The 6 Most Popular Sports in Turkey
The 6 Most Popular Sports in Turkey: From Football to Boxing.
Football reigns as the most-loved game in Turkey - but what other sports do the Turks love to play and watch?
Read on to find out! Including all the latest stats and facts about Turkey’s main achievements and incredible athletes.
Football has long been the most popular sport in Turkey
Sports play a huge role in Turkish culture and Turks love to support their local and national clubs. In fact, on match days, streets empty as fans flock to stadiums.
Sports connect communities and give Turks pride in their national teams competing on the global stage.
Football is the most popular sport in the country, with children spending their evenings playing a game together on one of Turkey’s many local pitches.
Basketball has also snowballed in popularity in recent years, and the Turkish national basketball team consistently qualifies for major international tournaments.
Other popular sports include volleyball, wrestling and water sports - especially near the extensive coastline.
Read on for the most popular sports in Turkey - including history, players, big achievements and more.
1. Football (Soccer)
Football was first introduced to the Ottoman Empire in 1875
Four Turkish stadiums can hold over 50,000 spectators
Tugay Kerimoglu is a famous football player from Turkey
Football was first introduced to the Ottoman Empire in 1875 by Englishmen living in Selanik, now known as Thessaloniki. The earliest matches took place here, marking the beginning of Turkish football.
In 1895, the gentlemen brought the sport from Izmir to Istanbul, cementing its arrival in the country. The first football club, F.C. Smyrna, was also established in what is now known as Izmir.
These pioneering men worked tirelessly to develop the sport beyond the city. In 1898, a Turkish soldier played football during his deployment in Izmir, becoming the first local to play the sport.
Competitive football was in its infancy, yet progressing. By 1904, the first organised league, "Constantinople Football League" launched, with teams exclusively from Istanbul.
Only a short time after, in 1923, this league was formalised with the formation of the Turkish Football Federation.
The Turkish national team played their inaugural international match against Romania. This historic game saw their entry into international football, starting what would become a long and proud history representing their country.
Stadiums and Clubs
Four Turkish stadiums can hold over 50,000 spectators for football matches. Ataturk Olympic Stadium can seat 76,092 spectators for football games, making it the country's biggest football stadium.
Turkey has numerous football clubs, with at least 96 teams.
The Super Lig is Turkey's top football league. In the 2023/2024 season, 20 teams compete for the championship. So far, Turkey has played 21 matches with a total of 45 goals scored.
Edin Dzeko of Fenerbahçe and Efkan Bekiroglu of Ankaragucu are currently leading the league's scoring charts with three goals each to their name.
Gorkem Saglam of Hatayspor has contributed the most assists, setting up his teammates 32 times for goals.
Turkish Football Players
The Pantheon dataset shows that Turkey is the birthplace of 93 top-level football players, and the country ranks 39th for the number of football players born within its borders.
However, this statistic only refers to the number of players born in Turkey, not the total number to play for Turkish teams
Top Turkish football players include:
Tugay Kerimoglu
Metin Oktay
Hakan Sukur
Rustu Recber
Bulent Korkmaz
Sergen Yalcın
Nihat Kahveci
Hamit Altintop
Can Bartu
Hasan Sas
Read more on our football blog
2. Basketball
In 2001, Turkey finished runner-up at the European Basketball Championship
In 2010, Turkey won a silver medal finish at the FIBA World Cup
Turkish club Anadolu Efes won the highest-tier EuroLeague title
Basketball has grown in popularity in Turkey over the past few decades. It now stands as the second most beloved sport in the country, trailing just behind football.
Achievements and Records
The national team has enjoyed widespread success on the international stage. In 2001, they achieved the incredible feat of finishing runner-up at the European Basketball Championship held in Istanbul.
Domestically, Turkish clubs have thrived in European competitions. Fenerbahce and Anadolu Efes are the standard bearers, with Efes winning the highest-tier EuroLeague title.
Anadolu Efes made history in the 1990s by winning the FIBA Korac Cup (1996) and reaching the EuroLeague Final Four twice, in 2000 and 2001.
Besiktas and Galatasaray have also added their names to the trophy cabinet, winning the EuroChallenge and EuroCup, respectively.
However, Turkey’s talent isn’t limited to European achievements. Players like Mehmet Okur, Hidayet Turkoglu and Ersan Ilyasova had standout careers with the NBA.
Some of the most famous current Turkish basketball players include:
Cedi Osman
Furkan Korkmaz
Enes Kanter
Turkey's moment of glory on the world stage came in 2010 with a silver medal finish at the FIBA World Cup.
With the international success of the national team, and Turkish clubs dominating European basketball, the sport is cementing its place as the nation's second most popular sport.
The future remains bright as new stars emerge to proudly represent their country on basketball's biggest stages.
Read more on our NBA blog
3. Volleyball
The Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) oversees the sport
6% of the Turkish population regularly play volleyball
A record of eight European Championship titles in volleyball
Turkey has firmly established itself as a powerhouse in the world of volleyball.
The sport enjoys immense popularity within the country, ranking third behind only football and basketball in viewership and participation. In fact, volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world.
Women, in particular, are some of volleyball's most passionate fans and players in Turkey.
Turkey has one of the highest rates of volleyball participation globally. Currently, around 6% of the Turkish population regularly plays volleyball, ranking in the top 5 countries with the highest percentage of citizens involved in volleyball
Achievements and Records
The country’s passion for volleyball stems from its long and storied history of success and dominance on the international stage.
Turkey boasts an incredible record of eight European Championship titles, five World Grand Prix victories and three World Cup trophies.
At the heart of it all lies the superb quality of Turkey's domestic volleyball league. Widely regarded as one of the best nationwide circuits globally, it continually develops world-class talent year after year.
