The Most Popular Sports in Spain (Top 30 Ranked)

Soccer leads Spain with 1,137,651 registered federation licenses (licencias federadas) in 2022, ahead of Basketball and Hunting. Ranking of 30 sports.

This page ranks the sports of Spain by one number that is collected the same way for all of them: Number of active sports licenses issued by each national federation in Spain in 2022, as tabulated by the CSD; comparable across federations because they come from the same annual federated-sport census. The figures come from Ministerio de Educacion, Formacion Profesional y Deportes / CSD: Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023, tabla 8.2 (Licencias federadas segun sexo por federacion).

Soccer is on top, followed by Basketball and Hunting. The full table below covers 30 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.

The Most Popular Sports in Spain

The table counts registered federation licenses (licencias federadas), 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 4,107,321 in total. The reference year is 2022.

#	Sport	Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas)	Governing body
1	Soccer	1,137,651	Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF)
2	Basketball	377,108	Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB)
3	Hunting	333,845	Royal Spanish Hunting Federation (RFEC)
4	Golf	293,378	Royal Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG)
5	Mountaineering and climbing	289,605	Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing (FEDME)
6	Handball	98,861	Royal Spanish Handball Federation (RFEBM)
7	Judo	98,791	Royal Spanish Judo and Associated Sports Federation (RFEJYDA)
8	Padel	96,561	Royal Spanish Padel Federation (RFEP)
9	Volleyball	95,438	Royal Spanish Volleyball Federation (RFEVB)
10	Athletics	92,466	Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA)
11	Tennis	83,521	Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET)
12	Karate	75,100	Royal Spanish Karate Federation (RFEK)
13	Surfing	75,064	Royal Spanish Surfing Federation (RFES)
14	Cycling	74,675	Royal Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC)
15	Roller sports	71,198	Royal Spanish Roller Sports Federation (FER)
16	Equestrian sports	68,770	Royal Spanish Equestrian Federation (RFHE)
17	Swimming	66,775	Royal Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN)
18	Fishing and casting	53,501	Spanish Fishing and Casting Federation (FEPyC)
19	Olympic shooting	49,442	Royal Spanish Shooting Federation (RFEDETO)
20	Taekwondo	46,967	Royal Spanish Taekwondo Federation (RFET)
21	Gymnastics	46,881	Royal Spanish Gymnastics Federation (RFEG)
22	Rugby	38,461	Spanish Rugby Federation (FER)
23	Triathlon	34,285	Spanish Triathlon Federation (FETRI)
24	Underwater activities	32,289	Spanish Underwater Activities Federation (FEDAS)
25	Chess	29,437	Spanish Chess Federation (FEDA)
26	Pigeon fancying	26,829	Royal Spanish Federation of Sporting Pigeon Fancying (RFCDE)
27	Motorsport	23,553	Royal Spanish Automobile Federation (RFEDA)
28	Archery	20,331	Royal Spanish Archery Federation (RFETA)
29	Motorcycling	19,179	Royal Spanish Motorcycling Federation (RFME)
30	Sailing	18,416	Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV)

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	16 million	LaLiga stadiums drew a record 16 million spectators across the 2023-24 season, with an average occupancy rate of 75.4 percent.
Cycling (road, Vuelta a Espana)	1,613,000 espectadores / 17,7% cuota	A mountain stage of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana drew 1,613,000 viewers and a 17.7 percent audience share on La 1.

Is There a National Sport of Spain?

Spain has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. Spain has no sport designated by law as its official national sport; the only sport-adjacent activity given a legal status is bullfighting, which a 2013 law classifies as protected cultural heritage rather than as a national sport.

• Soccer. Football is the de facto national sport, being by far the largest federated sport with 1,137,651 licenses in 2022, more than three times the next largest federation.
• Basketball. Basketball is widely regarded as Spain’s second national sport by participation, ranking second among all federations with 377,108 licenses in 2022.

Sports That Were Invented in Spain

• Basque pelota (pelota vasca). Basque pelota developed as an organized sport in the Basque Country in the 16th century, after earlier related ball games existed in France.

#1 Soccer

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 1,137,651 (Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), 2022)
• Top national league: La Liga (Primera Division)
• Best known athlete: Andres Iniesta. Scored the winning goal in the 116th minute of Spain’s 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, the country’s only World Cup title

Soccer is organized nationally by the Royal Spanish Football Federation and is by far the largest federated sport in the country, with 1,137,651 registered licenses in 2022 according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023. The top domestic competition is La Liga, whose clubs include Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Spain’s men’s national team won the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and has won the UEFA European Championship on multiple occasions. LaLiga reported that its stadiums drew 16 million spectators across the 2023-24 season, an occupancy rate the league described as a record.

