Sport in Italy Sport in Italy Sport in Italy has a long tradition. In several sports, both individual and team, Italy has good representation and many successes. Football is the most popular sport in Italy. Italy won the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and is (along with Germany) currently the second most successful football team in World Cup history, after Brazil, having won four FIFA World Cup championships. Basketball, volleyball, and cycling are the next most popular/played sports, with Italy having a rich tradition in all three. Italy also has strong traditions in swimming, water polo, rugby union, tennis, athletics, fencing and Formula One.
Sport in the Cook Islands similar to the sport of Samoan cricket or kirikiti). Most villages have teams and they compete in a league, following the end of the soccer season. It is popular among the older generation. Women's netball is a very popular sport in the Cook Islands, and the country has one of the world's top 10 teams, which competed in the 2007 Netball World Cup. Sport in the Cook Islands Rugby league is the most popular sport in the Cook Islands, with soccer and rugby union as the next most popular/played sports. In September 2009, the country hosted the 2009 Pacific Mini