Belgium Sports – The Most Popular Sports in Belgium
Wondering what sports the Belgians like to play?
Discover everything about the most popular sports in Belgium in this post. ⚽️
The Most Popular Belgian Sports
Find below Belgium national sports, ranked by popularity:
| Rank | Sport |
|---|---|
| 1 | Football |
| 2 | Cycling |
| 3 | Tennis |
| 4 | Winter Sports |
| 5 | Swimming |
| 6 | Water Sports |
| 7 | Hiking |
| 8 | Golf |
| 9 | Horse Riding |
| 10 | Gymnastics |
| 11 | Basketball |
So there you have them, the most popular sports played in Belgium! Keep reading below for more information about each sport in Belgium.
What is the National Sport of Belgium?
The national sport of Belgium is Football. The country has always been a very important part of the history of football since it was one of the founding members of FIFA in 1904. Now, everyone enjoys playing or watching football in the country, and the national men’s team is very successful.
Learn More About Belgium Popular Sports
Belgium is a country bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France, and it is located in Western Europe. Its capital city is Brussels, which counts more than 1,212,000 inhabitants (but 2,500,000 if you include the metropolitan area!).
An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its most popular sports. In light of that, I have listed all Belgian popular sports, and I hope you will love them:
Football
As you already know, football is Belgium national sport, and by far the most popular sport in the country. Belgium was one of the founding members of FIFA alongside France, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Nowadays, the Belgian team is one of the best teams in the world, and it is currently ranked #1 in the official FIFA ranking.
Also, there are more than 2,000 football clubs in the country, and they are part of the Royal Belgian Football Association or RBFA. 300,000 games are organized each year!
Famous Belgian Football players: Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Jan Ceulemans, Paul Van Himst, Thibaut Courtois, Vincent Kompany
Cycling
The second most popular sport in Belgium is cycling. Cycling is extremely appreciated in the country, and there are tons of cycle tracks and lanes in all major cities. On top of that, the countryside is very often filled with cyclists who enjoy visiting the picturesque landscapes.
There are some of the most prestigious cyclists of history in Belgium, like Eddy Merckx. He won 35 percent of the races he entered, and he is the most successful cyclist of all time, having won the Tour de France 5 times (an all-time record).
Famous Belgian Cycling players: Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy, Philippe Thys, Roger De Vlaeminck, Rik Van Steenbergen, Firmin Lambot, Lucien Van Impe, Stan Ockers
Tennis
The third most popular sport in Belgium is tennis. The main reason for it being so popular is mainly due to the wide success of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters. They have dominated the professional women’s scene since 2003 and drastically increased the popularity of tennis amongst the Belgian population.
Every major city has tennis clubs and courts, and everyone can join small clubs.
Also, Belgians really enjoy watching tennis as a whole, especially during the Roland-Garros or the Wimbledon tournaments.
Famous Belgian Tennis players: Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, David Goffin, Alison Van Uytvanck, Kirsten Flipkens, Dominique Monami, Yanina Wickmayer
Winter Sports
The fourth most popular sport in Belgium is winter sports. There are many winter sports that Belgians enjoy watching, but skiing is probably the most famous of them all.
In fact, there are 10 ski resorts in the country, even though it is not a very mountainous land. While pistes are not that high in Belgium (the highest one peaks at 694 m / 2,276 ft), tourists also have the opportunity to take part in cross-country skiing, a very popular activity.
Famous Belgian Winter Sports players: Christl Cranz
Swimming
The fifth most popular sport in Belgium is swimming. When it comes to hobbies and pastimes, swimming is one of the most popular activities in the country of Belgium. However, there are also professional swimmers like Frédérik Deburghgraeve, Jasper Aerents and the Anthoon brothers.
As of the Olympics, the country has won 5 medals: 2 bronze medals, 2 silver medals, and one gold medal, during the 1900 Paris Olympics.
Finally, if you are interested, there is also the deepest indoor swimming pool in the world in the capital city, Brussels. Nemo 33 even allows you to eat underwater!