#2 Basketball

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 377,108 (Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB), 2022)
• Top national league: Liga ACB (Liga Endesa)
• Best known athlete: Pau Gasol. Led Spain to its first FIBA Basketball World Cup title in 2006 and won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010

Basketball is the second largest federated sport in Spain, with 377,108 licenses recorded for 2022 in the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023. The domestic top flight, the Liga ACB, is regarded as one of the strongest professional basketball leagues outside the NBA.

The Spanish men’s national team won the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2006, with Pau Gasol leading the roster to that title before going on to win two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010.

#3 Hunting

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 333,845 (Royal Spanish Hunting Federation (RFEC), 2022)

Hunting is administered as a federated activity in Spain and recorded 333,845 licenses in 2022, according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023, placing it among the largest federations by membership.

The federation groups a wide range of hunting modalities under a single national structure, and its license count has stayed close to this level across the three years covered by the same CSD table (2020 to 2022).

#4 Golf

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 293,378 (Royal Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG), 2022)
• Top national league: none

Golf is organized by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, which reported 293,378 licenses in 2022 in the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023, making it one of the five largest sports federations in the country by membership.

Spanish golf has a long competitive tradition on the men’s and women’s professional tours, and the federation’s own license figures show steady growth between 2020 and 2022 in the same CSD dataset.

#5 Mountaineering and climbing

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 289,605 (Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing (FEDME), 2022)

Mountain sports and climbing are governed by the Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing (FEDME), which registered 289,605 licenses in 2022 according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation covers hiking, mountaineering and climbing disciplines together, and its membership numbers place it among the five largest sports federations in the country for that year.

#6 Handball

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 98,861 (Royal Spanish Handball Federation (RFEBM), 2022)
• Top national league: Liga ASOBAL

Handball is organized by the Royal Spanish Handball Federation, which counted 98,861 licenses in 2022 per the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023. The top domestic league is the Liga ASOBAL.

Spain’s national handball teams have a strong international record, and the federation’s membership has grown across the 2020 to 2022 period tracked in the same CSD table.

#7 Judo

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 98,791 (Royal Spanish Judo and Associated Sports Federation (RFEJYDA), 2022)

Judo is governed by the Royal Spanish Judo and Associated Sports Federation, which reported 98,791 licenses in 2022 according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation’s license count dropped sharply in 2021 before recovering to roughly its 2020 level in 2022, according to the same CSD table covering all three years.

#8 Padel

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 96,561 (Royal Spanish Padel Federation (RFEP), 2022)

Padel is organized by the Royal Spanish Padel Federation, which recorded 96,561 licenses in 2022 in the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023, after nearly doubling its membership between 2020 and 2021 in the same table.

The sport is widely played on private and municipal courts across Spain, and its federation numbers have remained close to the 2021 level into 2022 according to the CSD data.

#9 Volleyball

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 95,438 (Royal Spanish Volleyball Federation (RFEVB), 2022)
• Top national league: Superliga Masculina/Femenina de Voleibol

Volleyball is governed by the Royal Spanish Volleyball Federation, which counted 95,438 licenses in 2022 according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation’s competitions include national leagues for both men and women, and its membership numbers in the same CSD table show growth from the 2021 figure to the 2022 figure.

#10 Athletics

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 92,466 (Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA), 2022)

Athletics is organized by the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, which reported 92,466 licenses in 2022 in the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation oversees track and field disciplines nationwide, and its license figures rose in each of the three years from 2020 to 2022 covered by the same CSD table.

#11 Tennis

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 83,521 (Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET), 2022)
• Top national league: none
• Best known athlete: Rafael Nadal. Won 22 Grand Slam singles titles over his career, including a record 14 French Open championships, the last one in 2022

Tennis is organized by the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation, which recorded 83,521 licenses in 2022 according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

Rafael Nadal, one of the sport’s most successful players, finished his career with 22 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record 14 French Open championships, the last of them won in 2022.

#12 Karate

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 75,100 (Royal Spanish Karate Federation (RFEK), 2022)

Karate is governed by the Royal Spanish Karate Federation, which reported 75,100 licenses in 2022 in the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation’s membership grew in both 2021 and 2022 according to the same CSD table, which also tracks the split between male and female license holders for the sport.

