Pakistan Sports – The Most Popular Sports in Pakistan

The Most Popular Pakistani Sports

Find below Pakistan national sports, ranked by popularity:

So there you have them, the most popular Pakistani sports! Keep reading below for more information about each sport in Pakistan.

What is the National Sport of Pakistan?

The national sport of Pakistan is field hockey. While not official, field hockey is de facto the national sport of Pakistan. Not only is the sport one of the most popular ones in the country, but the national team is one of the best ones on the planet.

Learn More About Pakistan Popular Sports

Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country in the world, as well as the second-largest Muslim population, and it is located in South Asia, West of India. It is bordered by India, Afghanistan, Iran, and China, and its capital city is Islamabad, which counts more than 1,014,000 inhabitants (but more than 4,104,000 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 Pakistan popular sports, and I hope you will love them:

Cricket

The most popular sport in Pakistan is cricket.

Indisputably, cricket is by far the sport that Pakistanis appreciate most. You will find a cricket team in almost every neighborhood and district in the country, and the national team has won several international tournaments, including the Cricket World Cup and the ICC World Twenty20.

On top of that, the women’s team is also very popular, and Kiran Baluch is the current holder of the record of the highest score in a women’s test match.

Famous Pakistani Cricket players: Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Shahid Khan Afridi, Waqar Younis, Kiran Baluch, Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Hanif Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas, Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Qadir

Field hockey

The second most popular sport in Pakistan is field hockey.

The national sport of Pakistan is second on this list, and it is governed by the Pakistan Hockey Federation which was established back in 1948.

Again, the national team is very successful on a worldwide scale: it has won 3 gold medals at the Olympic Games as well as 4 Hockey World Cups and many Asian gold medals. No wonder it is ranked amongst the top teams in the world!

Famous Pakistani Field hockey players: Sohail Abbas, Hassan Sardar, Samiullah Khan, Shahbaz Ahmed, Waseem Ahmad, Rehan Butt, Akhtar Rasool, Shakeel Abbasi

Football

The third most popular sport in Pakistan is football. Football, the most popular sport on the planet, is also widely appreciated in Pakistan. In fact, the country is the official manufacturer of the FIFA World Cup ball.

The sport dates back to the middle of the 19th century when it was introduced by British soldiers in British India. It used to be played between army teams, and there was no female club until 2002.

Now, the national team is definitely not very successful, but the sport is still very popular in the country.

Famous Pakistani Football players: Zesh Rehman, Kaleemullah Khan, Hassan Bashir, Yousuf Butt, Muhammad Essa, Adnan Ahmed, Jaffar Khan, Atif Bashir, Nabil Aslam, Muhammad Adil

Polo

The fourth most popular sport in Pakistan is polo.

Believe it or not, polo is still an important sport in countries like Pakistan. In fact, it is said that the sport was created in Persia, which Pakistan is now part of.

There are lots of large annual competitions, including the Shandur Polo Tournament, which is played at the world’s highest polo ground every summer in Northern Pakistan. This place, because of how high it is, is considered to be the edge between paradise and hell.

Famous Pakistani Polo players: Hissam Ali Haider

Squash

The fifth most popular sport in Pakistan is squash. Squash has a very large following in Pakistan, and the country has been dominating for quite a long time.

The most famous player, Jahangir Khan, remained unbeaten for 555 consecutive matches… a world record! Jansher Khan is also considered a legend of the sport, as he won several World Squash Championships. Thanks to both of them and their 14 world open titles, they made Pakistan the most decorated Squash country in the world!

Famous Pakistani Squash players: Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, Hashim Khan, Azam Khan, Qamar Zaman, Roshan Khan, Mohibullah Khan, Gogi Alauddin, Mohibullah “Mo” Khan, Torsam Khan

Tent pegging

The sixth most popular sport in Pakistan is tent pegging.

This varies depending on the region, but overall tent pegging is quite a popular sport in Pakistan. The governing body of the sport, the Equestrian & Tent Pegging Federation of Pakistan, was only founded in 2014, but it is the highest growing sports federation in Pakistan. There are also many clubs around the country that organize events.

In case you don’t know what it is, tent pegging is an old cavalry sport in which riders use a sword or a lance to pierce, pick up and carry away a small ground target.

Famous Pakistani Tent pegging players: Malik Ata Muhammad Khan

Athletics

The seventh most popular sport in Pakistan is athletics. There, athletics are ruled by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan, which was established in 1951.

The most excellent Pakistani athletes have only performed a long time ago and won several gold medals back then. As a matter of fact, Pakistan used to hold the Asian 100 m and 200 m records, and female athletes have also represented the country at an international level.

