Association football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Malta. The national stadium is called Ta' Qali Stadium. The national football team has won several matches over big opponents that reached the final phases in World Cups, such as Belgium and Hungary. Recently a large number of football grounds have been built throughout the island. The top football league in Malta is called the Maltese Premier League, and consists of 14 teams. Futsal is also very popular.[citation needed]
Watersports
Malta is a good place for surfing and offers a lot of different surf spots.[1] During winter time most of the beaches transform into surfer hangouts.
Water polo is also very popular in Malta. The Malta men's national water polo team has achieved some great results against strong teams, and has competed in the Olympics twice. Maltese clubs participate in the European Club competitions organised by LEN, are seen as being in the top 10 water polo leagues in Europe.[citation needed]
Boċċi
Boċċi is the Maltese version of the Italian game of bocce, French pétanque and British bowls. Other than certain differences in rules and the ground on which the game is played, one of the most obvious differences between Maltese boċċi and foreign equivalents is the shape of the bowls themselves which tend to be cylindrical rather than spherical in shape. Many small clubs (usually called Klabbs tal-Boċċi in Maltese) can be found in Maltese and Gozitan localities, and are usually well-frequented and are quite active on a local and European level. Even the emigrants to Canada, Australia, and The United States have taken the game with them and now forms an important part of their social scene.[2]
Maltese National Hockey League is the official field hockey league in Malta, with just 4 teams participating in the National League.
The National Hockey Stadium is located in Paola, Kordin. It is the only location with regulation facilities available in the country.
The Malta National Hockey Team occasionally participates in international fixtures.
Rugby
Rugby Union has been played in Malta since the beginning of the 20th century, with evidence of rugby pitches at RAF Ta' Qali Air Field in the 1920s and other fields in RAF Luqa Air Field. The Malta Rugby Football Union was formed in 1991. 5 clubs are established in Malta - Falcons, Kavallieri, Overseas, Stompers and Wolves. In October 2021 the national men's team was ranked 41st in the world. They have recently been achieving success, defeating teams including Sweden, Croatia and Latvia. In 2018, Malta achieved its largest win against Andorra, that of 89-3.[3] As of 2016 Malta Rugby Union had 2,480 registered players.[4]
Motorsport includes drag racing represented by the Malta Drag Racing Association, with recent high ranking Maltese dragsters in official FIA European championships. There is also autocross (ASMK), hill climb (Island Car Club), motocross, karting and banger racing championships.[6]
In 2020, Malta got its first-ever female head coach leading a men’s Division One basketball team. It was Silvia Gambino who started the position at Mellieħa S.C. Libertas.[7]
Volleyball
Malta has a first division for women's volleyball teams. The president of the national federation MVA has been Jesmond Saliba.[8]
The most notable Maltese shooter is William Chetcuti, who won medals at the Commonwealth Games and Mediterranean Games, and ranked in the top 8 at the Olympic Games and ISSF World Championships.
Malta are an affiliate member of the ICC & has full Twenty20 International status. Home games are played at Marsa. In 2020 there was a T20 summer domestic league consisting of 12 teams, and in 2019 a 50-over winter league which comprised 5 teams.
Along with other sports, tennis is a popular activity in Malta and Gozo. The islands offer a wide range of options for both beginners and elite players. Clubs are spread out across Malta and games are being played on a regular basis all year around.
There ,are over 1,200 rock climbing routes in Malta. The island offers a mixture of both trad climbing and sport climbing and also offers a good variety of bouldering and deep water soloing. The geography and small size of the island makes the climbing easily accessible. The sport is growing in popularity with local communities, as well as tourists and visitors.[citation needed]
