The Most Popular Sports in Portugal (Top 20 Ranked)

Soccer leads Portugal with 238,441 registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas). Ranking of 20 sp

This page ranks the sports of Portugal by one number that is collected the same way for all of them: Number of practitioners registered with each national sports federation in Portugal in 2024, reported by every federation to the Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude and published by Statistics Portugal (INE) as indicator 0001122; comparable across sports because every row comes from the same annual reporting exercise. The figures come from Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (INE), indicador 0001122: Praticantes inscritos (N.º) em federações desportivas por Sexo e Modalidades desportivas; Anual – Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude.

Soccer is on top, followed by Swimming and Volleyball. The full table below covers 20 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.

The Most Popular Sports in Portugal

The table counts registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas), 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 listed sports account for 844,186 in total. The reference year is 2024.

#	Sport	Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas)	Governing body
1	Soccer	238,441	Portuguese Football Federation (FPF)
2	Swimming	128,091	Portuguese Swimming Federation (FPN)
3	Volleyball	60,901	Portuguese Volleyball Federation (FPV)
4	Handball	57,529	Portuguese Handball Federation (FAP)
5	Basketball	31,359	Portuguese Basketball Federation (FPB)
6	Tennis	26,279	Portuguese Tennis Federation (FPT)
7	Gymnastics	25,845	Portuguese Gymnastics Federation (FGP)
8	Athletics	23,835	Portuguese Athletics Federation (FPA)
9	Judo	19,721	Portuguese Judo Federation (FPJ)
10	Roller sports	18,940	Portuguese Roller Sports Federation (FPP)
11	Cycling	18,281	Portuguese Cycling Federation (FPC)
12	Karate	18,237	Portuguese Karate Federation (FNK-P)
13	Golf	18,186	Portuguese Golf Federation (FPG)
14	Rugby	7,626	Portuguese Rugby Federation (FPR)
15	Pigeon racing	7,071	Portuguese Pigeon Fanciers Federation (FPC)
16	Shooting	5,564	Portuguese Shooting Federation (FPT)
17	Motorsport	5,552	Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation (FPAK)
18	Sailing	3,652	Portuguese Sailing Federation (FPV)
19	Table tennis	3,559	Portuguese Table Tennis Federation (FPTM)
20	Sport fishing	2,501	Portuguese Sport Fishing Federation (FPPD)

One caveat applies to every ranking of this kind: someone who plays two sports is counted twice, once in each federation, and sports people mostly do on their own, such as running or hiking, barely show up at all.

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	4,263,585 combined / 3,708,010 top flight	Portugal’s two professional divisions drew a record combined 4,263,585 spectators in the 2023-24 season, of which 3,708,010 attended top flight matches.

Is There a National Sport of Portugal?

Portugal has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. Portugal has no sport designated by law as an official national sport; the country’s framework sports law, the Lei de Bases da Atividade Fisica e do Desporto (Lei n.o 5/2007), governs sport policy without naming any sport as a national sport, and no separate statute doing so could be found in the parliamentary record of sports legislation.

• Soccer. Football is the de facto national sport, being by far the largest federated sport in Portugal with 238,441 registered practitioners in 2024, well ahead of every other federation.

#1 Soccer

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 238,441 (Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), 2024)
• Top national league: Primeira Liga (Liga Portugal)
• Best known athlete: Cristiano Ronaldo. Captained Portugal to its first major international title at UEFA Euro 2016, playing part of the final against France before going off injured

Soccer is organized nationally by the Portuguese Football Federation and is by far the largest federated sport in the country, with 238,441 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership, which is compiled from IPDJ reporting. No other Portuguese federation reaches half that figure.

The top domestic competition is the Primeira Liga, known commercially as Liga Portugal, whose clubs include Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP. Cristiano Ronaldo captained Portugal to its first major title at UEFA Euro 2016, playing part of the final against France before going off injured.

#2 Swimming

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 128,091 (Portuguese Swimming Federation (FPN), 2024)

Swimming is the second largest federated sport in Portugal, with 128,091 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

The federation covers pool swimming along with the associated aquatic disciplines it administers nationally, and it is the only sport besides soccer whose registered membership passes one hundred thousand in the 2024 data.

#3 Volleyball

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 60,901 (Portuguese Volleyball Federation (FPV), 2024)

Volleyball is organized by the Portuguese Volleyball Federation and was the third largest federated sport in 2024, with 60,901 registered practitioners according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

It is one of the few large Portuguese federations in which women make up the majority of registered members, a pattern the same official statistics have shown across recent years.

#4 Handball

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 57,529 (Portuguese Handball Federation (FAP), 2024)

Handball is governed by the Portuguese Handball Federation, which counted 57,529 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

The federation runs national club competitions for men and women alongside the youth structures that account for much of its registered membership.

#5 Basketball

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 31,359 (Portuguese Basketball Federation (FPB), 2024)
• Top national league: Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol

Basketball is organized by the Portuguese Basketball Federation, which registered 31,359 practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

The domestic top flight is the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol, whose clubs draw on the same federated club system that reports these membership figures each year.

#6 Tennis

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 26,279 (Portuguese Tennis Federation (FPT), 2024)
• Top national league: none

Tennis is governed by the Portuguese Tennis Federation, which counted 26,279 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

The federation licenses players through affiliated clubs and regional associations rather than through a single national league, so its membership figure reflects club registrations across the country.

