A national sport is a sport or game that is considered to be an inherent part of the culture of the nation.
Some sports are national sports as established by the government of the country, while others are accepted as national sports because of their popularity.
Football is without a doubt the most popular sport on the planet. The game is played in every continent and almost every country around the world.
Over 200 countries play the beautiful game, with the vast majority having football associations and official national teams affiliated to FIFA, the governing body for the game worldwide.
Below is the list of countries where football or soccer is a national sport.
1. Bulgaria
The small European country are ardent lovers of football. Football is the most common sport played in Bulgaria and is regarded as the national sport.
2. France
France is one of the countries that have won the World Cup. A feat they achieved twice in 1998 and 2018.
In France, Football has the highest number of licensed players and is considered by many as the national sport.
However, cycling and tennis are also referred to as national games of France by some others.
3. Haiti
Football is the most popular sport in Haiti.
The game first developed in the state capital of Port-au-Prince, where a regional championship round was already held for the first time in 1912.
Football is the de facto national sports of Haiti.
4. Israel
The most popular sports in Israel have traditionally been football and basketball.
However, football is widely considered the national sport of Israel.
5. Italy
Football or soccer is Italy’s national sport.
In fact, Italy are typically regarded as one of the countries that are good at football.
The Italians have produced many great male and female footballers. They won the recent 2020 Euros.
6. Mauritius
The Republic of Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean.
The people of Mauritius absolutely love football, with many of their citizens supporting Liverpool and Manchester United.
The de facto national sports of Mauritius is Football.
7. Spain
The Spanish national team has been dominant in football for many years and have won the FIFA World Cup once.
It is no surprise that their national sport is football. However, bull fighting is also associated with Spain.