#13 Surfing

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 75,064 (Royal Spanish Surfing Federation (RFES), 2022)

Surfing is organized by the Royal Spanish Surfing Federation, which counted 75,064 licenses in 2022 according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation’s license numbers grew in each year from 2020 to 2022 in the same CSD table, reflecting the sport’s expansion along Spain’s Atlantic and Cantabrian coastlines.

#14 Cycling

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 74,675 (Royal Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), 2022)

Competitive cycling is organized by the Royal Spanish Cycling Federation, which reported 74,675 licenses in 2022 in the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The sport also has a strong media following in Spain: a single mountain stage of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana drew 1,613,000 viewers and a 17.7 percent audience share on La 1, according to Vertele/eldiario.es.

#15 Roller sports

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 71,198 (Royal Spanish Roller Sports Federation (FER), 2022)

Roller sports are governed by the Royal Spanish Roller Sports Federation, which recorded 71,198 licenses in 2022 according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation covers multiple roller disciplines under one structure, and its membership rose in both 2021 and 2022 in the same CSD table.

#16 Equestrian sports

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 68,770 (Royal Spanish Equestrian Federation (RFHE), 2022)

Equestrian sports are organized by the Royal Spanish Equestrian Federation, which counted 68,770 licenses in 2022 in the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation’s license figures peaked in 2021 before easing slightly in 2022, according to the same CSD table, which also shows a majority of license holders are women.

#17 Swimming

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 66,775 (Royal Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN), 2022)

Swimming is governed by the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation, which reported 66,775 licenses in 2022 according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation’s membership has stayed close to that level across all three years from 2020 to 2022 tracked in the same CSD table.

#18 Fishing and casting

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 53,501 (Spanish Fishing and Casting Federation (FEPyC), 2022)

Fishing and casting are organized as a federated sport by the Spanish Fishing and Casting Federation, which recorded 53,501 licenses in 2022 in the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation’s numbers dipped slightly from 2021 to 2022 according to the same CSD table, after having risen the year before.

#19 Olympic shooting

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 49,442 (Royal Spanish Shooting Federation (RFEDETO), 2022)

Olympic shooting is governed by the Royal Spanish Shooting Federation, which counted 49,442 licenses in 2022 according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation’s membership rose steadily across the 2020 to 2022 period covered by the same CSD table.

#20 Taekwondo

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 46,967 (Royal Spanish Taekwondo Federation (RFET), 2022)

Taekwondo is organized by the Royal Spanish Taekwondo Federation, which reported 46,967 licenses in 2022 in the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation’s license count grew in both 2021 and 2022 according to the same CSD table, continuing a steady rise from the 2020 figure.

#21 Gymnastics

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 46,881 (Royal Spanish Gymnastics Federation (RFEG), 2022)

Gymnastics is governed by the Royal Spanish Gymnastics Federation, which counted 46,881 licenses in 2022 according to the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023.

The federation’s own data in the same CSD table shows the large majority of its license holders are women, a pattern that has held across 2020, 2021 and 2022.

#22 Rugby

• Registered federation licenses (licencias federadas): 38,461 (Spanish Rugby Federation (FER), 2022)
• Top national league: Division de Honor de Rugby

Rugby is organized by the Spanish Rugby Federation, which recorded 38,461 licenses in 2022 in the CSD Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023. The top domestic competition is the Division de Honor de Rugby.

The federation’s license numbers fell in 2021 before recovering in 2022, according to the same CSD table covering all three years.

Sources

• Ministerio de Educacion, Formacion Profesional y Deportes / CSD: Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023, tabla 8.2 (Licencias federadas segun sexo por federacion)
• LALIGA official website, news article ‘LALIGA closes the season with record highs in revenue and attendance’
• eldiario.es / Vertele, audience report for the September 3, 2024 broadcast
• Boletin Oficial del Estado (BOE): Ley 18/2013, de 12 de noviembre, para la regulacion de la Tauromaquia como patrimonio cultural
• Real Federacion Espanola de Pelota (FEPelota), official history page
• Ministerio de Educacion, Formacion Profesional y Deportes / CSD: Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023, tabla 8.2 (Licencias federadas segun sexo por federacion)
• Ministerio de Educacion, Formacion Profesional y Deportes / CSD: Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023, tabla 8.2 (Licencias federadas segun sexo por federacion)
• Ministerio de Educacion, Formacion Profesional y Deportes / CSD: Anuario de Estadisticas Deportivas 2023, tabla 8.2 (Licencias federadas segun sexo por federacion)

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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