Spanish Sports Vocabulary: Complete Guides to Sports Terms in Spanish

“Deportes” is the word for sports. Example: “Me gustan los deportes” (I like sports). “Hacer deporte” means to do sports/exercise. Check out our Complete Spanish Sports Vocabulary Hub for guides on individual sports.

“Equipo” is team. Example: “Mi equipo favorito es el Real Madrid” (My favorite team is Real Madrid). “Selección” is national team. Example: “La selección española ganó el Mundial” (The Spanish national team won the World Cup).

“Ganador” = winner. “Perdedor” = loser. “Campeón” = champion. Example: “El ganador del partido recibe un trofeo” (The winner of the match receives a trophy). “El equipo perdedor fue eliminado” (The losing team was eliminated).

“Ganar” = to win. “Perder” = to lose. “Empatar” = to tie/draw. Example: “Mi equipo ganó 3-1” (My team won 3-1). “Perdieron el partido” (They lost the match). “El partido terminó empatado” (The match ended in a tie).

“Marcador” = scoreboard/score. “Resultado” = result/score. Example: “¿Cuál es el marcador?” (What’s the score?). “El resultado final fue 2-1” (The final result was 2-1). “Anotar” means to score points. Example: “Anotó 20 puntos” (He scored 20 points).

“Hincha” is used in Latin America for passionate fan. “Aficionado” is more general. “Fan” (pronounced “fan”) is also understood. In Spain, “seguidor” (follower) is common. Example: “Los hinchas de Boca Juniors son famosos” (Boca Juniors fans are famous).

Soccer (fútbol) is by far the most popular sport in almost all Spanish-speaking countries. However, baseball (béisbol) is extremely popular in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Mexico. Basketball (baloncesto) is also very popular in Spain and Argentina. Boxing (boxeo) has strong traditions in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

“Estadio” is stadium. Example: “El Estadio Santiago Bernabéu” (Real Madrid’s stadium). “Cancha” is field/court (more common in Latin America). “Pista” is track/court (for tennis, basketball in Spain).

“Entrenador” is the most common word for coach. “Técnico” is also used, especially in soccer. Example: “El entrenador dio instrucciones” (The coach gave instructions). For assistant coach: “ayudante de entrenador”.

“Campeonato” = championship. “Liga” = league. “Torneo” = tournament. Example: “El Campeonato del Mundo” (World Championship). “La Liga Española” (Spanish League). “El Torneo de Wimbledon” (Wimbledon tournament).

“Practicar” is the verb for practicing a sport. Example: “Practico fútbol los martes” (I practice soccer on Tuesdays). “Entrenar” means to train. Example: “Entreno en el gimnasio” (I train at the gym). “Jugar a” means to play a sport: “Juego al tenis” (I play tennis).

“Los Juegos Olímpicos” = the Olympic Games. Example: “Los Juegos Olímpicos de 1992 fueron en Barcelona” (The 1992 Olympics were in Barcelona). “Las Olimpiadas” is also used. “Medalla de oro/plata/bronce” = gold/silver/bronze medal.

“Juego limpio” = fair play / sportsmanship. Example: “El juego limpio es importante” (Sportsmanship is important). “Deportividad” is the direct translation of sportsmanship. “Fair play” is also used and understood.

The best ways: 1) Watch sports with Spanish commentary. 2) Play video games (FIFA, NBA 2K) in Spanish. 3) Follow Spanish sports accounts on social media. 4) Read sports news on Marca.com or AS.com. 5) Listen to Spanish sports podcasts. 6) Use our sport-specific guides and quizzes on this site.

We currently offer guides for soccer, basketball, tennis, boxing, Formula 1, and cycling. Coming soon: baseball, volleyball, rugby, swimming, golf, hockey, winter sports, and more. Each guide includes vocabulary lists, example sentences, regional variations, common expressions, and a quiz to test your knowledge.