Famous Belgian Swimming players: Jasper Aerents, Frédérik Deburghgraeve, Joseph Anthoon, Marcel Anthoon, Sidney Appelboom, Isabelle Arnould, Jean-Marie Arnould
Water Sports
The sixth most popular sport in Belgium is water sports. You already know about swimming and its popularity in Belgium, but there are also many other water sports.
This is due to how beautiful the Ardennes region is, and how easy it is to visit it on top of the water: there are millions of canoeing and kayaking opportunities, and combining exercise with breathtaking landscapes is definitely something Belgian people, as well as tourists from all across Europe, appreciate!
Famous Belgian Water Sports players: Anouk Geurts, Isaura Maenhaut van Lemberge
Hiking
The seventh most popular sport in Belgium is hiking. Similar to water sports like canoeing and kayaking, hiking is quite popular in Belgium because of how picturesque the landscapes are. Many Belgians and tourists enjoy hiking and adventuring all around the country, especially during summer.
The Tourist Office network in Belgium makes sure to have all details of the best paths and areas for hiking. Also, the Belgian government has invested in developing these paths in recent years.
On top of that, climbing is also remarkably valued, as there are more than 50 climbing centers, both indoor and outdoor.
Golf
The eighth most popular sport in Belgium is golf. While golf is not for everyone, it is definitely widely popular in Belgium. There are historic courses in the region of Brussels and in the Wallonia region. This sport is quite expensive, but it is still extremely prized, with more than 65,000 registered players in the country. There are also people who simply enjoy watching it.
When you think about it, it makes sense, considering how flat Belgium is as a whole.
Number of Golf licensed players in Belgium: 65,028
Famous Belgian Golf players: Nicolas Colsaerts, Thomas Pieters, Philippe Toussaint, Donald Swaelens, Thomas Detry, Pierre Relecom, Philippe Washer, Nicolas Vanhootegem
Horse Riding
The ninth most popular sport in Belgium is horse riding. There are many horse riding schools in Belgium, and this sport is quite intense, believe it or not. While the majority of these schools are located around Brussels or in the Wallonia region, you will probably find one of them quite easily anywhere in the country.
When it comes to professional horse riding, there are quite a few names in Belgium. Also, during the most recent Olympic Games in Tokyo, a third of the horses participating were from Belgium!
Number of Horse Riding licensed players in Belgium: 1,371
Famous Belgian Horse Riding players: Evelyne Blaton, André Coumans, Georges Pauwels, Herman de Gaiffier d’Hestroy, Louis-Marie de Jonghe d’Ardoye, Dirk Van Der Elst
Gymnastics
The tenth most popular sport in Belgium is gymnastics. This is a fairly recent trend, but gymnasiums and fitness centers have been rapidly popping up in Belgium. There are many dedicated facilities, and others in hotels for tourists to enjoy.
In the biggest cities, like Brussels again, there are tons of gyms, all equipped with the latest technological equipment.
For professional gymnastics, the country has won 3 medals, one in gold, one in silver, and one in bronze.
Famous Belgian Gymnastics players: Nina Derwael, Dennis Goossens, Gaelle Mys, Laura Waem, Fien Enghels, Lisa Verschueren, Chloé Henry, Axelle Klinckaert, Jade Vansteenkiste
Basketball
The eleventh most popular sport in Belgium is basketball. Last but not least, basketball is governed by the Royal Belgian Basketball Federation. The last tournament of the national men’s team was the EuroBasket 2013, where they won 3 games. Apart from that, the best result for the Belgian national team was 4th place at the EuroBasket 1947.
Nowadays, there is a national league, called the Euromillions Basketball League Belgium, with its major clubs being BC Oostende, Antwerp Giants, and Spirou Basket Charleroi.
Famous Belgian Basketball players: Axel Hervelle, Sam Van Rossom, Frank Ntilikina, Xavier Henry, Ann Wauters, Brian Lynch, Jean-Marc Jaumin, Didier (DJ) Llunga Mbenga
So there you have them, these were all the most popular sports in Belgium. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today.
In case you want to learn more about sports in other countries, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:
More Sport Facts!
Loved these Belgium sports facts? Want to see what sports are the most popular in other countries?
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