There are annual National Athletics Championships held annually in Pakistan.

Famous Pakistani Athletics players: Arshad Nadeem, Shabana Akhtar, Rabia Ashiq, Sadaf Siddiqui, Aqarab Abbas, Mehboob Ali, Liaquat Ali, Sumaira Zahoor, Muhammad Younis

Snooker

The eighth most popular sport in Pakistan is snooker.

Snooker is a cue sport that was first played by British officers in India in the middle of the 19th century. It is played on a table similar to billiards, but it is much, much bigger. The rules are also quite different.

In Pakistan, the sport is a rising one. The Pakistan Billiard & Snooker Federation was founded in 1958, and one famous Pakistani snooker player is Naveen Perwani. The local cup is called the Sindh Snooker Cup.

Famous Pakistani Snooker players: Muhammad Yousaf, Muhammad Sajjad, Shokat Ali, Khurram Hussain Agha, Hamza Akbar, Saleh Mohammad, Naveen Perwani, Farakh Ajaib

Table tennis

The ninth most popular sport in Pakistan is table tennis.

Another (maybe) surprising popular sport in Pakistan is table tennis. Its governing body is the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation, established in 1951 as well, and the sport is particularly appreciated among the youth of the country.

The most successful Pakistani table tennis player is Farjad Saif, who is the only one to represent the country at the Olympic Games, during the 1988 Seoul Games. He surpassed all expectations by ranking himself 25th in the world.

Famous Pakistani Table tennis players: Michael Rodrigues, Farjad Saif

Badminton

The tenth most popular sport in Pakistan is badminton.

The sport has been overseen by the Pakistan Badminton Federation since 1953, and there are quite a few successful Pakistani badminton players. The most notable of them are probably Irshad Ahmed and Saeed Malik for men and Elsie Hunt and Nighat Sultana for women. All of them have won numerous tournaments.

The golden era of badminton in Pakistan happened between the 1950s and the 1970s, but some talents still regularly emerge, like Toqeer Shah in 2009.

Famous Pakistani Badminton players: Irshad Ahmed, Mahoor Shahzad, Elsie Hunt, Rizwan Azam, Saeed Malik, Azeem Sarwar, Muhammad Irfan Saeed Bhatti, Tariq Farooq, Sulehri Kashif Ali, Nighat Sultana, Palwasha Bashir, Bushra Qayyum

Tennis

The eleventh most popular sport in Pakistan is tennis.

Tennis is yet another racquet sport that Pakistanis absolutely love. While it is not as appreciated as table tennis or badminton (mostly because tennis is usually reserved for the upper classes), it still has a fanbase as well as a decent player base.

On a national scale, many tournaments are regularly organized by the Pakistan Tennis Federation, but the country still has to find success on a worldwide scale: only Khawaja Saeed Hai reached a Grand Slam tournament and made it to the third round.

Famous Pakistani Tennis players: Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, Aqeel Khan, Haroon Rahim, Khawaja Saeed Hai, Saeed Meer, Munawar Iqbal, Mahmoud Alam, Ahmed-Hasan Khokhar, Saba Aziz

Boxing

The twelfth most popular sport in Pakistan is boxing.

Fighting sports are emerging all around the world, and Pakistan is no exception to that. There are many amateur matches in the country, and Pakistanis have seen success at this level. The main problem for these athletes is that there is a huge lack of facilities and equipment as a whole.

Some successful Pakistani boxers can become professionals later, including Haider Ali (who won gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games).

Famous Pakistani Boxing players: Amir Khan, Muhammad Waseem, Abdul Rasheed Baloch, Abrar Hussain Abrar Hussain, Syed Hussain Shah, Hussain Arshad, Tanveer Ahmed, Jawaid Khaliq

Volleyball

The thirteenth and last most popular sport in Pakistan is volleyball.

Our last sport is another rising one. Volleyball is very popular in the armed forces of the country, but similarly to badminton, it is very appreciated among the younger ones. There are many inter-services games that are often organized, and private school students also learn to play and love the sport.

The governing body of volleyball in Pakistan is the Pakistan Volleyball Federation, which has been operating since 1955.

Famous Pakistani Volleyball players: Pashah Khan, Maaz Ullah Khan, Musawer Khan, Rashid Maitla, Kazim Khan, Sher Younas Sher, Akram Khan Khan, Muhammad Ishaq Khan

So there you have them, these were all the national sports of Pakistan. 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 Pakistan sports facts? Want to see what sports are the most popular in other countries?

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• Famous Sports in Afghanistan
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