127 fun sports in French & related words you'll get a kick out of

Sport is like music: it has no border. Wherever you go, you’ll always find sports lovers. And French speaking countries are no exception.

This article on sports in French will help you in the following situations:

  • If you’d like to mention your favorite sport when introducing yourself.
  • If you want to talk about the latest soccer game with a francophone friend.
  • If you need to book a ticket for a sporting event.
  • If you’re watching an exciting game in-person or on TV with French-speaking friends.

And many more. So - on your mark, get set...go!

Man running in French.

How do you say “sports” in French

Wait, stop running! First off, let’s learn how to say “sport” in French. And I have great news for you: it’s exactly the same! So, “sport” singular, and “sports” plural. Pronunciation is slightly different though, as you can hear in this video.

How to talk about sports in French

Here are few phrases that may come in handy when talking about sports in French:

FrenchEnglish translation
Quel est ton sport préféré ?What’s your favorite sport?
Mon sport préféré est le foot. My favorite sport is soccer.
Tu aimes regarder le sport à la télé ?Do you like to watch sports on TV?
Tu sais qui a gagné le match hier soir ?Do you know who won the game last night?
Quelle est ta discipline préférée aux Jeux Olympiques ?What’s your favorite event at the Olympics?
Sais-tu monter à cheval ?Do you know how to ride a horse?
Veux-tu aller faire du vélo ?Would you like to go biking?
Passe-moi le ballon.Hand me the ball.
J’aime nager.I like swimming.

Sport-related verbs

Of course, it’s helpful to know tennis in French, football in French or basketball in French. But you’ll need some verbs to spice up your French skills!

EnglishFrenchIPA
To playJouerʒwe
To do sportsFaire du sportfɛɾə dy spɔɾ
To practiceS’entraînersɑ̃tɾ(e)ne
To winGagnergaɲe
To tieÊtre à égalitéɛtɾ a egalite
To losePerdrepɛɾdɾə
To catchAttraperatɾape
To cheatTrichertɾiʃe
To competeÊtre en compétitionɛtɾɑ̃ kõpetisjõ
To dribbleDribblerdɾible
To throwLancerlɑ̃se
To jogFaire du joggingfɛɾə dy ʒɔgɛ̃
To swimNagernaʒe
To runCourirkuɾiɾ
To skiSkierskje
To sprintSprinterspɾɛ̃te
To ride a horseMonter à chevalmõte a ʃəval
To ride a bikeFaire du vélofɛɾə dy velo
To hitFrapperfɾape

List of sports in French

Outdoor sports in French

Some of the sports below are both outdoor and indoor, but there is nothing like fresh air, right?

In French, “outdoor sports” can be translated by “sports extérieurs” or “sports de plein air”.

Outdoor sports such as snowboarding and skiing in French.

EnglishFrenchIPA
SoccerFootball/footfoɔtbal/foo
American footballFootball américainfoɔtbal ameɾikɛ̃
Outdoor basketballBasket-ball extérieurbaske-bal ɛksteɾjœɾ
BaseballBaseballbazəbal
GolfGolfgɔlf
Road cyclingCyclisme siklismə
TennisTennistɛni
HikingRandonnée ɾɑ̃dɔneə
Mountain bikingVTTvetete
BadmintonBadmintonbadmɛ̃tõ
ArcheryTir à l'arctiɾ a laɾk
SnowboardingSnowboardsnɔwboaɾ
FrisbeeFrisbeefɾisbɛə
Horse ridingÉquitationekitasjõ
RugbyRugbyɾygbi
CricketCricketkɾikke
SkiingSkiski
VolleyballVolley-ballvɔlɛi-bal
Beach volleyBeach volleybɛaʃ vɔlɛi
Roller skatingPatin à roulettes/rollerpatɛ̃n‿ a ɾulɛtɛs/ɾɔle
SkydivingParachutismepaɾaʃytismə
Bungee jumpingSaut à l'élastiquesot‿ a lelastikə
ParaglidingParapentepaɾapɑ̃tə
Rock climbingEscaladeɛskaladə
SkateboardingSkate/skateboardfɛɾə də la plɑ̃ʃ a ɾulɛtə
ParkourParkourpaɾkuɾ

Water sports in French

Water lover? Me too! From the big waves of Biarritz to the calm waters of Lac Léman, learn how to say your favorite “sports nautiques” in French!

Water sports such as surfing and swimming in French.

