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!

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:

French	English 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!

English	French	IPA
To play	Jouer	ʒwe
To do sports	Faire du sport	fɛɾə dy spɔɾ
To practice	S’entraîner	sɑ̃tɾ(e)ne
To win	Gagner	gaɲe
To tie	Être à égalité	ɛtɾ a egalite
To lose	Perdre	pɛɾdɾə
To catch	Attraper	atɾape
To cheat	Tricher	tɾiʃe
To compete	Être en compétition	ɛtɾɑ̃ kõpetisjõ
To dribble	Dribbler	dɾible
To throw	Lancer	lɑ̃se
To jog	Faire du jogging	fɛɾə dy ʒɔgɛ̃
To swim	Nager	naʒe
To run	Courir	kuɾiɾ
To ski	Skier	skje
To sprint	Sprinter	spɾɛ̃te
To ride a horse	Monter à cheval	mõte a ʃəval
To ride a bike	Faire du vélo	fɛɾə dy velo
To hit	Frapper	fɾape

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”.

English	French	IPA
Soccer	Football/foot	foɔtbal/foo
American football	Football américain	foɔtbal ameɾikɛ̃
Outdoor basketball	Basket-ball extérieur	baske-bal ɛksteɾjœɾ
Baseball	Baseball	bazəbal
Golf	Golf	gɔlf
Road cycling	Cyclisme	siklismə
Tennis	Tennis	tɛni
Hiking	Randonnée	ɾɑ̃dɔneə
Mountain biking	VTT	vetete
Badminton	Badminton	badmɛ̃tõ
Archery	Tir à l'arc	tiɾ a laɾk
Snowboarding	Snowboard	snɔwboaɾ
Frisbee	Frisbee	fɾisbɛə
Horse riding	Équitation	ekitasjõ
Rugby	Rugby	ɾygbi
Cricket	Cricket	kɾikke
Skiing	Ski	ski
Volleyball	Volley-ball	vɔlɛi-bal
Beach volley	Beach volley	bɛaʃ vɔlɛi
Roller skating	Patin à roulettes/roller	patɛ̃n‿ a ɾulɛtɛs/ɾɔle
Skydiving	Parachutisme	paɾaʃytismə
Bungee jumping	Saut à l'élastique	sot‿ a lelastikə
Paragliding	Parapente	paɾapɑ̃tə
Rock climbing	Escalade	ɛskaladə
Skateboarding	Skate/skateboard	fɛɾə də la plɑ̃ʃ a ɾulɛtə
Parkour	Parkour	paɾkuɾ

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!

English	French	IPA
Swimming	Natation	natasjõ
Freestyle	Nage libre	naʒə libɾə
Backstroke	Crawl	kɾawl
Butterfly	Papillon	papijõ
Breaststroke	Brasse	bɾasə
Diving	Plongée	plõʒeə
Water polo	Water-polo	wate-pɔlo
Synchronized swimming	Natation synchronisée	natasjõ sɛ̃ʃɾɔnizeə
Surfing	Surf	syɾf
Wakeboarding	Wakeboard	wakəboaɾ
Waterskiing	Ski nautique	ski notikə
Kayaking	Kayak	kɛjak
Kite surfing	Kite surf	kitə syɾf
Bodyboarding	Bodyboard	bɔdiboaɾ
Snorkeling	Plongée en apnée	plõʒeɑ̃n‿ apneə
Paddle boarding	Paddle surf	padlə syɾf
Canoeing	Canoë-kayak	kanoe-kɛjak
Rafting	Rafting	ɾaftɛ̃
Canyoning	Canyoning	kanjɔnɛ̃
Jet skiing	Jet ski	ʒe ski
Windsurfing	Planche à voile	plɑ̃ʃ 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 !

English	French	IPA
Indoor soccer	Foot en salle	foot‿ɑ̃ salə
Ice-skating	Patin glace	patɛ̃ glasə
Squash	Squash	ska
Pilates	Pilates	pilatə
Yoga	Yoga	jɔga
Table tennis	Tennis de table/Ping-pong	tɛni də tablɛ/pɛ̃-põ
Indoor cycling	Cyclisme en salle	siklismɑ̃ salə
Wrestling	Lutte	lytə
Gymnastics	Gymnastique	ʒimnastikə
Darts	Fléchettes	fleʃɛtə
Karate	Karaté	kaɾate
Dancing	Danse	dɑ̃sə
Boxing	Boxe	bɔgzə
Wrestling	Lutte	lytə
Judo	Judo	ʒydo
Taekwondo	Taekwondo	taɛkwõdo
Fencing	Escrime	ɛskɾimə
Weight lifting	Haltérophilie	alteɾɔpiljə
Fitness	Fitness	fitnɛ

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!

English	French	IPA
Chess	Échecs	eʃɛk
Poker	Poker	pɔke
Dominos	Dominos	dɔmino
Board games	Jeux de société	ʒø də sɔsjete
Cards	Cartes	kaɾtə
Bowling	Bowling	bɔwlɛ̃
Fishing	Pêche	pɛʃə
Muggle Quidditch	Quidditch moldu	kiditʃ mɔldy
Sing	Chant	ʃɑ̃te
Write	Écriture	ekɾiɾə
Read	Lecture	liɾə
Draw	Dessin	dɛsine
Walk	Marche	maɾʃe
Power walk	Marche rapide	maɾʃə ɾapidə
Cheerlead	Pom-pom girl	põ-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?

English	French	IPA
Athlete	Athlète	atlɛtə
Team	Équipe	ekipə
Coach	Entraîneur	ɑ̃tɾɛnœɾ
Field	Terrain	tɛrɛ̃
Rink	Patinoire	patinwaɾə
Pool	Piscine	pissinə
Court	Court	kuɾ
Sports venue	Installation sportive/centre sportif	ɛ̃stalasjõ spɔɾtivɛ/sɑ̃tɾə spɔɾtif
Sports equipment	Équipement sportif	ekipəmə spɔɾtif
Arena/stadium	Stade	stadə
Track	Piste d'athlétisme	pistə datletismə
Goalkeeper	Gardien de but	gaɾdjɛ̃ də by
Player	Joueur/joueuse	ʒw(ø)ɾ/ʒwøzə
Olympic games	Jeux olympiques	ʒøx‿ 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!

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!