Whether to join a local team playing your favorite sport, or maybe just because you want to attend a game… You might have wondered at some point about the sports culture in Barcelona. What is there beyond soccer? What are the most popular sports in Barcelona?
And guess what: the city offers a wide range of options beyond soccer (which you probably have heard about). So today’s post is dedicated to the sports culture in Barcelona :-)
Soccer is the king
It is no surprise that, having the biggest soccer field in Europe (Camp Nou Stadium), soccer is the most popular sport in Barcelona (and also in Spain). Futbol Club Barcelona, popularly known as “Barça”, is the local team and you can watch them play games in national and international competitions (for instance La Liga or the Champions League).
If you not only love this sport but also want take an active role, you can join one of the many local soccer teams in the city. Most of them are created just for fun and to socialize. A great way to also make friends as an expat in Barcelona.
AND! Barcelona women’s soccer team is rocking it specially this year: they won the Champions League and we couldn’t be prouder. You go, girls!
Basketball
As in the US, basketball is also one of the most popular sports in Barcelona and Spain. Not an NBA, but we do have a national league with popular figures that even moved from Spain to the United States: Pau Gasol, Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fernández… You can watch a basketball game at the Palau Blaugrana, whether from the national competition Liga ACB or international competitions such as the Euroleague.
Also, as in the case of soccer, you can also join a local basketball team if you love playing this sport.
Handball
This sport is also quite popular in Barcelona (and Spain). Not as popular as soccer or basketball we would say, but handball counts actually with well-known national (Liga Asobal) and European League (EHF Champions League).
Roller hockey and ice hockey
This might be less popular among local people, but the local team actually shares the same stadium as the basketball team: Palau Blaugrana. So if hockey is your favorite sport, you will be glad to know that it also has his space in the city.
Summer sports culture in Barcelona
Besides professional competitions, we also wanted to highlight some of the fun sports you can practice in the summer (that we really love!).
Beach volleyball
This is also a really popular sport, specially during summer ;-) If you take a walk on the seafront in la Barceloneta, you will see groups of people playing volleyball on the sun. Some of them play spontaneously bringing their “volleyball network kit” from home. But there are also organised groups which meet specifically to play volleyball games and have fun on the beach.
Surf & SUP
These are also some of the most popular aquatic sports that you can enjoy in Barcelona as well. You can navigate a piece of the Mediterranean sea paddling on a board, and also try to catch some humble waves ;-)
And since Barcelona is a city with a strong sports culture, we are pretty sure you will find the sports team/games you are looking for (including those sports which are not that popular). For instance, did you know that American football also has its place among sports in Barcelona?