Sport in Pakistan is a significant part of Pakistani culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan.Football has also gained popularity in recent years, and is the second most popular sport in the country.Field hockey is the national sport, and was popular for several decades, with some of Pakistan's greatest sporting accomplishments having taken place in this sport, along with squash. Polo and traditional sports like kabaddi and other well-known games are also played. Pakistan's sporting prowess has declined sharply in recent years, while cricket remains widely popular, other sports have suffered due to neglect from both the government and sporting authorities.The corporatization of sports in Pakistan has led to a lack of investment in nurturing talented athletes and providing adequate facilities and training.[26] Government patronage and funding for sports are at an all-time low, resulting in outdated equipment, obsolete training methods, and dilapidated sports infrastructure. The focus on cricket has overshadowed other sports, exacerbating the decline across various disciplines.

Cricket

In cricket, the country has had an array of success in the sport over the years, and has the distinct achievement of having won each of the major ICC international cricket tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC World Twenty20, and ICC Champions Trophy; as well as the ICC Test Championship.Pakistan Super League is one of the largest cricket leagues of the world with a brand value of about Rs. 32.26 billion (US$110 million).

The game is the most popular sport in the country with the tape ball variety of the game being the most common. A tape ball is a tennis ball wrapped in electrical tape and is used in playing backyard cricket. This modification of the tennis ball gives it greater weight, speed and distance while still being easier to play with than the conventional cricket ball. The variation was pioneered in Karachi, Pakistan and is credited with Pakistan's famous production of fast bowlers as children are brought up playing the game using a tape ball in which various skills are developed.

Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan. Almost all districts and neighbourhoods in Pakistan have a cricket team and people start playing from a young age. Pakistan has won international cricket events, which include the 1992 Cricket World Cup, the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy besides finishing as runner-up in the 1999 Cricket World Cup, 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2022 T20 World Cup. Pakistan also won the ACC Asia Cup in 2000 and 2012 and all three versions of the Austral-Asia Cup. Trophies won by Pakistan cricket team are

1992

2009

2017

2006

Football

The origin of football in Pakistan can be traced back to mid-nineteenth century when the game was introduced during the British Raj. British evangelist Theodore Leighton Pennell played a crucial role introducing football to the North-West Frontier Province in the last decade of the nineteenth century.One of the regional federations to organise football in what is now Pakistan Territory was the North-West India Football Association, in which clubs from the city of Lahore and the surrounding region were active.Shining Club Kohat became the first outstation team to win the North-West India Football Championship 1937 in 1937 defeating Government College Lahore 1–0 in the finals. In addition a club league was organised in Lahore, won in 1936/37 by Old Boys Club. Shortly after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) was created, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah became its first Patron-in-Chief. PFF received recognition from FIFA in early 1948. The annual National Championship was organized shortly after.

Local Sports

While cricket and football is among the most popular sports in Pakitsan but different local sports are also played in diifferent regions of Pakistan. Among them Polo, Kabaddi, Tent pegging and Hand ball is also played. Kabaddi is a famous sport in Pakistan. The governing body for Kabaddi in Pakistan is Pakistan Kabaddi Federation. Pakistan won the 2020 Kabaddi World Cup (Circle style) at the National Stadium in Lahore, after a close contest against India by 43–41. Tent pegging is a popular sport in Pakistan. It is also locally named neza bazi.The Equestrian & Tent Pegging Federation of Pakistan, formed in 2014, is the highest governing body who organizes the sport in Pakistan. Various clubs across the country also organize an event as well. The sport is the major event of the National Horse & Cattle Show held at Fortress Stadium Lahore. Pakistanis compete in various international events notably the World Cup which commenced in 2014. Polo is a ball game that is played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports.The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ball through the opposing team's goal. Handball was first played in 1984 in an exhibition event, and was taken up by the Pakistan Olympic Association. The Pakistan Handball Federation is a member of the Asia Handball Federation. In beach handball, Pakistan is ranked first in Asia.3rd World Beach Handball Championship held from 9 to 13 July 2008 in Cadiz, Spain. Pakistan obtained 5th position and qualified for the World Games. Pakistan Handball team won one Gold medal in the 11th South Asian Games 2010, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Pakistan obtained one silver medal during IHF Challenge Trophy 2010 held in Dhaka.Pakistan also participated in the Beach Handball World Cup in 2008. Pakistan won the gold medal at the first Beach Asian Games in Bali, Indonesia.

Kabaddi

Tent Pegging

Polo

Hand Ball