EnglishFrenchIPA
SwimmingNatationnatasjõ
FreestyleNage librenaʒə libɾə
BackstrokeCrawl kɾawl
ButterflyPapillonpapijõ
BreaststrokeBrassebɾasə
DivingPlongéeplõʒeə
Water poloWater-polowate-pɔlo
Synchronized swimmingNatation synchroniséenatasjõ sɛ̃ʃɾɔnizeə
SurfingSurfsyɾf
WakeboardingWakeboardwakəboaɾ
WaterskiingSki nautiqueski notikə
KayakingKayakkɛjak
Kite surfingKite surfkitə syɾf
BodyboardingBodyboardbɔdiboaɾ
SnorkelingPlongée en apnéeplõʒeɑ̃n‿ apneə
Paddle boardingPaddle surfpadlə syɾf
CanoeingCanoë-kayakkanoe-kɛjak
RaftingRaftingɾaftɛ̃
CanyoningCanyoningkanjɔnɛ̃
Jet skiingJet skiʒe ski
WindsurfingPlanche à voileplɑ̃ʃ a vwalə

Indoor sports in French

Here again, you can practice some of these sports either indoors or outdoors. But sometimes, the weather just doesn’t collaborate. C’est parti pour les sports intérieurs !

Indoor sports such as pilates and yoga in French.

EnglishFrenchIPA
Indoor soccerFoot en sallefoot‿ɑ̃ salə
Ice-skatingPatin glacepatɛ̃ glasə
SquashSquashska
PilatesPilatespilatə
YogaYogajɔga
Table tennisTennis de table/Ping-pongtɛni də tablɛ/pɛ̃-põ
Indoor cyclingCyclisme en sallesiklismɑ̃ salə
WrestlingLuttelytə
GymnasticsGymnastiqueʒimnastikə
DartsFléchettesfleʃɛtə
KarateKaratékaɾate
DancingDansedɑ̃sə
BoxingBoxebɔgzə
WrestlingLuttelytə
JudoJudoʒydo
TaekwondoTaekwondotaɛkwõdo
FencingEscrimeɛskɾimə
Weight liftingHaltérophiliealteɾɔpiljə
FitnessFitnessfitnɛ

Other games/activities in French

If you think that fishing is not a sport, I’d say it depends on the size of the fish… And if you like animals, you might also want to take a look at these wonderful animals in French. Anyway, “revenons à nos moutons” with other activities in French!

Chess is a sport in French.

EnglishFrenchIPA
ChessÉchecseʃɛk
PokerPokerpɔke
DominosDominosdɔmino
Board gamesJeux de sociétéʒø də sɔsjete
CardsCarteskaɾtə
BowlingBowlingbɔwlɛ̃
FishingPêchepɛʃə
Muggle QuidditchQuidditch moldukiditʃ mɔldy
SingChantʃɑ̃te
WriteÉcritureekɾiɾə
ReadLectureliɾə
DrawDessindɛsine
WalkMarchemaɾʃe
Power walkMarche rapidemaɾʃə ɾapidə
CheerleadPom-pom girlpõ-põ ʒiɾl

Sports-related vocab in French

Learning French vocab IS a sport. Skeptical? Try to go for a run, and to learn all the new words of the article. So, what’s the easiest?

EnglishFrenchIPA
AthleteAthlèteatlɛtə
TeamÉquipeekipə
CoachEntraîneurɑ̃tɾɛnœɾ
FieldTerraintɛrɛ̃
RinkPatinoirepatinwaɾə
PoolPiscinepissinə
CourtCourtkuɾ
Sports venueInstallation sportive/centre sportifɛ̃stalasjõ spɔɾtivɛ/sɑ̃tɾə spɔɾtif
Sports equipmentÉquipement sportifekipəmə spɔɾtif
Arena/stadiumStadestadə
TrackPiste d'athlétismepistə datletismə
GoalkeeperGardien de butgaɾdjɛ̃ də by
PlayerJoueur/joueuseʒw(ø)ɾ/ʒwøzə
Olympic gamesJeux olympiquesʒøx‿ ɔlɛ̃pikə
Ready, steady, go!À vos marques, prêts, partez !a vo maɾkə, pɾɛ. paɾte !

Most popular sports in different French-speaking countries

Sport popularity varies greatly from one country to another… even if they share the same language!

Soccer is the most popular sport in France Belgium and Canada.

Below is a brief sports tour of the francophone world.

France

  1. Soccer
  2. Rugby
  3. Tennis
  4. Cycling

Belgium

  1. Soccer
  2. Cycling
  3. Tennis
  4. Running

Canada (Québec)

  1. Hockey
  2. Basketball
  3. Soccer
  4. Rugby

French Guiana

  1. Soccer
  2. Rugby
  3. Cycling
  4. Basketball

Republic of Congo

  1. Soccer
  2. Basketball
  3. Handball
  4. Volleyball

Football vs. soccer

This is probably one of the biggest “faux amis” and sports misunderstandings of all times!

For Americans, “football” is obviously American football. For almost everybody else, “football”, or “foot”, is… “soccer”.

If you ever dropped the ball on that one, no worries. Many people seem to have a strong opinion on this war of words, as you can see in this video

'Football' vs 'Soccer' – WHY the war of words?

As we say in French: “Après l’effort, le réconfort” (literally, after the effort comes comfort). So, if all these sports or vocab learning made you hungry, don’t miss our tasty guide to French restaurants.

And if you want to score with your language learning, check out our online French lessons. The ball is in your court!

Call Us

1-866-423-7548


Find out more

Fill in the form below and we’ll contact you to discuss your learning options and answer any questions you may have.