El Salvador Sports - Soccer or Fútbol as it is known in Central America is the most popular of the El Salvador Sports. In fact, they take their soccer so serious that there was even a famous war known as the Soccer Match War between this country and Honduras in 1969. This war broke out after soccer matches between the two countries were held amidst an already tense political situation. This was no doubt a result of the oppressive regimes that ruled the country prior to the end of the Salvadoran Civil War.

Today, soccer is not only the pride the country but it is an inherent part of their very identity and nationalism. Soccer heroes such as Mauricio Cienfuegos who played for the Los Angeles Galaxy Major League Soccer team in the United States is a national hero here.

There are thousands of soccer fans in the country and numerous amateur leagues as well as professional teams. The national stadiums Cuscatlán and Flor Blanca can respectively seat 80,000 and 35,000 fans. Other towns to include San Miguel, Santa Ana, Zacatecoluca, and San Vicente all have soccer stadiums as well.

Other El Salvador sports the people enjoy are basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, surfing, baseball and Formula One auto racing. There is a Formula One racetrack at El Jabalí which is only 20 miles from the capital city of San Salvador. To further display the popularity of Formula One racing, the track can accommodate 100,000 fans.

Another one of the popular El Salvador sports is surfing and this country is gaining a reputation as a new surfing frontier. With the coastline on the Pacific Ocean there are great swells and numerous surf spots. With the numerous surf spots, the crowds (which usually occur on the weekend) are better distributed. One convenient and popular surf break is at La Libertad which is only a 35 minute drive from the capital.