#7 Gymnastics

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 25,845 (Portuguese Gymnastics Federation (FGP), 2024)

Gymnastics is organized by the Portuguese Gymnastics Federation, which counted 25,845 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

It is the most heavily female of Portugal’s large federations, with women forming the great majority of registered members in the official statistics.

#8 Athletics

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 23,835 (Portuguese Athletics Federation (FPA), 2024)
• Best known athlete: Fernanda Ribeiro. Won the Olympic gold medal in the women’s 10,000 metres at Atlanta 1996; World Athletics lists her as a one time Olympic champion

Athletics is organized by the Portuguese Athletics Federation, which registered 23,835 practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

Portugal has a long distance running tradition that produced Fernanda Ribeiro, who won the Olympic gold medal in the women’s 10,000 metres at Atlanta 1996.

#9 Judo

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 19,721 (Portuguese Judo Federation (FPJ), 2024)

Judo is governed by the Portuguese Judo Federation, which counted 19,721 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

It is the largest of the combat sports in the Portuguese federated system and one of the country’s more consistent sources of Olympic medalists.

#10 Roller sports

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 18,940 (Portuguese Roller Sports Federation (FPP), 2024)

Roller sports are organized by the Portuguese Roller Sports Federation, which counted 18,940 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

The federation groups roller hockey, artistic skating and speed skating under one national structure, and roller hockey in particular has a long competitive history in Portugal.

#11 Cycling

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 18,281 (Portuguese Cycling Federation (FPC), 2024)

Competitive cycling is organized by the Portuguese Cycling Federation, which counted 18,281 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

The federation sanctions road, track and mountain bike competition, including the Volta a Portugal, the country’s oldest stage race.

#12 Karate

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 18,237 (Portuguese Karate Federation (FNK-P), 2024)

Karate is governed by its national federation, which counted 18,237 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

Much of that membership sits in club and school programs for children and teenagers, which is why karate ranks close to far more televised sports in the federated statistics.

#13 Golf

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 18,186 (Portuguese Golf Federation (FPG), 2024)
• Top national league: none

Golf is organized by the Portuguese Golf Federation, which counted 18,186 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

Portugal has a dense concentration of courses in the Algarve and around Lisbon that serve both the domestic federated player base and a large golf tourism market.

#14 Rugby

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 7,626 (Portuguese Rugby Federation (FPR), 2024)

Rugby is organized by the Portuguese Rugby Federation, which counted 7,626 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

The men’s national team, known as Os Lobos, has qualified for the Rugby World Cup, and the federation also runs a sevens program alongside the domestic fifteens competitions.

#15 Pigeon racing

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 7,071 (Portuguese Pigeon Fanciers Federation (FPC), 2024)

Pigeon racing is administered as a federated sport in Portugal, with 7,071 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

Competition is organized around timed releases in which homing pigeons are flown back to their lofts, and the federation’s members are distributed across regional clubs rather than concentrated in the large cities.

#16 Shooting

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 5,564 (Portuguese Shooting Federation (FPT), 2024)

Sport shooting is organized as a federated sport in Portugal, with 5,564 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

The federation covers the Olympic rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines, and registration is tied to licensed ranges rather than to a national league.

#17 Motorsport

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 5,552 (Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation (FPAK), 2024)

Motorsport is organized by the Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation, which counted 5,552 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

The federation licenses drivers and officials for rallying, circuit racing and karting, and Portugal hosts a round of the World Rally Championship as well as international events at the Algarve circuit.

#18 Sailing

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 3,652 (Portuguese Sailing Federation (FPV), 2024)

Sailing is organized by the Portuguese Sailing Federation, which counted 3,652 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

Registered sailors are concentrated in clubs along the Atlantic coast and on the Azores and Madeira, and the federation runs the national youth classes that feed the Olympic program.

#19 Table tennis

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 3,559 (Portuguese Table Tennis Federation (FPTM), 2024)

Table tennis is organized by the Portuguese Table Tennis Federation, which counted 3,559 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

Despite the small registered base, the Portuguese men’s team has been competitive at European level, winning continental team honors in the past decade.

#20 Sport fishing

• Registered members of national sports federations (praticantes inscritos em federações desportivas): 2,501 (Portuguese Sport Fishing Federation (FPPD), 2024)

Sport fishing is administered as a federated sport in Portugal, with 2,501 registered practitioners in 2024 according to the INE indicator on federation membership.

Competition is organized in shore, boat and freshwater categories, and the registered figure counts only licensed competitors rather than the far larger number of recreational anglers.

Sources

• Instituto Nacional de Estatistica (INE), indicador 0001122: Praticantes inscritos (N.º) em federações desportivas por Sexo e Modalidades desportivas; Anual – Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude
• Record (Lusa), 4 June 2024: Ligas profissionais com recorde de espectadores na epoca 2023/24, citing the Barometro e Observatorio of the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional
• Assembleia da Republica, legislation page: Lei de Bases da Atividade Fisica e do Desporto
• INE, indicador 0001122 (dados do Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude), 2024
• INE, indicador 0001122 (dados do Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude), 2024

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.

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