The Most Popular Sports in Pakistan

Pakistan is a country full of passionate fans of various sports. One of the most popular sports in the country, is the traditional sport, Kabaddi, which has been played in the south-eastern regions of Asia since the Ancient era. However, most of the popular sports played in Pakistan today are the sports that are popular and played globally. In this article, we are going to take a look at a few sports which are popular the world over. In this article, we are going to take a look at the most popular sports in the country.

Football

The first sport we are taking a look at, is football. By far the most popular sport in the world, football is watched by 3.5 billion fans all around the world. The highest-tier in Pakistani football is the Pakistan Premier League (or PPL), which sees 12 teams compete for the championship title. While not nearly as popular as the India Super League, the Pakistan Premier League is a hugely popular event in the country, and if one were to look at the websites that cover PPL or ISL live scores, one would see that the events draw in a huge amount of punters and fans, not just from Pakistan, but from all over South-East Asia.

The Pakistan Premier League was founded, officially in 1948, making it one of the oldest Asian leagues in the world. However, it has undergone quite a bit of changes in format, until 2004, when it was completely reorganized, into the format that we know today. The Khan Research Laboratories club is the most successful team in the history of the Pakistan Premier League, and having won the most recent event, they currently hold 5 titles, the most out of any of the other 11 teams that compete in the League.

Field Hockey

Field hockey is among the most popular sports in the country, and, in fact, is even considered the country’s national sport. Field hockey in Pakistan is governed by the Pakistan Hockey Federation, and the Pakistan men’s hockey team has seen major success on the international scene. Over the course of their history, they’ve won several Olympic medals, including three gold medals, and they have won the Hockey World Cup 4 times, a world record, uncontested today. On top of all their other achievements, the team has won the most gold medals out of any other hockey team in all of Asia, making it among the most successful hockey teams in the entire continent.

Cricket

Lastly, we are looking at the sport which is most popular, not just in Pakistan, but all of South-East Asia. Cricket was brought over to the region in the 1800s, when English merchants, sailors, nobles, and soldiers visited India, which at the time was an English colony. The first game of cricket in the region of Pakistan actually pre-dates the official formation of the country, as it was played in the mid-to-late 1800s, between a local team, and a visiting Australian team. Ever since, the game’s popularity has spread throughout the country, taking major hold on the population of Pakistan.

Today, some of the greatest players in the world of cricket come from Pakistan, among which, one of the most popular are Shaheen Afridi. The Pakistan national team is also one of the most successful teams in the world, being ranked third in the world in T20 Cricket, and fifth in both ODI and Test Cricket. The sport has remained the most popular game in Pakistan for all of the country’s existence.