Players hone their skills against other elite opponents before representing their nation with distinction on volleyball's biggest stages.
The constant competition challenges athletes to reach greater heights and brings the best out of them.
Volleyball Leagues and Clubs in Turkey
Over 900 clubs play volleyball across Turkey, with 390 men's clubs and 537 women's clubs. The Turkish Volleyball Federation (TVF) oversees and administers the sport.
Based in the capital city, Ankara, the TVF ensures the smooth governance of volleyball across Turkey. It represents the country as a prominent member of the International Volleyball Federation and European Volleyball Confederation.
Complementing the strong league infrastructure are Turkey's state-of-the-art training facilities. Modern venues and gyms provide optimal conditions for players to refine technique and physical conditioning.
Women’s Volleyball
The women's national volleyball team has been very successful throughout the years.
Displaying steady growth over the past decade, they finished sixth at the 2010 World Championship. They also won bronze at the European Championship a year later, highlighting their emergence among the continent's elite.
4. Handball
There are 12 men’s elite clubs in the Turkish Handball Super League
Famous women’s clubs include Izmir Buyuksehir GSK and Kastamonu GSK
Yeliz Ozel is one of the greatest handball players in Turkish history
Handball is a very popular sport in Turkey!
The Turkish national handball team competes regularly at the highest international level. Domestically, 12 men's elite clubs participate actively in the Turkish Handball Super League.
The Turkish Women's Handball Super League is the top professional league for female handball clubs in Turkey. Ten teams compete in this league, overseen by the Turkish Handball Federation.
Top men's handball clubs include:
Besiktas JK
Galatasaray
Gotzepe SK
Top women’s handball clubs include:
Izmir Buyuksehir GSK
Kastamonu GSK
Muratpas GSK
All of these teams have strong fan bases and have succeeded in national competitions.
The Turkish Handball Federation oversees the sport across the country, organising leagues and tournaments for people of different age groups and abilities.
The Federation also ensures standards and runs both indoor and beach handball in Turkey.
Yeliz Ozel: The Most Famous Handball Player in Turkey
Yeliz Ozel is widely regarded as the greatest handball player in Turkish history.
Born in 1980 in Ankara, she began playing professionally for Ankara-based club PTT at a young age and quickly established herself at the highest levels of European competition.
With her speed, ball-handling skills and shooting accuracy, Ozel became a star player domestically and abroad.
She has represented several prominent Turkish teams, such as Izmir Buyuksehir Belediyesi GSK, where she finished her career.
She was also a longtime mainstay of the Turkish national team programme, helping Turkey succeed internationally with her leadership skills and prolific scoring.
5. Athletics
Famous Turkish athletes include Georgios Orphanidis and Ayla Erduran
Alemitu Bekele won gold in the 5000 metres at the 2010 European Championships
Elvan Abeylegesse won gold in the 10,000-metre event at the 2010 European Championships
Athletics is hugely popular in Turkey. Many famous Turkish athletes have achieved success over the years, including Georgios Orphanidis, Ayla Erduran and Ruhi Sarıalp.
In the 2010 European Championships, Elvan Abeylegesse won big for Turkey. She raced to gold in the gruelling 10,000-metre event, later adding to her medal haul with silver in the 5000-metre race.
Another Turkish distance runner, Alemitu Bekele, won gold in the 5000 metres, and Nevin Yanıt proved fastest in the 100-metre hurdles, storming to victory to claim gold.
6. Boxing
The Turkish Boxing Federation was formed in 1924
Traditional wrestling styles are still popular in Turkey today
Turkish boxer Melih Acba achieved 358 victories from 359 bouts
Boxing first emerged in Turkey as an individual activity. During the occupation of Istanbul between 1918 and 1923, competitions carried out by foreign soldiers made the sport popular among locals. This rapidly spread boxing across the country.
Ottoman Jew Aksiyani Efendi established the first boxing club in the 1920s under the license of the French Boxing Federation.
Major football clubs like Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Kurtulus also set up boxing sections to further develop the sport.
In 1924, the Turkish Boxing Federation was formed to govern and promote the sport nationally. Just three years later, in 1927, they gained admission to the International Boxing Association.
Turkey assembled its inaugural national team in 1928, which achieved early success after winning competitions in the Soviet Union the same year.
A new phase arrived through Melih Acba, who fought an extraordinary 358 victories from 359 bouts. His crowning moment came in 1940 when he was named Golden Gloves champion in the United States.
Modern-Day Boxing
Today, the Turkish Boxing Federation continues to advance the sport.
They administer leagues, tournaments and championships catered to all age groups, including male and female boxers. Coaches and referees also receive support through educational programmes held by the Federation.
Batuhan Ciftci displayed an impressive performance in 2020. The Turkish boxer competed in the men's flyweight division (-52kg), earning a quota spot for Tokyo after winning the bronze medal at the 2020 European Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in London.
Busenaz Surmeneli has also established herself as one of the sport's premier practitioners, defeating Charlie Cavanagh of Canada to repeat as world champion in the Women's International Boxing Association Welterweight division in Istanbul.
Traditional Wrestling
Traditional wrestling styles also have a large following across Turkey. Every June, the city of Edirne hosts the Oil Wrestling World Championships.
Competitors test their strength against each other, grappling skin-to-skin and trying to subdue their opponent. Camel wrestling also entertains crowds across Turkey.
The Impact of The Most Popular Sports in Turkey
Sports play a vital role in Turkish society, connecting communities and giving Turks pride in their national team.
Generations of Turks have honoured their country's rich athletic history and traditions - and young athletes continue to elevate Turkey on the global sports stage.
From bustling stadiums to neighbourhood fields, sports bring people together across the nation.
Do you follow any Turkish sports? Tell us in the comments!
