The Most Popular Sports in Sri Lanka
The Most Popular Sports in Sri Lanka in 2026: What Sports Do Sri Lankans Play and Follow?
Sri Lanka’s sports culture is a blend of huge stadium moments, school-ground rivalries and community leagues that run on pure passion.
But what are the most popular sports in Sri Lanka? We rank the country’s top sports!
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Sri Lanka. Image credits: ABC News
Popularity can mean different things: TV audiences, participation, trophies or rankings. Our list of the most popular sports in Sri Lanka relies on verifiable signals like international titles, official rankings and documented results. Let’s dive in!
1. Cricket
Cricket’s popularity is hard to argue with, as Sri Lanka has repeatedly achieved the biggest milestones in the sport. According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Sri Lanka won the 1996 men’s Cricket World Cup, a defining moment in modern Sri Lankan sporting identity.
This wasn’t a one-off, either. Sri Lanka also became ICC Men’s T20 World Cup champions in 2014. The final is remembered for a calm chase led by senior batters, a title-winning marker that keeps cricket culturally dominant across the nation.
Sri Lanka was also listed as a co-winner of the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. Due to the country’s history of success and tangible silverware at the highest level, cricket remains at the top of Sri Lanka’s most popular sports.
Check out our list of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history, including Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya.
2. Volleyball
Volleyball is commonly described in Sri Lanka as the “national sport”, but a Sri Lankan parliamentary document notes that volleyball has not been officially designated as the national sport. However, the document does acknowledge just how strongly the sport is linked to identity in public discussion.
From a global governance perspective, volleyball’s scale is huge: the International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) cites 222 national federations worldwide. This means that Sri Lanka is part of one of the most widely organised sports systems on earth.
With both a grassroots and global presence in the sport, it’s no wonder that volleyball is a contender for Sri Lanka’s most popular sport!
3. Football
Football’s popularity shows up in steady grassroots participation and international fixtures - and FIFA’s own ranking system gives us a clean, current reference point. Sri Lanka’s men’s national team is listed at 194th in the world, with historical highs and lows (highest 122nd, lowest 207th).
Read more on our football blog
The rank itself isn’t an indicator of popularity, but it shows that an active national programme exists, is tracked consistently, and sits inside the world football ecosystem. In most countries, that correlates with broad participation and ongoing local competition.
4. Rugby
Sri Lanka is famous for punching above its weight in rugby participation and tradition. Reported figures tied to International Rugby Board-era tracking cite 160,000+ registered players (the exact number varies by source and year, so it should be treated as an estimate rather than a precise figure).
On the performance side, Sri Lanka won the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship Division 1 title in 2024, beating Kazakhstan 45-7 in the final. World Rugby’s coverage explicitly frames Sri Lanka as a top regional mover.
That mix - big pipeline plus real regional wins - is why rugby sits among Sri Lanka’s most-followed sports.
5. Athletics
Athletics has a special place in Sri Lanka, as its biggest moments are globally certified and historically rare. At the 1948 London Olympics, Duncan White won silver in the men’s 400m hurdles, clocking 51.8 in the final, a result documented by the Olympics.
Then at Sydney 2000, Susanthika Jayasinghe won silver in the women’s 200m with 22.28, confirmed in the official Olympic and World Athletics result records.
As the country has only a handful of Olympic medals, athletics has become a high-profile sport across the nation. Sri Lanka’s achievements are very visible - and very difficult to repeat.
6. Netball
Netball is one of Sri Lanka’s most important women’s sports. World Netball’s current rankings page shows Sri Lanka at 23rd, with 56 rating points, based on matches counted up to 1 December 2025 (11:59pm GMT).
That kind of official ranking snapshot matters, as it reflects sustained international activity, rather than just one good tournament. In practical terms, a top-25 global position usually comes with a strong domestic presence for the sport, especially in schools, clubs and structured national pathways.
Top Sri Lankan netball players include Elilenthini Sethukavalar, Tharjini Sivalingam and Bhashi Udagedara.
7. Badminton
Badminton’s popularity is often tied to schools, universities and indoor sports culture, but Sri Lanka has also seen some success at the South Asian Games.
During the 2019 South Asian Games, for example, Sri Lanka finished as runners-up to India in the women’s team final (3-0). They also lost the men’s team final (3-1), but Sri Lanka managed to reach the championship match in both team events.
Reaching finals across both men’s and women’s team events is not a small thing in a multi-nation tournament format. It shows the calibre of the players and just how seriously Sri Lankans take the sport.
Looking for more? Read our list of the 10 best badminton players of all time.
8. Basketball
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) ranks the Sri Lankan men’s national team at 131st in the FIBA World Ranking. This is a clear indicator that basketball is a popular, highly organised sport in Sri Lanka.
Players like Sinna Marakkalage Chanuka Shehan and Nipun Kiriella keep Sri Lankans interested in the sport, with kids, young people and adults playing games at their local courts.
On the governance side, the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation ensures that the sport operates under formal structures, rather than just casual play. The combination of formal federation structures plus a global ranking presence is a strong indicator of sustained participation and competition across the country.
Basketball is also one of the most popular sports in Singapore!
The Most Popular Sports in Sri Lanka - Key Takeaways
If popularity is judged by cultural impact and verified outcomes, cricket remains Sri Lanka’s clear No. 1 sport, backed by world titles and major ICC event history. However, volleyball has a strong grassroots identity across Sri Lanka, with constant debates about whether it should be the country’s national sport.
Athletics also holds a unique prestige due to Sri Lanka’s Olympic success - and sports like basketball use official structures to organise activities nationwide.
One thing is very clear: for Sri Lankans, all of these sports are more than just niche interests. They are key components of daily life.
What sports do you associate with Sri Lanka? Do you play any of these sports? Tell us in the comments.
