Thailand Sports – The Most Popular Sports in Thailand

The Most Popular Thai Sports

Find below Thailand national sports, ranked by popularity:

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

What is the National Sport of Thailand?

The national sport of Thailand is muay thai.

Muay thai is a form of martial arts that originates in Thailand. Contrary to traditional kickboxing, muay thai uses 8 points of contact (it is usually 2 or 4). It is one of the deadliest martial arts and definitely an exciting one to watch. Thai people absolutely love muay thai, and it is the pride of the country!

Learn More About Thailand Popular Sports

Thailand, or the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country located at the center of the Indochinese Peninsula, in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Its capital city is Bangkok, which has more than 8,305,000 inhabitants (but more than 14,626,000 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 Thailand popular sports, and I hope you will love them:

Football

The most popular sport in Thailand is, like in many other countries, football.

The sport dates back to 1897, even though the professional leagues are new to the country. In fact, lots of Thais love watching and playing football, mainly the English Premier League. It can mostly be watched on free channels, and the FIFA World Cups are also very widely followed.

2 Asian Cups were held in Thailand, in 1972 and in 2007. The national football team has yet to see international success though.

Number of Football licensed players in Thailand: 464 (in the Thai League only)

Famous Thai Football players: Kiatisak Senamueang, Datsakorn Thonglao, Kawin Thamsatchanan, Piyapong Pue-on, Teerasil Dangda, Theerathon Bunmathan, Dusit Chalermsan, Kiatprawut Saiwaeo, Chalermpong Kerdkaew, Niweat Siriwong

Muay Thai

The second most popular sport is one of Thailand traditional sports: muay thai.

You may have already heard of this sport which is the Thai national sport. It is also known as Thai boxing, and it is famous worldwide for being one of the deadliest and most entertaining fighting sports on the planet.

This sport dates back to the 16th century at least when it was practiced by the soldiers of the King. Its peak of popularity happened during the 1980s and 1990s.

Famous Thai Muay Thai players: Samart Payakaroon, Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn, Saenchai, Tongchai Tor Silachai, Sagat Petchyindee, Pud Pad Noy Worawoot, Apidej Sit-Hirun

Golf

The third most popular sport in Thailand is golf.

Believe it or not, golf is one of the most popular sports in Thailand, and the country is often considered the golf capital of the whole continent of Asia. It is overall a very popular destination for golf: with its wonderful weather and 200 world-class golf courses spread throughout the country, it regularly attracts players from Japan, Korea, South Africa, and Singapore. Some of these amazing golf courses are often chosen to host PGA and LPGA tournaments.

Famous Thai Golf players: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Jazz Janewatttananond, Poom Saksansin, Phachara Khongwatmai, Prayad Marksaeng

Badminton

The fourth most popular sport in Thailand is badminton.

Badminton as a whole is one of the most popular sports in Asia, and Thailand is no exception to that. The sport is widely appreciated by the youth of the country, and it has a solid fanbase.

There is also a national tournament, the Thailand Open. Except for a few years, it was always held since 1984 and takes place in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi. The current singles men’s champion is Viktor Axelsen, a Danish player.

Famous Thai Badminton players: Ratchanok Intanon, Bodin Isara, Jongkolphan Kititharakul, Kantaphon Wangcharoen, Saralee Thungthongkam, Sudket Prapakamol, Tesana Panvisvas

Sepak Takraw

The fifth most popular Thai sport is sepak takraw.

Sepak takraw is basically kick volleyball. It is a very impressive sport that is played on a badminton court, and players cannot use their hands. Instead, they have to juggle a spherical ball made of synthetic fiber (traditionally rattan). You will very often see players jump very high, do backflips and compete fiercely in this high-flying game.

The sport was probably created in Malaysia, but it has now spread to many Asian countries, including Thailand.

Famous Thai Sepak Takraw players: Suebsak Phunsueb, Anuwat Chaichana, Siriwat Sakha

Tennis

The sixth most popular sport in Thailand is tennis. Tennis is definitely less popular than badminton, but it still has a decent follower base.

The national tennis tournament was the Thailand Open. It used to be a women’s tournament held in Pattaya, on the east coast of Thailand. The last edition was in 2015, and it was one of the International Series. Played on hard courts, its major winner was Daniela Hantuchová, who won 3 titles in 2011, 2012, and 2015.

Famous Thai Tennis players: Paradorn Srichaphan, Sanchai Ratiwatana, Danai Udomchoke, Sonchat Ratiwatana, Noppawan Lertcheewakarn, Luksika Kumkhum

Motorsport

The seventh Thailand favorite sport is motorsport.

Motorsport has been on the rise in the past decades in Thailand. The major reason for that is Birabongse Bhanudej, a member of the Thai royal family, who was a racing driver, sailor, and pilot. He helped the sport gain popularity, and there are now many variants in the country.

The most popular motorsports in Thailand are auto racing (including sports car racing, drag racing, rallying, street racing, …) and motorcycle sport (most notoriously the Thailand motorcycle Grand Prix).

Famous Thai Motorsport players: Jack Lemvard, Nattavude Charoensukawattana, Sandy Stuvik, Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak, Tin Sritrai, Kantadhee Kusiri, Pasin Lathouras

Weightlifting

The eighth and last most popular sport in Thailand is weightlifting.

Last but not least, Thailand is quite known for its weightlifting, especially for its women athletes. Pawina Thongsuk has been very successful, as she finished 7th at the 2000 Olympic Games, before winning the gold medal 4 years later.

Recently though, it withdrew from Tokyo 2020 Weightlifting. This is due to many doping violations, and the country voluntarily withdrew from all Olympic events because of this. They consider the sport to lack integrity, and would rather not participate at all.

Famous Thai Weightlifting players: Pawina Thongsuk, Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon, Sopita Tanasan, Sukanya Srisurat

So there you have them, these were all the most popular sports of Thailand. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today. Keep reading to get a few more facts.

What sport originated in Thailand?

The most notorious sport that comes from Thailand, that is played worldwide, and that is gaining popularity in several other countries, is definitely muay thai, the national sport and one of the most popular ones in the country.

While it was at first a sport of exhibition and a peace-time martial art, it has now become spectacular… and violent.

Is there baseball in Thailand?

Baseball is definitely not as popular in Thailand as it is in American countries, but it still exists. In fact, there is a Thailand national baseball team, that competed in many international tournaments. It won the Southeast Asian Games in 2007, and it is currently ranked 51st on the WBSC ranking.

More Sport Facts!

Loved these Thailand sports facts? Want to see what sports are the most popular in other countries?

Then check out these posts:

• Famous Sports in Vietnam
• Famous Sports in Indonesia
• Famous Sports in Sri Lanka

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

Share the knowledge! Click on the buttons below to share information about these famous sports in Thailand with your friends, and help them learn more about the world 🙂