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 France runner-up on three occasions, most recently in 2011. France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Rugby league ("rugby à treize" or "jeu à treize") has been played in France since the 1930s, and is most popular, like rugby union, in the south of the country. The sport arguably achieved its height in popularity in the 1950s and 1960s when the French national team made it to World Cup finals and won test series against Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand. A France-based team, the Catalans Dragons, participates in the European Super League tournament, which has helped boost the sport's profile