Annual Participation Study
2026 trends in team sports foundational Report
See How Americans Are Participating in Team Sports
Explore the size, growth, and engagement of the U.S. team sports market, with participation trends across 24 tracked sports and insight into the youth coaching landscape.
Free for SFIA members | $400 for non-members
Build your strategy on the full participation picture
The Participation Foundational Data report examines how many Americans play team sports, how often they participate, and how those patterns change over time. It brings together sport-level trends, casual and CORE participation, motivations to play, and coaching data to help you plan for continued growth.
The 2026 edition examines participation in 2025.
What You Will Learn
Use the report to understand:
Which team sports are growing and how they compare over time (2020-2025)
How casual and CORE participation are changing
How frequently Americans play and how many team sports they participate in
What motivates participants to get in the game
How youth coaching resources compare with participant growth
What the Report Covers
The 2026 u.s. trends in team sports report: participation foundational data includes:
Research methodology
Executive summary
Key takeaways
Participation in team sports
Tennis participation provided by USTA
The youth coaching landscape
2026 key findings and industry implications
from the report
The 2026 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report: Participation Foundational Data examines another year of historically high team sports participation.
92.3 Million Americans Played Team Sports
Participation reached a new high in 2025, increasing 7.6% from the previous year.
CORE Growth Broadens Across Sports
22 of the 24 tracked team sports increased their CORE participant bases.
Coaching Resources Face Growing Pressure
Youth participants per coach increased from 2.5 in 2022 to 3.2 in 2025.
Start With The 2026 Key Takeaways
Explore major findings from the 2026 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report: Participation Foundational Data, including the latest trends shaping team sports in the United States.
2026 SFIA U.S. TRENDS IN TEAM SPORTS: PARTICIPATION FOUNDATIONAL Report
Published | 2026
Data covered | 2020–2025
Activities tracked | 24
Geography | United States
Format | Digital Report
Member access | Complimentary
Built on Nearly 20 Years of Consistent Research
SFIA’s participation research is conducted as part of the Physical Activity Council, a collaboration of leading sports, fitness, and recreation organizations. Using a nationally representative online survey, the study gathers responses from more than 18,000 Americans ages 6+ each year.
The consistent methodology, maintained since 2007, allows organizations to examine long-term changes in sports and fitness participation with confidence.
→ Nationally representative online survey
→ 18,000+ Americans ages 6+ surveyed annually
→ 126 sports, fitness & leisure activities tracked
→ Consistent methodology maintained since 2007
Choosing the Right Report
foundational data or youth & young adults report?
Looking for a closer look at younger participants? Our Youth & Young Adult Participation Report explores team sports trends among ages 6–24, with insights by age, gender, and household income to help you understand participation patterns and opportunities to keep young people playing.
Get both perspectives
Explore the full team sports picture—from overall participation and coaching trends to a closer look at children, teens, and young adults. Non-members can purchase both reports together in the Team Sports Report Bundle.
Purchase the 2026 U.S. TRENDS IN TEAM SPORTS REPORT: PARTICIPATION FOUNDATIONAL DATA
Get the data to inform product planning, programming, and investment in team sports.
Research report purchases are final and are not eligible for refund, return, or credit.
Free Resources
Download Key Takeaways
Report Access and Support
-
After completing your order, you will receive an order confirmation and a separate email containing an access link for each report purchased. Emails are sent from info@sfia.org. Please add this address to your safe senders list.
-
Check your spam or junk folder first. If the email has not arrived, contact our research team at research@sfia.org.
-
Yes. The 2026 U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report: Foundational Participation Data is available to SFIA members at no additional cost. Members should sign in before completing their order.
-
Contact Alex Kerman, Head of Research, at akerman@sfia.org or 301-495-6321.
Related Research
Continue Exploring Participation Trends
-
Youth Team Sports Participation
U.S. Trends in Team Sports Report: Youth & Young Adults
Examine team sports participation among ages 6–24, with insights into differences by age, gender, household income, and engagement.
-
Annual Participation Research
Topline Participation Report
Explore the annual picture of U.S. sports and fitness participation across 126 sports and fitness activities, including activity trends, demographic shifts, and casual and CORE engagement.