed in this fast pass.
- Soccer. Soccer functions as the de facto national sport of Paraguay based on its federation’s role in organizing the country’s top competitions and the national team’s Olympic silver medal in 2004, its only Olympic medal to date.
#1 Soccer
- Governing body: Paraguayan Football Association (Asociacion Paraguaya de Futbol, APF)
- Top national league: Primera Division de Paraguay
- Best known athlete: Jose Luis Chilavert. Chilavert was named the IFFHS world’s best goalkeeper three times, in 1995, 1997 and 1998, and is remembered for scoring free kicks and penalties for the national team and for Velez Sarsfield, an unusual role for a goalkeeper
Soccer is by far the most followed sport in Paraguay, organized nationally by the Paraguayan Football Association, which runs the men’s and women’s national teams and the domestic professional league.
The men’s national team has reached the Olympic final, taking silver at the 2004 Athens Games, and the domestic Primera Division features long standing rivals Olimpia and Cerro Porteno, whose matches draw the largest sports audiences in the country.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Basketball
- Governing body: Paraguayan Basketball Federation (Federacion Paraguaya de Basquetbol)
Basketball ranks as the clear second sport in Paraguay, with an organized national federation and club competitions concentrated in Asuncion and other main cities.
The men’s national team has a long history in South American regional championships, and the sport is common at school and club level, though no individual Paraguayan player has reached wide international fame in this pass of research.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#3 Futsal
- Governing body: Paraguayan Football Association, futsal division
Futsal has a solid organized base in Paraguay, run alongside the outdoor game by the national football association, with national teams that take part in South American qualifying tournaments.
It is widely played in indoor courts in Asuncion and other cities as a lower cost, faster alternative to the full sided game, feeding players into outdoor soccer as well.
#4 Volleyball
- Governing body: Paraguayan Volleyball Federation
Volleyball is a widely played school and club sport in Paraguay, with a national federation that fields men’s and women’s teams in South American regional competitions.
Club volleyball is concentrated in Asuncion, and the sport remains substantially smaller in reach than soccer, basketball or futsal.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#5 Tennis
- Governing body: Paraguayan Tennis Federation
- Best known athlete: Ramon Delgado. Delgado reached the ATP tour in singles during the late 1990s and 2000s and represented Paraguay in Davis Cup competition, making him one of the country’s best known individual tennis players
Tennis has a smaller but organized following in Paraguay, run by the national tennis federation, with clubs concentrated in Asuncion offering coaching and regional tournaments.
Paraguay has entered Davis Cup competition for decades, and Ramon Delgado stands out as one of the few Paraguayan players to have reached the ATP tour in singles.
Latest Posts about Tennis
#6 Rugby union
- Governing body: Paraguayan Rugby Union (Union de Rugby del Paraguay)
Rugby union has a smaller but organized presence in Paraguay, with the national team, nicknamed Los Yacares, competing in South American regional tournaments.
Club rugby is concentrated among a handful of clubs in Asuncion, and the sport remains a minority pursuit compared with soccer, basketball or futsal.
Latest Posts about Rugby
#7 Cycling
- Governing body: Paraguayan Cycling Federation
Road cycling has an organized club and federation base in Paraguay, centered on an annual multi stage national tour that draws teams representing different departments.
The sport draws far less media coverage than soccer but keeps a stable following among club racers and recreational road cyclists.
Latest Posts about Cycling
#8 Athletics
- Governing body: Paraguayan Athletics Federation
Athletics in Paraguay is organized through school, club and national federation programs that feed competitors into South American and Pan American championships.
The sport does not draw the crowds or media coverage of team sports, but it keeps a steady base of competitors across track and field disciplines.
Latest Posts about Athletics
#9 Swimming
- Governing body: Paraguayan Swimming Federation
Swimming is organized nationally in Paraguay through club and federation programs, with competitors entering South American and Pan American championships.
Club pools are concentrated in Asuncion and a handful of other cities, and the sport functions mainly as a competitive and recreational pursuit rather than a spectator one.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#10 Boxing
- Governing body: Paraguayan Boxing Federation
Boxing has a long amateur tradition in Paraguay, with gyms and clubs training fighters who compete for places at Pan American and Olympic qualifying events.
The sport draws a smaller and steadier following than soccer or basketball, concentrated in Asuncion and other urban centers.
Latest Posts about Boxing
#11 Golf
- Governing body: Paraguayan Golf Federation
- Best known athlete: Carlos Franco. Franco won the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year award in 1999 and went on to win multiple PGA Tour events, making him Paraguay’s best known professional golfer
Golf is a minority sport in Paraguay in terms of participation, organized through a national federation and a small number of clubs concentrated around Asuncion.
Carlos Franco, the PGA Tour’s 1999 Rookie of the Year, is the country’s best known professional golfer and remains a reference point for the sport’s profile internationally.
Latest Posts about Golf
#12 Padel
- Governing body: Paraguayan Padel Federation
Padel is the fastest growing racquet sport in Paraguay, with new courts opening in Asuncion and other cities over the past several years.
It is organized under a national federation that enters regional South American padel competitions, though it remains newer and smaller than soccer, basketball or futsal.
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 are the most popular sports in Paraguay?
Soccer is by far the most popular sport in Paraguay, organized by the Paraguayan Football Association and backed by the national team’s silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. Basketball and futsal follow as the next most organized team sports, with volleyball, tennis and rugby union also maintaining active national federations.
What is the national sport of Paraguay?
Paraguay has no sport designated as national by law or government decree. Soccer functions as the de facto national sport in practice, run by the Paraguayan Football Association and highlighted by the national team’s silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.
Who is a famous basketball player in Paraguay?
No individual Paraguayan basketball player has reached wide international fame. The sport’s profile in the country rests on an organized national federation and a men’s national team that has competed in South American regional championships for decades, rather than on a single well known player.
What are the top 2 sports in Paraguay?
Soccer is the clear top sport in Paraguay, organized by the Paraguayan Football Association and backed by the national team’s 2004 Olympic silver medal. Basketball ranks second, with an organized national federation and a national team that has long competed in South American regional championships.
What are traditional sports in Paraguay?
Soccer, basketball, futsal and volleyball are the sports with the longest standing organized federations and the widest participation across generations in Paraguay. No separately documented folk or traditional sport of Paraguayan origin could be confirmed in this pass of research.
