Talking about the most practiced sports in Canada in 2025 means combining two perspectives: on one side, real participation habits (who plays sports and which disciplines they choose), and on the other, organized ecosystems (federations, registrations, youth programs) that help measure trends and long-term change. One important detail: many official statistics come with a natural reporting delay; for this reason, the most reliable available data mainly cover 2023–2025, but they still allow us to clearly interpret the trends that shaped 2025.

Overall participation: how many Canadians play sports?

According to Statistics Canada, in 2023, 55% of Canadians reported playing at least one sport in the previous 12 months (population aged 15 and over). This is a key figure because it reflects a country where sports participation is widespread, even though it varies by age, gender, and demographic group.

Using another metric, the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute (CFLRI) reports that in 2024, 27% of adults said they participate in sport (in a more “structured” and definitional sense, which may not fully overlap with broader surveys). For children and youth (ages 5–17), the same research area indicates significantly higher participation rates in recent years, with fluctuations linked to the post-pandemic period.

These differences across sources are not contradictions: they often come from changes in definitions, sample design, and question framing (organized sport vs occasional practice). The key takeaway is that in 2025 sport remains a mass phenomenon in Canada—but it is also becoming more diversified.

The most practiced sports among adults

When we look at overall participation volumes across the general population, the ranking shifts compared to the global image often dominated by hockey. In a Statistics Canada infographic/analysis on sport habits, the most practiced sports include:

• Swimming: identified as the most practiced sport overall (with strong female participation)
  
• Cycling: especially widespread (often ranked first among men)
  
• Running: consistently among the top choices

In percentage terms, Statistics Canada reports (again for the 15+ population and based on 2023 data) values around 35% for swimming, 33% for cycling, and 27% for running among those who said they played sports, with significant variation by gender and demographic group.

For 2025, the interpretation is straightforward: these “accessible” sports (public pools, cycling networks, urban running) benefit from three main factors:

• Lower cost of entry compared to sports that require specialized equipment and facilities
  
• Flexibility (they can be practiced alone or in groups)
  
• Easy integration into daily life (bike commuting, park running)

Soccer, the major organized mass-participation sport

Soccer is often described as Canada’s largest sport in terms of organized participation. Canada Soccer, on its official institutional profile, reports nearly 1,000,000 active registered participants across the system (clubs and provincial/territorial associations). Even allowing for definitional nuances, this scale gives a clear sense of how big the soccer ecosystem is.

In addition, Statistics Canada has published a dedicated focus on soccer-related data and its spread across population groups, showing how it ranks among the most practiced sports in certain communities.

In 2025, soccer keeps growing for structural reasons: it can be played almost anywhere, has a strong youth pipeline, and fits well with Canada’s cultural diversity.

Hockey: national symbol, but with more complex participation dynamics

Hockey remains Canada’s iconic sport and its strongest cultural symbol. However, when discussing “most practiced,” it’s important to distinguish between national passion and actual participation rates.

On the registration side, Hockey Canada reported that in the 2024–25 season there were over 603,000 registered players in sanctioned programs, including record numbers and continued growth in women’s participation.

At the same time, several recent journalistic analyses have pointed out that—especially at the youth level—the sport has experienced periods of long-term decline, often linked to cost, time commitment, and access to infrastructure. In short: hockey is still massive, but it is not automatically “the most practiced” when compared with lower-barrier sports.

Golf: widely practiced and partly “revived” in recent years

Golf is another sport worth highlighting. Golf Canada, commenting on recent trends, reported that in 2024 nearly six million Canadians played golf, indicating a remarkably large player base.

In 2025, additional momentum comes from youth development programs: the federation notes that First Tee – Canada surpassed 106,000 youth participants in 2025, showing year-over-year growth.

Winter sports: skiing and snowboarding between tradition and “visitor-based” metrics

For skiing and snowboarding, a useful metric is “skier visits” alongside estimated participation. An industry report (Canadian Ski Areas Association) states that during the 2024/2025 season there were about 19.5 million skier visits and an estimate of around 2.57 million Canadians actively participating in snow sports (compared with past record years).

Here, 2025 highlights a Canadian reality: winter sports remain central, but participation depends heavily on weather conditions, pricing, proximity to resorts, and the ability of ski areas to attract new audiences.

Professional sport: popularity, media and odds

The NHL, NBA (Raptors), MLS, CFL, and MLB (Blue Jays) dominate media attention and a large share of the sports economy. That is also why, in public discourse, professional sports are often tied to statistics, projections, and odds markets: in those contexts, when comparisons and probability-based narratives are mentioned, it makes sense to note that consumer safeguards and compliance frameworks exist, such as a regulated sportsbook.

The bottom line is clear: in 2025, Canada remains a sports-loving country, but the biggest winners in everyday practice are often sports that are more accessible, more flexible, and easier to integrate into modern lifestyles, while iconic national sports still carry enormous weight culturally and organizationally.

Last Updated on February 11, 2026 by Icy Canada Team