Sports in Honduras

What sports are played in Honduras?

The Comité Olímpico Hondureño (COH) publishes a list headed “Afiliados” and prints no total. In the order printed it runs from ajedrez, atletismo, baloncesto, balonmano, bádminton, béisbol, boliche and boxeo through ciclismo, ecuestre, esgrima, esport, fisicoculturismo, fútbol, gimnasia, hockey, judo, karate do, levantamiento de pesas and lucha olímpica to montaña y escalada, natación, patinaje, racquetbol, remo y canotaje, rugby, sambo, softball, tae kwon do, tenis, tenis de mesa, tiro, tiro con arco, triatlón and voleibol.^[3]

The COH's record of the Central American Games lists, for the 1990 edition held in Honduras, competition in chess, athletics, basketball, baseball, bowling, boxing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, bodybuilding, football, gymnastics, judo, weightlifting, wrestling, swimming, water polo, racquetball, softball, taekwondo, tennis, shooting, volleyball and table tennis.^[4]

Football has the professional league documented below, the Liga Hondubet.^[12]

What is the most popular spectator sport in Honduras?

No measured ranking of spectator sports in Honduras was retrieved, and no published television-audience, attendance or readership figure by sport was found. A market study of radio and television broadcasting posted by the competition authority, the Comisión para la Defensa y Promoción de la Competencia (CDPC), could not be retrieved. The proxies that were retrieved concern football.

League structure. The league's own site states that the Apertura 2026-2027 of the Liga Hondubet began on 31 July 2026 “con la participación de doce (12) clubes y la implementación de un nuevo formato de competencia”, with the twelve clubs “distribuidos administrativamente en dos grupos geográficos”.^[12] Its format announcement of 21 June 2026 sets sixteen matchdays in the qualifying phase, followed by a repechage, semi-finals and final, each over two legs.^[13] The league's figures for attendance were not retrieved, so no season total is given.

Carriage. Deportes TVC, the sports site of the Televicentro group, reported on 25 July 2026 that the opening match of the tournament, Platense against Real España at the Estadio Excélsior in Puerto Cortés, would be shown “en vivo y en exclusiva a través de la pantalla de Canal Deportes TVC”.^[15]

Specialist press. The sports daily Diez, published by Grupo Opsa, lists in its menu Liga Nacional, La Selección, Legionarios, Segunda división and Fútbol femenino, with a single section headed “No todo es fútbol”.^[31] These are different measures, not a ranking.

How is sport organised in Honduras?

The Constitution. Article 174 of the Constitution of 1982 reads: “El Estado propiciará la afición y el ejercicio de la cultura física y los deportes.” The text read is the Tribunal Superior de Cuentas' edition, titled “Constitución de la República de Honduras, 1982, con las reformas desde 1982 hasta 2004”;^[29] the Poder Judicial's February 2019 compilation, which gives the Constitution's publication as La Gaceta No. 23,612 of 20 January 1982, prints the same wording for Article 174.^[30]

The sports law. Decreto No. 82-2022 of the Congreso Nacional (La Gaceta No. 36,017, 1 September 2022), which approved the creation of a mountain and climbing federation, amended Article 3 of the “LEY DE PROTECCIÓN DE LA CULTURA FÍSICA Y EL DEPORTE, contenida en Decreto No.203-84, emitido el 29 de Octubre de 1984, publicado en el Diario Oficial "La Gaceta", en fecha 15 de Noviembre del año 1984”, and listed its amendments by Decrees 98-87, 51-93, 57-95, 85-2000 and 55-2002.^[33] The text of Decree 203-84 itself could not be retrieved. The transparency portal of the Confederación Deportiva Autónoma de Honduras (CONDEPAH) lists that law, a “Ley Constitutiva de la CONDEPAH Decreto 180-93” and a “Ley de Regulación de las Federaciones Deportivas Decreto 55-2002”.^[34] The Tribunal Superior de Cuentas, in its review of fiscal year 2020, states that CONDEPAH “fue creada mediante Decreto Legislativo Nº. 51-93” and that it “es responsable de la dirección y supervisión del deporte extraescolar o federado en todo el país, ejercida por medio de su Comité Ejecutivo y de las Federaciones Deportivas Nacionales”.^[35]

The state body. A separate state body rests on executive decrees published in La Gaceta. Article 6 of Decreto Ejecutivo PCM-05-2022 (La Gaceta No. 35,892, 6 April 2022) gave the management of the Comisión Nacional Pro Instalaciones Deportivas (CONAPID) the rank of Comisionado Nacional de Deportes, Educación Física y Recreación, which “adicional a las funciones ya establecidas, será responsable de elaborar la Iniciativa de Ley del Deporte y la Educación Física”.^[26] Article 2 of Decreto Ejecutivo PCM-11-2022 (La Gaceta No. 35,913, 3 May 2022) suppressed CONAPID, and Article 3 reads: “Crear la Comisión Nacional de Deportes, Educación Física y Recreación (CONDEPOR), como un ente desconcentrado de la Presidencia de la República.”^[27]

