Soccer leads Uganda, ahead of Athletics and Netball. Ranking of 15 sports.
This page ranks the sports of Uganda by the evidence behind each one, because no single comparable membership, license, or participation survey covering most sports in Uganda was retrieved in this run, so the ranking below rests on general knowledge of federation activity, national team prominence, and media presence rather than one measured quantity.
Soccer is on top, followed by Athletics and Netball. 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 Uganda
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 | FUFA is the recognized national governing body for soccer in Uganda and runs the men’s and women’s national teams plus the domestic league system. |
| 2 | Athletics | Athletics Uganda governs track and field, and Ugandan distance runners have produced multiple Olympic and World Championship medals in the 2010s and 2020s, giving the sport strong |
| 3 | Netball | The Uganda national netball team, known as the She Cranes, reached the final of the 2019 Netball World Cup, which is the sport’s most prominent result for the country. |
| 4 | Rugby sevens | The Uganda Rugby Cranes sevens team has regularly competed in the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series and African regional sevens events. |
| 5 | Boxing | Uganda has produced world level boxers, including a former IBF light middleweight world champion, and the sport has an established amateur federation structure. |
| 6 | Cricket | Uganda’s men’s national cricket team has competed in International Cricket Council regional and global qualifying events for many years. |
| 7 | Basketball | Basketball participation in Uganda has expanded with domestic league play and growing continental exposure through the Basketball Africa League ecosystem. |
| 8 | Chess | Chess in Uganda gained international attention through the Katwe chess program in Kampala, which produced a Woman Candidate Master and was the basis of a widely reported life story |
| 9 | Volleyball | Volleyball is played through school and club competitions in Uganda and the national federation enters teams in East African regional tournaments. |
| 10 | Swimming | Swimming in Uganda is organized by the Uganda Amateur Swimming Union, which sends competitors to regional and continental swimming championships. |
| 11 | Handball | Handball in Uganda is organized through school and club leagues under the national federation, with national teams entering East African regional competitions. |
| 12 | Table tennis | Table tennis is organized nationally with club competitions in Kampala and national teams entering African regional championships. |
| 13 | Cycling | Competitive road cycling in Uganda is organized by the Federation of Uganda Cycling Associations, which enters riders in continental stage races. |
| 14 | Martial arts | Taekwondo and other martial arts are organized through dedicated national federations in Uganda with club level training and regional competition entries. |
| 15 | Golf | Golf in Uganda is organized by the Uganda Golf Union through a small number of courses and clubs, mainly in and around Kampala and Entebbe. |
Is There a National Sport of Uganda?
Uganda has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No law or official government decree naming a national sport of Uganda was located in this research.
- Soccer. Soccer functions as Uganda’s de facto national sport in general usage because of its size relative to other organized sports and the national prominence of the Uganda Cranes.
#1 Soccer
- Governing body: Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA)
- Top national league: FUFA Big League and StarTimes Uganda Premier League
- Best known athlete: Denis Onyango. Long serving Uganda Cranes goalkeeper and former captain with over a decade of senior national team appearances, widely regarded as the country’s most capped modern era player
Soccer is the sport with the broadest following in Uganda, organized nationally by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations. The men’s national team, known as the Uganda Cranes, and a structured domestic league system give the sport a year round presence in the country.
Denis Onyango built a long international career as the Uganda Cranes goalkeeper and served as team captain, becoming one of the most recognized figures in Ugandan soccer during his active years.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Athletics
- Governing body: Athletics Uganda
- Best known athlete: Joshua Cheptegei. Olympic 5000 meters champion at the Tokyo 2020 Games and world record holder over 5000 and 10000 meters, Uganda’s most decorated active athlete in the sport
Athletics ranks among Uganda’s most successful sports internationally, with the national federation Athletics Uganda overseeing track and field. Distance running in particular has become a source of national pride through repeated global championship results.
Joshua Cheptegei won the men’s 5000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics and has held world records in the 5000 and 10,000 meters, making him the most prominent Ugandan athlete of his generation.
Latest Posts about Athletics
#3 Netball
- Governing body: Uganda Netball Federation
- Best known athlete: Peace Proscovia. Longtime She Cranes captain who also played professional netball in Australia’s domestic competition and helped lead Uganda to the 2019 World Cup final
Netball has a strong organized following among women’s team sports in Uganda, run nationally under the Uganda Netball Federation. The national team, the She Cranes, is one of the country’s most successful international sides.
Peace Proscovia captained the She Cranes for years and gained international recognition by playing professionally in Australia, becoming one of Uganda’s best known netball figures.
#4 Rugby sevens
- Governing body: Uganda Rugby Union
- Best known athlete: Philip Wokorach. Long serving Uganda Rugby Cranes sevens player who also played professionally for a French club, one of the few Ugandan rugby players with a professional contract abroad
Rugby sevens has grown into one of Uganda’s more visible team sports, organized by the Uganda Rugby Union. The national sevens side, the Rugby Cranes, competes regularly in continental and international sevens tournaments.
Philip Wokorach became one of Uganda’s best known rugby players after representing the Rugby Cranes for years and moving on to a professional contract with a club in France.
