The 10 Most Popular Sports in France and How Long They Have Been Played

10. Sailing

Thanks to its large lakes and extensive 2,129-mile coastline, sailing is a popular sport in France. Popular professional races include the Vendee Globe, a singlehanded around-the-world race that occurs every four years, but amateur sailing is popular too, especially in coastal towns and areas with large lakes such as Aix-les-Bain on the shores of Lake Bourget, the largest lake in France.

The people of France have enjoyed sailing for as long as humans have set out on the water, but it was officially made an Olympic sport in 1900.

9. Swimming

In France, swimming is a popular way to keep fit and a much-loved competitive sport. In the central and southern regions, sea swimming and wild swimming are popular hobbies. France has Europe’s highest number of private swimming pools, with one pool for every 20 people.

In 1919, the French Swimming Federation was founded to organize French competitive teams. Their swimming, open water, synchronized, diving, and water polo teams all score highly in international competitions.

8. Petanque

French Petanque is type of boules game in which the aim is to roll a ball closest to a marker. It differs from other boules’ games because players do not walk or run before bowling.

In 1910, near Marseilles, a man so affected by arthritis that he could no longer run before taking his bowl invented Petanque by standing still! Petanque comes from pieds tanqués, which is French for “feet planted.”

7. Judo

Judo is an unarmed martial art invented in 1882’s Japan, but incredibly popular in France since 1935 when Japanese master, Kawaishi introduced it to Paris. France now has over 5,700 judo clubs, with age ranges stretching from toddlers to pensioners.

Judo aims to overpower an opponent, using only your body, in three ways: a throw, an immobilization via pinning, or submission through a chokehold or lock. France holds the second largest haul of Olympic Games judo medals, second only to Japan.

6. Handball

This team sport is incredibly popular in France but largely unknown in English-speaking countries. In 2019, France’s registered club handballers totaled a whopping 492,000 players.

In handball, a team of seven players attempt to score the opposing team’s goal. The ball is only passed by hand and only held for three seconds. It’s fast-paced but relatively easy to play.

Handball is one of the world’s oldest games. Ancient Romans played a form of handball they called “hapastum.” As they conquered the world, they took their game with them. Records from medieval France indicate both men and women played handball for recreation and even bet on the outcome.

5. Basketball

High energy basketball started life in the United States and Canada, but in 1893 Paris played basketball for the first time and the nation has never looked back. Influenced by American culture, basketball enjoyed a boost in the 1980s after suffering from a lack of resources and interest during the first and second world wars.

Tony Parker is the most famous French basketball player. He helped raise the sport’s profile and enthused French schoolchildren. Basketball is commonly played in after-school clubs.

4. Rugby

French rugby is a powerhouse in the international league tables, with the national team regularly reaching the finals.

An English schoolboy called William Webb Ellis is the rumored inventor of rugby. In 1823, he picked up a football and ran to the opposing goal. This eventually led to rugby football and then, simply rugby. And the name of the school? Rugby School in Warwickshire.

Brits took rugby to France in 1872 and formed Le Havre Athletique Club. Today’s Rugby Union Clubs total 1,798 with 542,242 registered players. That’s the highest number of Rugby Union players in the world.

2. Tennis

Monks invented tennis in northern France in the 12th century. Back then it didn’t involve a racket, monks simply hit the ball by hand. However, by King Francis I’s era (1515-1547), the universally recognized tennis racket had evolved. King Francis regularly played tennis and built courts on his palace grounds.

In 1891 the first French Open was held and just a few years later, world-renowned Rene Lacoste dominated world tennis.

France has the second-highest number of tennis clubs in Europe after Germany, but the largest number of tennis players is 4.7 million. In 2022, 40.3 million worldwide viewers watched the Roland-Garros tennis tournament on TV. It’s popularity has not abated over 900 years!

1. Football (Soccer)

In 2022, a record-breaking 24.1 million French viewers watched their nation lose to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup, so it’s safe to say the most popularly-watched sport in France is football.

It all began in 1872 when British sailors played modern football, developed on English public school fields, at Le Havre port. Since then, football has dominated France’s sporting interests with Ligue 1 providing nationwide rivalries and 1,993,270 licensed players across the country.