These Four Sports are Currently the Hottest in Sweden

Hearing the words 'Sweden' and 'sport' may conjure up images of skiers, curlers and ice hockey professionals. But what does it really look like in today's Sweden, which sports are currently the most popular among the Swedish people as a whole? Will the classics handball and football make it into the top four, and how does padel compare to these old favourites? Let's dive into that intriguing question head first:

To figure out the odds of newcomer padel making it into the top four most popular sports in the country, it helps to think about probabilities. By ignoring your own preferences, and instead trying to figure out which sport has had time to attract the most participants today, you are one step closer to an answer.

In just a few years, more than 1,000 padel courts have been built in Sweden, and last spring the Swedish Sports Confederation chose the sport as its own specialised sports federation. But has padel fever spread enough to make the sport one of Sweden's hottest? We take a look at the list.

Sweden's Top 4 Sports 2022

1. Football

With over 600,000 practising players, the sport takes home the honourable title of 'Sweden's most popular sport'. And the popularity extends beyond the practitioners - football also attracts great interest from Swedish supporters, viewers, and media companies. The game creates jobs, can generate income, provides society with an exciting topic of discussion, contributes to general public health and is simply fun to watch - so it's easy to understand why football is the Swedes' favourite sport today.

2. athletics

Sweden's second most popular sport is a broad category - including sports such as long jump, relay, high jump and javelin; athletics. Since Sweden has had many great track and field stars over the years who have shone through the Olympic Games, it is no wonder that the Swedish people have taken a liking to this diverse sport. It is estimated that there are currently around 559,000 Swedes who take part in athletics on a daily basis.

3. golf

The slightly more surprising sport to take third place among Sweden's most popular sports is golf. However, there are estimated to be around 538,000 golfers in the country, so it's clearly a well-deserved bronze spot for the enjoyable game. The reason for its popularity, beyond the sheer technicality and appeal of the game, may be that it is one of the sports that can be continued later in life - so it has a wide and inviting age range. Plus, you can have a conversation during the game, and we Swedes are known for our love of small talk, right?

4. gymnastics

Another surprising discovery is that Sweden's fourth most popular sport turns out to be gymnastics. Although we as a country are not well known for our interest in gymnastics externally, it apparently burns brightly within our borders. With around 394,500 practitioners in Sweden, this difficult and impressive sport is fourth on the list. In contrast to the more age-inclusive nature of golf, gymnastics is something that becomes more difficult to practice with age - yet it still manages to make it into Sweden's top list.

So it turns out that newcomer padel hasn't managed to make it into Sweden's most popular sports yet. At present, it is estimated that there are around 100 different associations dedicated to the sport in Sweden, with around 20,000 members.

That may sound like a tiny number compared to the number of participants attracted to football, athletics, golf and gymnastics - but given that all these sports have been around for much longer, there is still hope for the paddle to catch up. A future revival will require time, growing interest, and fewer padel elbows - it will be exciting to follow the sport's potential journey.

Floorball, swimming and ice hockey rank fifth, sixth and seventh among Sweden's hottest sports today, closely followed by motorbike & snowmobile, equestrian and handball.