Football is by far the most popular sport in Kuwait, and the country has one of the proudest football histories in the Gulf region. The Kuwait Football Association runs the game, and the men’s national team was the first Arab side from Asia to play at a FIFA World Cup, in Spain in 1982. Kuwait won the AFC Asian Cup on home soil in 1980, beating South Korea 3–0 in the final. They were also runners-up in 1976 and finished third in 1984. With 10 titles, Kuwait is the most successful team in Arabian Gulf Cup history. After several years of FIFA suspensions, the national team is rebuilding. It reached the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and has qualified for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, its first Asian Cup since 2015.

Handball is Kuwait’s second team sport. The men’s national team has won the Asian Championship four times (1995, 2002, 2004 and 2006). In January 2026 they won bronze at the Asian Championship in Kuwait, which qualified them for the 2027 IHF World Championship in Germany. Basketball is also popular: the men’s team has played at the FIBA Asia Cup 12 times, and its best finish was fourth in 1983. Cricket, volleyball and motorsport also have a following, and the Kuwait Motor Town circuit opened in 2019.

At the Olympic Games, all of Kuwait’s success has come in shooting. Fehaid Al-Deehani won bronze medals in 2000 and 2012. At Rio 2016, Kuwait was suspended by the IOC, so Al-Deehani competed as an Independent Olympic Athlete and won gold in the double trap. Abdullah Al-Rashidi also won skeet bronze in 2016 as an independent athlete, then won bronze again for Kuwait at Tokyo 2020.

Below are details of sports, sporting events and sports people related to Kuwait. Is there something missing? If you know of something that should be listed here, please let us know.

Popular sports of Kuwait

  • Football (Soccer) – the national sport, played in the Kuwaiti Premier League, Emir Cup and Crown Prince Cup
  • Handball – a strong national team by Asian standards
  • Basketball
  • Shooting – the sport behind all of Kuwait’s Olympic medals
  • Other sports: volleyball, cricket, athletics, karate and motorsport

Kuwait Sporting Success

  • AFC Asian Cup champions (1980), runners-up (1976) and third place (1984)
  • Qualified for the 1982 FIFA World Cup
  • Arabian Gulf Cup champions a record 10 times (1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2010)
  • Asian Men’s Handball Championship winners four times (1995, 2002, 2004, 2006), and bronze medallists at home in 2026
  • Olympic medals: bronze in 2000 and 2012 (Fehaid Al-Deehani) and bronze in 2020 (Abdullah Al-Rashidi), all in shooting. Kuwaitis competing as Independent Olympic Athletes won gold and bronze at Rio 2016.
  • 2022 Asian Games (held in Hangzhou in 2023): 3 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals

Great athletes from Kuwait

  • Fehaid Al-Deehani (shooting) – three Olympic medals, including gold at Rio 2016
  • Abdullah Al-Rashidi (shooting) – Olympic skeet bronze in 2016 and 2020, three-time world champion and four-time Asian Games gold medallist
  • Jasem Yaqoub (football) – star of the 1980 Asian Cup win and the all-time top scorer in the Gulf Cup, with 18 goals
  • Abdulaziz Al-Anberi (football) – a forward who won the 1980 Asian Cup and played at the 1982 World Cup, having started out in basketball and volleyball
  • Bader Al-Mutawa (football) – Kuwait’s most capped player, with more than 200 international appearances
  • Bashar Abdullah (football) – Kuwait’s all-time top scorer, with 75 international goals
  • Ahmad Ajab (football) – a striker who scored 17 goals in 36 games for Kuwait
  • Mohammad Al-Azemi (athletics) – won the 800m and 1500m at the 2011 Asian Championships
  • Yaqoub Al-Youha (athletics) – 110m hurdles gold at the 2022 Asian Games
  • Fahad Al-Ajmi (karate) – kumite 67kg gold at the 2022 Asian Games

Kuwait Sports trivia

  • At the 1982 World Cup, Kuwait FA president Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah walked onto the pitch to protest a French goal against Kuwait. The referee then disallowed it, although France still won 4–1.
  • Kuwait won the first four Arabian Gulf Cups (1970–1976) and is the only team to win the tournament four times in a row.
  • Fehaid Al-Deehani’s gold at Rio 2016 was the first Olympic gold ever won by an athlete competing as an Independent Olympic Athlete.
  • Abdullah Al-Rashidi won his Tokyo 2020 bronze medal at the age of 57.
  • In the 1979/80 season, Jasem Yaqoub became the first winner of the Arabian Golden Boot, scoring 31 goals in 26 league games.

Kuwait at major events

Past sporting events hosted in Kuwait

  • 1980 AFC Asian Cup – won by Kuwait
  • Arabian Gulf Cup – 1974, 1990, 2003–04 and 2024–25 (26th edition, won by Bahrain)
  • Asian Men’s Handball Championship – 1977, 1995, 2020 and 2026
  • Asian Men’s Club League Handball Championship – June 2026
  • Regional motorsport series at Kuwait Motor Town, including Formula Regional Middle East, F4 UAE, F4 Saudi Arabia and the 12 Hours of Kuwait

Upcoming sporting events in Kuwait

  • Saudi Super Cup (football) – 19–23 December 2026, Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, with Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli, Al-Qadsiah and Al-Kholood. This is the first time the tournament has been held in Kuwait.

Annual sporting events held in Kuwait

  • Kuwaiti Premier League (football) – won by Kuwait SC in 2025–26
  • Kuwait Emir Cup (football) – held since 1962
  • Kuwait Crown Prince Cup and Kuwait Super Cup (football)
  • Kuwait Handball League

Sporting Facilities in Kuwait

  • Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City – national stadium, capacity about 60,000, opened in 2015
  • Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Kuwait City – hosted the 1980 AFC Asian Cup final
  • Sulaibikhat Stadium – capacity about 15,000, used at the 2024–25 Gulf Cup
  • Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex – indoor arena that hosted the 2026 Asian Handball Championship
  • Kuwait Motor Town – a 5.6 km Grand Prix circuit designed by Hermann Tilke, opened in 2019