Books, podcasts, and movies have been made highlighting the various sporting activities in Cyprus. Football is the primary sport and the most Popular in Cyprus. Football began in the early 1930s and continued. In 1934, the Cyprus Football Association was established. Football is the most Popular. Football is the first sport, and basketball is the second-most-followed sport in Cyprus. Each sport is managed by its federation and receives an organized structure along with domestic leagues. Cyprus has a developed landscape with athletics and coastal water activities.
Leading Football Clubs
Cyprus’ favorite sport is football. The Cypriot First Division is the top professional league for this sport, featuring 14 teams. Bookmakers, such as Cyprus betting sites (Turkish: kıbrıs bahis siteleri), analyze and predict which team will win each week of matches. Football’s popularity includes big TV audiences and several successful appearances in European competitions. In addition to APOEL Nicosia, which has won 29 First Division titles and AC Omonia Nicosia with 21 First Division titles, Anorthosis Famagusta, which began participating in the First Division in 1911, is one of the oldest and historically most significant clubs in the league. Pafos FC is also a dominant force in the league; they finished their first season in the First Division (the 2018-19 season) in second place, and they won their first First Division title in the 2024–2025 season.
Football fandom is expressed in these ways:
- Attendance at the games and derbies
- Membership in football clubs
- Analytical following of clubs
- Tracking the performances of clubs in the UEFA tournaments
Recent years have seen a surge in investment in player recruitment and infrastructure; this has enabled clubs like Apollon Limassol and Aris Limassol to break into the first division consistently.
Performance This Season
The 2025-26 season for the Cypriot First Division is considered highly competitive, and as of early December 2025, the current champions, Pafos FC, are at the top of the standings. Pafos FC has 31 points from 13 matches and is being chased by AC Omonia Nicosia (29 points) and others, such as AEK Larnaca.
Performance changes with each match, and with the addition of new players to the squad and new tactical approaches, the outcome may affect the standings. Fans are eager to see the developments in the table and matches, and can use MelBet Facebook Türkiye for match updates. In a league where players are tightly scheduled, the most critical parts of matches that can determine a winner are goal differences and direct matches. The top teams can compete for European positions, so the standings are tight. A clear indication of the division’s improving competitiveness is the many teams capable of fighting for European spots at the season’s end.
Major Stadiums
An essential element in hosting professional games in Cyprus is infrastructure. The GSP Stadium in Nicosia serves as the national stadium and hosts major matches involving Nicosia’s clubs and national-team games.
Other stadiums also meet UEFA guidelines for hosting European games. Improvements have been made to facilities to enhance the overall experience and meet international standards.
The critical stadiums in professional football
| Stadium | Location | Capacity | Primary Users/Notes |
| GSP Stadium | Nicosia | 22,859 | National stadium; APOEL, Omonia |
| Alphamega Stadium | Limassol | 10,7 | Apollon, AEL, Aris Limassol |
| AEK Arena | Larnaca | ~8,000 | AEK Larnaca |
| Tsirion Athletic Centre | Limassol | 13,331 | Historic venue for local matches |
| Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium | Larnaca | ~10,000 | Anorthosis Famagusta |
These arenas host very famous contests and add even more professionalism to domestic competitions.
Popular Competitions
The Cypriot First Division is the country’s top league. It runs from August to May, awarding the champion and providing entry to the Champions League and other European tournaments.
- GSP Stadium (Nicosia) – High capacity, home to the national team and their biggest rivalries
- Alphamega Stadium (Limassol) – New stadium shared by several teams
- AEK Arena (Larnaca) – Single-use stadium for European competitions
- Tsirion Athletic Centre (Limassol) – Antiquated, with great historical value
- Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium (Larnaca) – Stadium incorporates refugee clubs
The Cypriot Cup is a knockout tournament open to clubs from all divisions, who often cause upsets. At the start of the season, the league champions and the cup winners (from the previous season) face off in the Super Cup.
In basketball, the OPAP Basket League is home to the successful AEK Larnaca and Keravnos teams. Other lower-tiered competitions include the annual Cyprus Rally and track and field events, with basketball and football being the most popular. Especially for teams with historical ties, the communal bond remains strong.
Other Engaging Sports
Basketball is still very popular, with the NBA and European appearances. The volleyball community is growing, with the Cyprus Volleyball Federation overseeing both indoor and beach volleyball, in which the country excels.
Participating in athletics programs such as city marathons and track events is very popular and has produced medalists from the Mediterranean Games and Commonwealth Games. Kyriakos Ioannou in high jump and Eleni Artymata in sprinting are the most renowned athletes in the history of Cyprus.
Many sports benefit from the coastline, such as swimming and water polo, as well as freediving and swimming competitions in Limassol and Paphos. Pavlos Kontides is an international sailing success, an Olympic silver medalist. Other popular sports include tennis, rugby union, and some martial arts, such as Taekwondo. These sports benefit from the high level of organization provided by federations that guide athletes at all levels.
Ongoing Events and Future Development
Cyprus occasionally has international events and sporting fixtures. While Cyprus has world-class sporting facilities and a hospitable climate, it hosts the TUI Cyprus Marathon in Paphos (March 8, 2026) and the XM Limassol Marathon (March 21-22, 2026), both part of major mid-2026 running events.
Cyprus has the Leptos Cyprus International 4-Day Challenge and the Cyprus Backyard Ultra, among the more international sporting events. It also hosts world-class freediving competitions and international Taekwondo events. There are many new infrastructure investments in various sports. This includes the Spyros Kyprianou Athletic Centre in Limassol, which hosts big basketball games. Plans include building new stadiums in Nicosia and Paphos, and renovating older stadiums to meet the future demands of the sports industry.
These changes increase competition and promote the idea that Cyprus is a training ground for many sports worldwide. The changes the country is making in sports boost participation in established sports like basketball and football, while also helping new sports with diverse age groups and historical traditions.
Books, Podcasts, and Movies About Sports in Cyprus
The passion Cypriots have for sports, and the sporting history and achievements of Cyprus, have inspired a range of books, podcasts, and films. There are many noteworthy publications, including major biographies, personal accounts by top athletes, and works on the broader history of Cypriot football. For example, the academic book “Cypriot Nationalisms in Context: History, Identity and Politics” examines the role of football clubs in shaping national identity across various historical periods.
For example, in the podcast “Let’s go 4 A Little Walk”, recorded on Spotify, the host discusses the Cypriot walking football and Pafos FC, and gives news from the local First Division. Athletes’ achievements and football match results are also covered in the Cyprus news podcasts.
Concerning films and documentaries, there are no full-length Cypriot sports documentaries. However, there are motivational documentaries, talk coverage of the Olympics, and users’ interactive interviews with Pavlos Kontides. Kontides is also the subject of many local Olympic documentaries in Cyprus and films on world sailing. The preservation of sporting heritage in Cyprus through these books, podcasts, and films bequeaths the island’s heritage. It inspires the next generations of athletes and fans to engage in the evolving sporting activities of the island.