Latest Posts about Rugby
#5 Boxing
- Governing body: Uganda Boxing Federation
- Best known athlete: Kassim Ouma. Won the IBF light middleweight world title in 2004, the most prominent individual world championship result by a Ugandan boxer
Boxing has a long standing organized presence in Uganda through the national boxing federation, with amateur clubs feeding into national and international competition.
Kassim Ouma remains Uganda’s most recognized boxer internationally after winning the IBF light middleweight world championship in 2004, a result still referenced as the sport’s high point for the country.
Latest Posts about Boxing
#6 Cricket
- Governing body: Uganda Cricket Association
- Best known athlete: Frank Nsubuga. One of the longest serving players in the national team, representing Uganda at multiple ICC events across more than two decades
Cricket is organized in Uganda under the Uganda Cricket Association, with a national team that regularly enters International Cricket Council qualifying tournaments.
Frank Nsubuga has represented the national team for an unusually long span of his career, becoming one of the sport’s most familiar names in the country.
#7 Basketball
- Governing body: Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations (FUBA)
- Top national league: National Basketball League (Uganda)
Basketball is governed nationally by the Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations and has a domestic league that feeds the sport’s growing youth interest in the country.
Increased continental basketball activity in East Africa in recent years has raised the sport’s visibility in Uganda alongside its established school and club structures.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#8 Chess
- Governing body: Uganda Chess Federation
- Best known athlete: Phiona Mutesi. Rose from the Katwe slum chess program in Kampala to become a Woman Candidate Master and the subject of a widely published book and film about her story
Chess has an unusually visible profile in Uganda for a mind sport, centered on community programs in Kampala organized under the Uganda Chess Federation and local coaches.
Phiona Mutesi became the best known face of Ugandan chess after her rise from the Katwe program was documented in a book and later a film, drawing international attention to the sport in the country.
#9 Volleyball
- Governing body: Uganda Volleyball Federation
Volleyball is organized nationally by the Uganda Volleyball Federation, with school and club competitions forming the base of the sport’s participation.
National teams from Uganda take part in East African regional volleyball tournaments, though the sport has a smaller public profile than the country’s leading team sports.
Latest Posts about Volleyball
#10 Swimming
- Governing body: Uganda Amateur Swimming Union
Swimming is a smaller organized sport in Uganda, run by the Uganda Amateur Swimming Union through club level training and competition.
Ugandan swimmers have taken part in regional and continental championships, though the sport remains limited to a small number of pools and clubs concentrated in urban areas.
Latest Posts about Swimming
#11 Handball
- Governing body: Uganda Handball Federation
Handball is played in Uganda mainly through school and club competitions organized by the Uganda Handball Federation.
The sport’s national teams compete in East African regional handball tournaments, giving it a modest but consistent organized presence.
Latest Posts about Handball
#12 Table tennis
- Governing body: Uganda Table Tennis Association
Table tennis has an organized club scene in Uganda concentrated in Kampala, under the Uganda Table Tennis Association.
National players represent Uganda at African regional table tennis championships, though the sport draws a smaller following than the country’s major team sports.
Latest Posts about Table Tennis
#13 Cycling
- Governing body: Federation of Uganda Cycling Associations
Competitive cycling, as distinct from everyday bicycle use, is organized in Uganda through club teams and the national cycling federation.
Ugandan riders take part in continental stage races in East Africa, and the sport has a small but active competitive circuit.
Latest Posts about Cycling
#14 Martial arts
- Governing body: Uganda Taekwondo Federation
Martial arts such as taekwondo are organized in Uganda through dedicated national federations that run club training and grading systems.
Ugandan martial artists compete in African regional championships in disciplines including taekwondo and judo, though participation remains smaller than in the country’s leading sports.
#15 Golf
- Governing body: Uganda Golf Union
Golf is played in Uganda at a small number of established clubs and courses, organized nationally by the Uganda Golf Union.
The sport draws a smaller participant base than Uganda’s major team sports, with activity concentrated around Kampala and Entebbe.
Latest Posts about Golf
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 is the most popular sport in Uganda?
Soccer is the most popular sport in Uganda, organized nationally by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations and followed through the Uganda Cranes national team and the domestic league system. No single comparable participation survey ranks all sports in Uganda, so this reflects the sport’s organizational size and public visibility relative to others.
What are the federations of sport in Uganda?
Uganda’s sports are organized under separate national federations for each discipline, including the Federation of Uganda Football Associations for soccer, Athletics Uganda for track and field, the Uganda Cricket Association for cricket, and the Federation of Uganda Basketball Associations for basketball. Each federation governs its national teams and domestic competitions.
What are Uganda’s popular sports?
Beyond soccer, Uganda has organized national followings in athletics, netball, rugby sevens, boxing, and cricket, each with its own federation and national team. Netball’s She Cranes and boxing’s world championship history are among the country’s most referenced results outside soccer.
What is unique about popular sports in Uganda?
Uganda’s chess scene stands out because of the Katwe program in Kampala, which produced Woman Candidate Master Phiona Mutesi and was the basis of a widely published book and film about her story. This gave a mind sport an unusually high public profile compared with most other countries.
Does Uganda have a national summer sport?
No law or government decree designating an official national sport of Uganda was located in this research. In general usage, soccer is often treated as the country’s de facto national sport because of its scale and the prominence of the Uganda Cranes.
