Ball Sports
Sports built around advancing a ball into a target zone — a goal, a basket, a wicket, a hoop. Includes team giants like football, cricket and basketball as well as global favourites like handball, netball and sepak takraw.
53 sports in ball sports.
American Football
11-a-side gridiron sport where the offence advances an oval ball toward the opponent's end zone through carries and passes to score touchdowns and field goals.
Arena Football
Indoor eight-a-side American football on a 50 yd field walled by rebound nets.
Australian Rules Football
Australia's homegrown 18-a-side contact sport played on a huge oval with a red leather ball — a fast, high-scoring blend of kicking, marking and long running.
Ball Hockey
Hockey played on foot with a solid orange ball instead of a puck — indoor dek rinks or street games.
Bandy
Winter team sport played on ICE with 11 players per team using sticks + BALL (not puck). Field size ~SOCCER PITCH. Ancient — direct ancestor of ice hockey. Massive popularity RUSSIA, SWEDEN, FINLAND, KAZAKHSTAN. World Championships since 1957. Traditional but declining in some regions.
Baseball
9-a-side bat-and-ball sport played on a diamond — the batter tries to hit a pitched ball into fair territory and circle the bases; the team with the most runs after 9 innings wins.
Baseball5
Five-a-side street version of baseball — no bat, no glove, hit a rubber ball with your hand.
Basketball
A five-a-side team sport in which players score by throwing an inflated ball through a 10-foot-high hoop.
Basque Pelota
Family of Basque handball / racket games played off a wall — the parent of jai alai.
Beach Handball
Four-a-side sand version of handball — spectacular flying shots earn double points.
Beach Soccer
Five-a-side football on sand — bare feet, no throw-ins and constant airborne strikes.
Beach Volleyball
Two-a-side variant of volleyball played barefoot on sand — the smaller court and no substitutes make endurance, all-round skill, and reading the wind essential.
Bike Polo
Three-a-side team sport played on fixed-gear bikes with polo mallets and a small ball on a hard court.
Bossaball
Volleyball, football and gymnastics on an inflatable court with trampolines built into each side.
Box Lacrosse
Indoor six-a-side lacrosse played on a converted hockey rink — Canada's national summer sport.
Canadian Football
Twelve-a-side northern cousin of American football — bigger field, three downs, a rouge on missed kicks.
Cricket
A bat-and-ball team sport where two teams take turns batting and fielding, scoring runs by running between wickets or hitting boundaries.
Cycle Ball
Two-a-side indoor sport — steer a fixed-gear bike and push a ball into the opposing net using the front wheel.
Field Hockey
Eleven-a-side stick-and-ball team sport played on artificial turf — flick, push and hit a hard ball into a caged goal using a J-shaped stick.
Fistball
Volleyball-like sport where the ball is struck with the fist or forearm and may bounce once between hits.
Flag Football
Non-contact form of American football — pull a flag from the ball carrier's belt instead of tackling.
Floor Hockey
Indoor hockey with plastic sticks and a felt puck or ring — a gym-class staple in North American schools.
Floorball
Indoor team sport similar to hockey — 6-a-side, plastic sticks, light plastic ball with holes. Originated Sweden/Finland/US 1970s. Massive popularity Sweden + Finland (top participation sports). 2 halves × 20 min each. IFF World Championships. Growing global sport; IOC recognized.
Football
The world's most popular team sport — two sides of eleven aim to score more goals than the opponent using any part of the body except the arms and hands.
Footvolley
Beach volleyball played with football rules — feet, chest and head only, no hands.
Futnet
Volleyball played with feet, head and chest over a low net — the Czech national indoor sport.
Futsal
5-a-side indoor football played on a hard court with a smaller heavier ball that barely bounces — 2 halves of 20 minutes, faster tempo than football, developed in Uruguay/Brazil (1930s), core to Brazilian football technique development.
Handball
7-a-side indoor team sport where players pass, dribble and throw a small ball, trying to score goals into a 3-metre-wide goal — fast, physical and continuous.
