A National Pastime is a sport or game that is consider to be a culturally intrinsic part of a country or nation.

Although there are normally no official parameters towards defining what is a National Pastime, there are some general things most sports or games that are National Pastimes have in common, including...

- The rules and objectives of the sport or game are known in fairly great detail in the country or nation.

- The game or sport is widely played or watched in the country or nation.

- The game or sport has a long history of popularity or extreme current popularity in the country or nation.

In some countries, sport or game can become the official national pastime by mandate of the government, such as with Canada and Lacrosse in 1859. 1

In other countries, where the sport or game has such a long history, such as with Baseball in the United States or Sumo Wrestling in Japan, the sport or game is often considered a de facto "official" National Pastime.

List of Countries' National Pastimes

• Afghanistan - Buzkashi
• Albania - Football
• Argentina - Football with Rugby Union and Polo
• Australia - Cricket is the official summer sport, Rugby League is the official winter sport in the eastern states (ACT, New South Wales and Queensland) and Australian Rules Football is the official winter sport in the other states and the Northern Territory.
• Austria - Alpine skiing
• Barbados - Cricket
• Belgium - Cycling is the most popular sport in Belgium: during winter a variant of Cycling called Cyclocross("veldrijden") is the pastime for most Belgians(certainly in Flanders), Belgium dominates this sport totally. Football is also quite popular.
• Bermuda - Cricket
• Bhutan - Archery
• Brazil - Football is considered the national obsession, and volleyball also has a large number of participants.
• Canada - Lacrosse is the official summer sport and ice hockey is the official winter sport, but hockey is by far the sport most closely followed, and most closely linked to national pride. Designating lacrosse as an official sport is more of a nod to history that a reflection of the present-day situation: sports like baseball, Canadian football (but probably also American football), soccer, golf, tennis are all much more popular. Canada is also the world's dominant force in the sport of Curling.
• China - Table tennis
• Colombia - Tejo is the traditional sport, as is bullfighting, but football (soccer) is the main attraction, followed by baseball and basketball.
• Cuba - Baseball
• Czech Republic - Ice hockey and football are close in popularity.
• Denmark - Football
• Dominican Republic - Baseball
• Estonia - Basketball
• England - Football (soccer) in winter, cricket in summer; rugby union and rugby league also attract large crowds.
• Fiji - Rugby union (particularly Sevens)
• Finland - Pesäpallo, Ice Hockey
• France - Football, but rugby union is popular in the south. Basketball is also played. Cycling is also very widely followed.
• Gambia - Wrestling
• Germany - Football, but American football is also played (it is home to the German Football League, and five of the six teams in NFL Europe.)
• Greece - Football is most popular, with basketball and volleyball right behind.
• Guyana - Cricket
• Haiti - Football
• Hong Kong - Dragon boat racing
• Iceland - Glima
• India - Field hockey is the official sport (winners of 8 Olympic Golds), but cricket is the most popular (Winners of 1983 World Cup)
• Iran - Wrestling
• Ireland - Hurling and Gaelic football
• Israel - Football and basketball
• Italy - the traditional sport is bocce, but Football is the national passion. Basketball is also highly popular, and winter sports are followed mostly in the north.
• Jamaica - Cricket and football
• Japan - Sumo wrestling is traditionally viewed as Japan's national sport, but baseball is today more popular, and football is rapidly increasing in popularity. Rugby union also has a substantial following.
• Korea - Tae kwon do is traditional, baseball is highly popular, but StarCraft, which is actually a computer game, has sometimes sarcastically been referred to as the national sport. South Korea is also a major force in women's golf.
• Latvia - Ice hockey
• Lithuania - Basketball
• Mexico - Charrería is traditional, but football is most popular today, with baseball also widely played and followed.
• Mongolia - Wrestling and archery.
• Nauru - Australian rules football
• Netherlands - Football has the largest following, but cycling and ice skating are seen as traditional sports; volleyball, baseball (known locally as honkbal) and field hockey are also played.
• New Zealand - Rugby union is the most widely followed and most closely linked to national pride (Rugby League not being very far behind), although more children today play soccer. Australian Rules Football is also gaining a stronghold here. Netball is one of the most popular sports among girls and young women, and men have organised some teams of their own. Cricket is played during summer.
• Nicaragua - Baseball
• Nigeria - Football
• Norway - Skiing, both Nordic and Alpine
• Pakistan - Field hockey is the official sport (winners of the Gold in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994), but cricket is the most popular (winners of the world cup in 1992)
• Papua New Guinea - Rugby league
• Philippines - Basketball
• Poland - Football
• Portugal - Football
• Puerto Rico - Baseball
• Romania - Oina is the traditional sport, but Football is much more popular. Rugby also has a fairly decent stronghold.
• Russia - Football, Ice Hockey, Sambo
• Samoa - Rugby union
  • Note: In American Samoa, American football is more popular.
• Saudi Arabia - Falconry and horse racing are traditional, but football draws the largest number of spectators.
• Scotland - Native sport is Shinty, but football attracts much larger crowds. It was also the birthplace of golf, which is more often associated with Scotland than anywhere else.
• Slovenia - Alpine skiing
• Soviet Union - Chess, Ice Hockey
• South Africa - Football has historically been most popular with blacks, rugby union with Afrikaners, and cricket with British-descended whites.
• Spain - bull fighting is traditional, but football is the most popular
• Switzerland - Hornussen , a traditional game, is popular in rural Switzerland, although football is most popular overall, and ice hockey is rising in popularity
• Sweden - Football and ice hockey are almost equally popular.
• Taiwan - baseball
• Thailand - Muay Thai
• Tonga - Rugby union
• Turkey - Yağlı Güreş (oil wrestling) is traditional, but football is the most popular.
• United Arab Emirates - Camel racing is traditional, but football is the most popular.
• United States - Baseball is generally named as "the American national pastime", but American football presently has the largest number of viewers, with NASCAR (stock car racing), long popular in the southeastern states, rapidly becoming popular nationwide. Basketball is popular among the young, urban population. Football, known as Soccer in the U.S, is popular with the young, suburban population. The rise of soccer's popularity with children in suburbs have created a political demographic known as the "Soccer mom". Ice Hockey was once very popular in the Northeast, Midwest as well as with Southeastern immigrants from those regions and Canada. However, the popularity of Ice Hockey appears to be waning in recent years.
• Uzbekistan - Kurash
• Venezuela - Baseball is the most popular, with football a close second thanks to Colombian, Portuguese, and Italian immigrants.
• Wales - Rugby union (although there are more football teams and it is watched by more people)