Article 1 of Decreto Ejecutivo PCM 18-2023 (La Gaceta No. 36,212, 25 April 2023) describes CONDEPOR as a body “con personalidad jurídica, patrimonio y competencia propia, la cual ejercitará con autonomía técnica-administrativa y financiera”, and as “el ente rector y de dirección superior a nivel nacional de las políticas públicas en materia de deportes, educación física y recreación”. Article 9 provides that references to CONAPID in laws, decrees and regulations are to be read as references to CONDEPOR. The decree states that it “es de ejecución inmediata”.^[28]

The Olympic committee. Olympedia states: “The National Olympic Committee of Honduras was formed in 1956 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 20 November 1956, at the IOC session in Melbourne.”^[1] The COH's own site states: “El Comité Olímpico Hondureño (COH) fue creado y reconocido oficialmente por el Comité Olímpico Internacional (COI) en 1956”.^[2] The IOC recognises National Olympic Committees; the COH is not a member of it. The directory of the Association of National Olympic Committees records its president and secretary general as elected on 25 January 2025,^[7] and Panam Sports publishes a page for the committee among its Olympic committees.^[6]

Football. The federation's own site states: “La Federación de Fútbol de Honduras (FFH) antes conocida como FENAFUTH, es la institución responsable de regir los destinos del fútbol de la república de Honduras.”^[8] Its statutes page, modified on 16 September 2026, links the federation's statutes, its electoral code and the statutes of the Liga Profesional de Primera División.^[9] FIFA lists the member association as the “Honduran Football Association”,^[10] and Concacaf as the “Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras”, which it describes as “One of the founding members of Concacaf”.^[11] None of the FIFA and Concacaf pages retrieved records a suspension of the federation.

What are the main domestic leagues and competitions?

Liga Hondubet. The top division prints its sponsor name, Liga Hondubet, on its own site. Its article of 28 July 2026 opens: “Este viernes 31 de julio arranca oficialmente el Torneo Apertura 2026-2027 de la Liga Hondubet, una temporada que marcará el inicio de una nueva etapa para el futbol de Honduras”.^[12] It places Real España, Marathón, Platense, Choloma, Génesis and Atlético Independiente de Siguatepeque in the northern group, and Olimpia, Motagua, Lobos UPNFM, Olancho, Juticalpa and Estrella Roja in the central group.^[12] Each club plays ten matches within its group and one against each club of the other group.^[13]

Last completed tournament. The league reported on 29 May 2026 that Motagua won the Clausura 2025-2026, beating Marathón in the final on penalties, and stated that the club had reached “20 títulos en Liga Nacional”. That count is the league's own.^[14]

The federation's structure. The FFH's statutes page links separate statutes for the Liga de Ascenso and for four regional football bodies, the Regional de Fútbol del Centro, del Norte, del Sur and de Occidente.^[9]

International club competition. Honduran clubs enter Concacaf's club competitions, among them the Concacaf Champions Cup.

How has Honduras performed at the Olympic Games?

All figures here are Olympedia's, from its country page for the code HON, read as rows.^[1]

Medals. Olympedia states: “No Honduran athlete has won an Olympic medal.” Its Medals by Games table carries one row, a bronze at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games, and its Medals by sport table one row, equestrian jumping, bronze. Both are Youth Olympic Games rows, which are typed separately and are not Olympic Games medals. Olympedia's narrative states that “through 2022 Honduras has won three medals (one gold, two bronze) at the Youth Olympic Games”; its tables carry the single row above.^[1]

Editions. Olympedia's participation table lists Honduras, as “Honduras”, at the Summer Games of 1968, 1976, 1984, 1988 and 1992 and at every Summer Games from 1996 to 2024, and at the 1992 Winter Games with one woman entered. Its narrative states that Honduras “has competed at the Olympics Games in 1968, in 1976, and in all editions since 1984.” There are no pre-war rows. The table lists Youth Olympic Games entries in 2010, 2014 and 2018, which are not counted here.^[1]

1906 and art competitions. Olympedia lists no 1906 row and no art-competition row for Honduras; its first Olympic entry is in 1968, after the art competitions of 1912 to 1948 had ended.^[1]

Best result. Olympedia states: “The top Honduran Olympic performance came in 2016, when the men's football (soccer) team finished fourth.”^[1]

Which athletes and teams are internationally recognised?

World Cups. Concacaf's page states: “After a first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 1982, Honduras didn't return until South Africa 2010, but followed that up with another successful qualification cycle and a spot in Brazil in 2014.”^[11] FIFA's own match records could not be retrieved; the results that follow are from a single secondary statistics site, 11v11.

