Most popular sports to follow and watch
- Football: At the top of the ladder, football/soccer: The most followed sport registering about 240,000 players and possessing professional clubs in the Allsvenskan league. The national football team of Sweden has also gained some success on the world stage.
- Ice Hockey is another sport that is advocated during the winter season is ice hockey which is practiced widely where the Swedish hockey league SHL is one of the oldest. The Swedish national ice hockey team “Tre Kronor” has been one of the highest winners of the tournaments globally.
- Handball : Handball is less famous in the world however in the country it is very popular. Both men and women national teams are doing well on the global scene and the country hosts some world handball events that are widely covered.
- Golf: While golf has become fashionable among Swedes looking for outdoor activities especially during the lockdown, the incidence of the sport has also risen over the years. The nation features some of the best golfing homesteads and the likes of golfers such as Henrik Stenson have made the country famous in the world.
- Tennis are also of historical importance with great players such as Björn Borg and Stefan Edberg having put Sweden on the map. On the contrary to these facts, tennis as a sport has witnessed a downfall lately in terms of the quantity of the elite core players produced, however, it is an activity that is generally practiced on a mass scale.
Most popular sports and exercise activities in Sweden
According to the Swedish Sports Confederation (Riksidrottsförbundet) yearly report, the top 10 most popular sports and exercise activities among the population (ages 6-80) are:
- Walking/promenade/power walking/pole walking
- Strength training/gym
- Running/jogging
- Cycling/mountain biking
- Hiking/trekking
- Swimming
- Group fitness training (aerobics, gympa, step, zumba, etc.)
- Football
- Yoga/meditation/qigong/relaxation, etc.
- Dance (all types)
Among organized club sports, the most popular ones are:
- Football
- Athletics
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Floorball
- Ice hockey
- Swimming
- Handball
- Equestrian sports
- Motor sports/Snowmobiling
These tenacious sports unite Swedes into either collective sports or individual contests, or even their favorite, team up group activities in sports or exercise.
