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 Ireland were scrapped in 2009 after opposition from unionists and soccer fans. The Ireland national cricket team play One Day Internationals at Stormont in Belfast and at the Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin. Ireland also plays Intercontinental Cup matches at the Woodvale Road ground, and has played test cricket at Malahide Cricket Club Ground in Dublin. Sport in Ireland Sport in Ireland plays an important role in Irish society. The many sports played and followed in Ireland include association football, Gaelic games (including Gaelic football, hurling and camogie), horse racing, show jumping, greyhound racing, basketball, fishing, handball, motor sport, boxing,