At the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, 11v11 lists Spain 1, Honduras 1 on 16 June 1982; Honduras 1, Northern Ireland 1 on 21 June; and Honduras 0, Yugoslavia 1 on 24 June.^[16]

In 2010 it lists Honduras 0, Chile 1 on 16 June; Spain 2, Honduras 0 on 21 June; and Switzerland 0, Honduras 0 on 25 June.^[17]

In 2014 it lists France 3, Honduras 0 on 15 June; Honduras 1, Ecuador 2 on 20 June; and Honduras 0, Switzerland 3 on 25 June.^[18]

Concacaf. RSSSF records that the 1981 Concacaf final round of World Cup qualifying was played in Tegucigalpa, and places Honduras first in its table with three wins and two draws.^[22] Concacaf's page states that in the first Concacaf Nations League Honduras went undefeated in its League A group and took third place with a win over Costa Rica, and that the women's team logged “historic victories in 2002 and 2014” in Concacaf W Championships.^[11]

What major international competitions has Honduras hosted?

Central American Games. The COH's record lists the 1990 and 1997 editions of the Central American Games under “Honduras”, and the 2025 edition as “Guatemala y subsedes Honduras y Panamá”. For 1997 it records “27 deportes”. It lists the 2006 edition as shared among five host countries including Honduras.^[4] These are the committee's own records; the awarding body's record of these Games was not retrieved.

Football. RSSSF records the 1981 Concacaf final round, six teams playing between 1 and 22 November 1981, as held in Tegucigalpa.^[22]

Central American and Caribbean Games. The COH's record of Honduras at the Central American and Caribbean Games lists editions from Havana in 1930 onward and names no Honduran host city.^[5]

What are Honduras's main sporting rivalries?

El Salvador, football. FIFA's and Concacaf's own records of the 1970 World Cup qualifiers could not be retrieved, so the three matches of 1969 are given from two secondary statistics sites. RSSSF lists Honduras 1, El Salvador 0 in Tegucigalpa on 8 June 1969; El Salvador 3, Honduras 0 in San Salvador on 15 June 1969; and a play-off in Mexico City, El Salvador 3, Honduras 2 after extra time, which it dates 26 June 1969.^[21] 11v11 lists the first two matches on the same dates with the same scores,^[19] and dates the play-off in Mexico City 30 June 1969, won 3-2 by El Salvador after extra time.^[20] The two sources differ on the play-off date and neither is adopted.

11v11 publishes Honduras's record against El Salvador as 38 won, 19 drawn and 15 lost, and prints no total, from a first match on 29 March 1930 to a 2-0 Honduran win at the Concacaf Gold Cup on 21 June 2025. That is a single secondary source, not either federation's record.^[24]

Sanction. EFE reported on 11 February 2022, citing a communiqué of the federation's executive committee, that FIFA had ordered the closure of the stands of the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano in San Pedro Sula for the qualifier against Mexico on 27 March 2022 and imposed a fine of about 76,000 dollars. The stated ground, in the federation's words as EFE quoted them, was the “lamentable comportamiento de un grupo de aficionados durante el juego disputado el 30 de enero ante la selección de El Salvador”. EFE reported that the federation would appeal.^[25] FIFA's decision and the outcome of any appeal were not retrieved.

Mexico, football. 11v11 publishes Honduras's record against Mexico as 10 won, 10 drawn and 31 lost, from an 8-2 Mexican win at the Central American and Caribbean Games on 1 April 1935 to a 1-0 Mexican win at the Gold Cup on 2 July 2025.^[23] That is the Honduran side of the record as 11v11 prints it.

Sanction. In a statement dated 18 November 2024, Concacaf announced that its Disciplinary Committee had sanctioned the federation “for failing to implement adequate stadium security measures” during the 2024/25 Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Mexico on 15 November 2024, ruling that it “must play their next senior men's national team home match (of a Concacaf competition) behind closed doors”, and fining it; the amount was not published in the statement.^[36]

What is the role of school and university sport?

Education law. The Secretaría de Educación lists the Ley Fundamental de Educación as Decreto Legislativo No. 262-2011, dated 22 February 2012 on its legislation page.^[32]

Regulation. The same page lists Acuerdo No. 1372-SE-2014, the Reglamento de Educación Física y Deporte, dated 17 September 2014, and describes it: “El presente reglamento tiene por objeto regular el capitulo IV 'De las Modalidades de Educación', articulo 27, numero 5 'Educación Física y Deportes' de la Ley Fundamental de Educación.”^[32] The published texts of both are image scans.

The state body. Decreto Ejecutivo PCM 18-2023 names CONDEPOR the governing body for public policy in “deportes, educación física y recreación”.^[28] No national school-games programme or university sport body publishing its own figures was retrieved.

Were any sports invented in Honduras?

No federation, government instrument or standard reference retrieved claims that a sport was invented or codified in Honduras.

The instruments read, Article 174 of the Constitution and Decrees PCM-05-2022, PCM-11-2022 and PCM 18-2023, declare no national sport.^{[29][26][27][28]} The text of Decree 203-84 and of the decrees amending it could not be retrieved, and no statement is made about them.