Ice Hockey
Six-a-side full-contact team sport played on an ice rink — pass and shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into the opponent's net using a straight stick.
Korfball
Dutch mixed-gender team sport invented 1902 by Nico Broekhuysen. 8 players per team (4 men + 4 women each) score by shooting ball through 3.5m elevated basket (korf). UNIQUE — only major team sport designed for MANDATORY MIXED-GENDER play. Popular Netherlands, Belgium, Taiwan, small international scene. IWGA World Games sport.
Netball
Ball sport played predominantly by women — 7 vs 7 on a rectangular court (30.5 × 15.25m) with a raised goal ring at each end; players pass the ball (no dribbling) and only 2 specific position players can score.
Pesäpallo
Finland's national bat-and-ball sport — vertical pitching and a zigzag base run make it faster than baseball.
Roller Derby
Full-contact team roller-skating sport where jammers score points lapping blockers on a flat oval track.
Roller Hockey
Ice hockey on quad or inline skates — five-a-side on a flat rink, most popular in Iberia and Latin America.
Rounders
British bat-and-ball team sport. DIRECT ANCESTOR OF BASEBALL + SOFTBALL. Played on diamond with 4 bases; batters hit ball + run bases. 9 players per team. Popular UK (schools), Ireland (national sport with distinct rules). Ancient — documented 1744. UK version 2 innings; Irish version 3.
Roundnet
Two-a-side beach sport — bounce a small ball off a circular trampoline net at the centre of a 360° court.
Rugby League
13-a-side rugby code with faster, more open play — a team keeps possession for six tackles, then must score, kick, or hand the ball over.
Rugby Sevens
Seven-a-side rugby played on a full pitch across two seven-minute halves — Olympic since Rio 2016.
Rugby Union
Fifteen-a-side full-contact team sport played with an oval ball — carry, pass and kick it to score tries and goals against the opposition.
Sitting Volleyball
PARALYMPIC volleyball for athletes with lower-limb disabilities. Players SIT on floor + must maintain hip contact with floor while playing ball. Court 10m × 6m (smaller than standing volleyball); net 1.15m (men) / 1.05m (women). Highly athletic + strategic. Originated 1956 Netherlands. Paralympic sport since 1980.
Snow Volleyball
Winter cousin of beach volleyball — three-a-side on snow, sets to 15 with rally scoring.
Softball
Bat-and-ball team sport related to baseball — played with a larger ball, an underhand pitch and a smaller diamond over seven innings.
Table Football
Miniature football played on a table with rotating rods and figurines — a bar-and-cafe classic worldwide.
Tag Rugby
Non-contact rugby using velcro flags on a belt — the beginner-friendly gateway to full rugby.
Tchoukball
Swiss team sport invented 1970 by Dr. Hermann Brandt (biologist) to REDUCE INJURIES + PROMOTE FAIR PLAY. 7-a-side; throw ball at REBOUND FRAMES (like trampolines) at each end of court; opponent must not catch rebound. NO CONTACT, NO OFFSIDE — designed as maximally cooperative team sport. Small but passionate global following. FITB governs. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS since 2004.
Throwball
Volleyball-like sport where the ball is caught and thrown across the net instead of hit — huge in Indian schools.
Touch Rugby
Non-contact rugby variant — touching the ball carrier instead of tackling, mixed-gender competition.
Ultimate Frisbee
Self-officiated non-contact team sport played 7v7 with a flying disc on a football-sized field — advance disc down the field by passing (thrower can't move), score by catching in the endzone; first to 15 wins.
Volleyball
6-a-side team sport where players use hands and forearms to send a ball over a high net, aiming to ground it on the opposing side within three touches.
Wallyball
Volleyball played inside a walled racquetball court — walls are in play like squash.
Wheelchair Basketball
Basketball played in specialised wheelchairs — same 10 ft hoop, same court, adapted travelling rule.
Wheelchair Rugby
Full-contact Paralympic sport on a basketball court — carry the ball across the goal line in specially reinforced chairs.
Wiffle Ball
Backyard baseball with a perforated plastic ball that curves crazily — no gloves, no base running.