Winter Games in Focus Among the Swiss Population

The recent Winter Games in Milano Cortina represented Switzerland’s most successful Winter Games of all time. A passionate winter sports nation, that success translated to the stands and televisions as well, with almost one in two people following the medal successes of Swiss winter sport athletes, with one in three doing so avidly.

These findings stem from a recent study (methodology can be found at the bottom of this article) analysing fan behaviour towards various sports, events and leagues in Switzerland. The data shows that the Olympic Games rank at the top of the most popular sporting events in the country. While the Olympic Summer Games (46%) rank slightly ahead of the Olympic Winter Games (45%), the Winter Games evoke significantly stronger emotions: the avidity index – measured by how closely respondents follow a sport – stands at 42% for the Winter Games, compared to 34% for the Summer Games.

One of Europe’s Most Sport-Enthusiastic Nations
Overall, Switzerland ranks among the most sport-enthusiastic countries in Europe. 88% of the population is interested in sports – more than neighbours Germany (84%) and France (83%). Only the Netherlands ranks higher among the countries surveyed, at 91%. What further sets the Swiss sports market apart is the diversity of sports interests across the population.

While football remains the sport – similarly to all other European markets surveyed – that Swiss people follow most (49%), the gap to the next most followed sport is much smaller than in other countries. 28% of Swiss people follow winter sports and 25% tennis. In comparison, Germany has 64% of the population following football, 24% athletics, and 19% winter sports, showing a much larger gap in interest between football and other sports.

Focusing on the Swiss market, we see that the most followed sports change across age groups. Among those under 35, football remains number one (46%), but sports interest shifts significantly: basketball (25%) and American football (19%) replace winter sports and ice hockey in the top five, indicating a cultural and generational shift in sports consumption.

The Growing Importance of Women’s Football in Switzerland
Women’s football is also gaining popularity. With 30% fan following, it is the most popular women’s sport in Switzerland. 15% of the population report following the Swiss women’s national team. Following their impressive UEFA Women’s EURO campaign in 2025, the team is now the third most-followed national team in the country – behind the men’s football national team (28%) and the men’s ice hockey national team (20%).

The AXA Women’s Super League is followed by 8% of the population, the same level as the elite international UEFA Women’s Champions League. Of its fan base, 37% are women – a clear indication of a more female audience compared to, for example, the Brack Super League, where only 32% of fans are women.

Positive Outlook for the Swiss Sports Market
Looking to the future, overall engagement of the Swiss population with sports is expected to continue growing: 72% of fans surveyed indicated following sports to the same extent or more than in the previous year, with 15% doing so significantly more. Growth is particularly dynamic among those under 25, who show the strongest increase in interest in football, winter sports and tennis – a strong signal for sustainable growth in the Swiss sports market.

Additional insights into Swiss sports fandom are available at sport, league and club level. To find out more, reach out to your Two Circles team or contact Eliza.MacQuillan@twocircles.com.

STUDY METHODOLOGY
A total of 1,500 responses were collected for the Swiss survey. The distribution of responses by age group and gender was aligned with national demographic data (765 women and 735 men were surveyed, reflecting the residential population of Switzerland as a whole). In addition to Switzerland, the following countries were included in the study, providing benchmark comparisons for responses from the Swiss market:

• Germany
• France
• The Netherlands
• The Nordics (Scandinavia + Finland)
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• Mexico
• India
• Canada
• Australia

Following
A respondent is classified as “following” if they indicate that they feel a positive long-term connection to a sport, competition, team, etc.

Avidity Index
A respondent is classified as an “avid fan” if they rate their enthusiasm for a sport, competition, team, etc. as 4/5 or 5/5, or if they indicate that they follow a sport, competition, team, etc. regularly and as a high priority.