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.
Gunther Behnke eleven years the team won five German championships (1985, 1986, 1990, 1991 and 1992) and four National Cup championships (1986, 1987, 1990 and 1991). From 1992 through 1994 Behnke played for TuS Bramsche. From 1994 through 1996 he played for ALBA Berlin, which won the Korac Cup in 1995, becoming the first German team to win a European club championship. From 1996 through 2000 Behnke played for Telekom Baskets Bonn, with which he twice reached the final of the German championship, losing to his prior team, ALBA Berlin. Between 1983 and 1995, Behnke made 146 appearances for the German national