By When it comes to sports Brazilians enjoy doing a variety of sports activities. Probably one of the biggest nations in South America and football being the most popular sport in the world, it’s no surprise that Brazil is also widely known as the nation of football but what you may not know is, there are also other sports practiced in the country.
Today, in this post, we have rounded up the Top 5 of the most popular Sports in Brazil in 2022. These sports are largely practiced in metropolitan areas but with time, the number of Brazillians doing sports activities are slowly increasing in popularity even in some parts of the rural areas in Brazil. So without further let’s get it on with the deets:
- Football
Indeed football takes the No.1 spot when it comes to sports. Simply put, Brazil and football go hand in hand. This sport is one of the most widely played sports in the country, with almost all Brazilians having an association with a national squad to at least some extent. Some of the largest squads in the football squads are Corinthians from São Paulo and Flamengo from Rio de Janeiro, and both squads have a massive backing party of devoted fans.
Brazil has delivered numerous of the best and greatly gifted football players ever in the history of football like Pele, Didi, and Ronaldinho. Brazil is also the only nation to have emerged as the FIFA World Cup champions (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002). The country not only has football fans but starting from a very young age, football becomes somewhat attached to them and is almost everyone’s hobby. Football is a popular sport played by both men and women irrespective of age.
- Volleyball
Football may have taken the Top 1 place but volleyball is another popular sport in Brazil which is placed in Top 2. Volleyball definitely keeps up as a strong contender when it comes to sports and holds a special place in the hearts of Brazillians. Beach volley is incredibly widespread, especially in cities like Rio de Janeiro, Recife, and Fortaleza. It is a sport which can be enjoyed and played by both men and women as well. Both the men’s national squad and women’s squad are strong contenders and stand among one the best teams and have won many world championships. Around the 2000s, Gilberto Amauri de Godoy Filho famously known as ‘Giba‘ was deemed the best volleyball player on the planet, whereas Fernanda Venturini was the best in the women’s team.
- Basketball
Basketball is another sport which is one of the most followed in the world. And undoubtedly, Brazil’s national squad has witnessed several successes in international tournaments. So far, the Brazilian national squad has won two championship titles at the FIBA Basketball World (1959 and 1963). The squads have also emerged as runners-up in 1954 and 1970, and placed third in 1967 and 1978. It is also worth mentioning that the Brazilian national squad has also won three Olympic bronze medals in 1948, 1960, and 1964.
- Swimming
It’s not difficult to comprehend why swimming is widespread in a nation that has a seaside spread across over 7,000 km. Usually, many people are not really intrigued by the idea of watching swimming competitions, but when it comes to the Olympic or Pan American Games happening, we feel the urge to watch, and why not. Needless to say, the number of swimmers in Brazil is massive and most Brazilians learn how to swim at a very young age. It might be vital to emphasize that declaring you do not know how to swim may come across as a bit unusual to some Brazilians.
- Surfing
For most Brazilians, surfing is a part of day-to-day activities and a part of the culture, mainly for those who reside in coastal cities such as Rio de Janeiro. Brazil has several terrific places for surfing like Matinhos in Paraná, Búzios in Rio de Janeiro, the stunning Fernando de Noronha, and Ubatuba in São Paulo. The country is home to many of the most famous surfers on the planet such Gabriel Medina and Maya Gabeira. Notably, Carlos Burle, who surfed the largest in the world and smashed a world record for surfing a 100-foot wave in Portugal.
