Sports have a rich history in France and play a major role in French communities as the locals are passionate about various forms of sports. The country is home to some of the largest and most state-of-the-art sports arenas and facilities, providing numerous opportunities and greatly contributing to sports activities flourishing over the years.
In case you are wondering which sports are more popular in France, here is your chance to find out.
Football in France
Like its European counterparts, football is the most popular sport in France and takes precedence over any other form of the sport by quite a margin. It is also the national sport of France.
A major contributory factor to this popularity is the success that the country has achieved internationally. France is one of the three countries that have won back-to-back major tournaments, including the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Confederations Cup, and the EUFA Football Championships.
The national team currently ranks fourth in the FIFA ranking, while until May 2022, it was the highest ranked team in the world.
Football has a long and rich history in France. It was the English travellers who introduced football in France in the 1870s. However, the sport did not become popular until the First World War. During the war, the soldiers used to play in trenches to spend idle time. The war came to an end, but football’s popularity lingered, and it slowly rose to the top of the popularity graph throughout the country.
Besides the French football team, Les Bleus, France has an extensive league system. The top tier league is called Ligue 1, followed by the second division league called Ligue 2. Both leagues have 20 teams each and are governed by the Ligue de Football Professional, while the official governing body is the French Football Federation.
Besides the two divisions, there are semi-pro and amateur clubs in the country, all registered with the Federation Francaise de Football.
Tennis in France
Next on our list is tennis. France is home to the Roland Garros, one of the most significant world tennis tournaments. Every year, the best clay-court players from the world visit the country in spring to compete for the highly coveted award.
The sport is so popular in France that it has dedicated sites for offering tennis-themed vacations to the country. While tennis is highly popular in the country, the French players have not been able to land a major win in recent years.
The last Frenchman who won the French Open was Yannick Noah in 1983, while the last time a Frenchwoman won the title was Mary Pierce in 2000. Moreover, France has also won the Davis Cup ten times; however, the last time it won the title was in 2017.
Horse Racing in France
Much like its neighbours in the United Kingdom, the French have a passion for Horse Racing. Horse racing easily ranks among the top five popular sports in the country. France is renowned for its premium horse breeding facilities. The regions, including Normandy and Forez, are home to some of the top horse breeding setups.
France is also home to some of the world’s most valuable and coveted horse races, including the Arc de Triomphe held at the Longchamp Racecourse in Paris. More than 200 horses compete in around 16 races, while the purse is worth millions of euros.
Basketball in France
You may be surprised to know that basketball is highly popular in France. Like football, it also has a long history in France and was played for the first time in 1893. The country won its first Olympic medal in 1948 when it secured the second position.
The country’s national basketball team is highly competitive and won the EuroBasket Championship in 2013, landing its first major title. The last major win was its win against the USA in the quarter-final of the World Cup in 2019.
France has the highest number of players in the NBA after the US and Canadian players. However, France is not a part of the Euro League to date.
Rugby in France
Lastly, we have rugby on the list. Rugby was first introduced in the country in 1870 by the British.
Initially, the sport thrived in the country’s southern region. In 1895, the Rugby League and Rugby Union were formed while the rugby clubs stayed in alliance with the Home Nation clubs. Rugby League has 13 players on each team, while Rugby Union has 15 players on each team.
The clubs participate in the locally held locally and in the European Rugby Challenge Cup, the Rugby Champions Cup, and the European Knock-out contests.
