What is the hardest sport to play in the world right now? Top 15 ranked

Humanity is in the wake of lifestyle diseases, and health experts are encouraging physical activity. Engaging in at least one sport is recommended for all human beings. While there are thousands of sports to choose from, some are harder than others. What is the hardest sport in 2023?

What is the hardest sport? People who enjoy sports and adrenaline rushes are constantly looking for challenging games to participate in. If you are one of them, you need to discover the hardest sports in 2023 and try those you are yet to.

What is the hardest sport in 2023? Top 15 list

Below is a look at the hardest sports in the world as of 2023. They are ranked based on the endurance, strength, power, agility, flexibility, and analytic aptitude required to play.

15. Rodeo: steer wrestling

• Year of invention: 1890s
• Inventor: Bill Pickett
• Famous players: Tyler Waguespack, Jacob Edler, Ty Erickson, and Tyler Pearson

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Athletics

Did you know steer wrestling is also called bulldogging? Steer wrestling is a rodeo event. In this physically demanding game, a horse-mounted rider chases a steer. Next, they drop from the horse to the steer. They use strength and technique to wrestle a steer to the ground as quickly as possible.

14. Lacrosse

• Year of invention: 1100 AD
• Governing body: World Lacrosse
• First Olympics: 1904
• Famous players: John Grant Jr., Lyle Thompson, Paul Rabil, Jim Brown, Paul Gait, and Brodie Merrill

A report of sports ranked by difficulty shows that lacrosse is the 14th hardest game in the world. A unique component of this game is the crosse, which is a long-handled tool with a sharp bend at the top. A crosse has a hook to enable ball catching and carrying.

13. Rugby

• Year of invention: 1823
• Governing body: World Rugby
• First Olympics: 1900
• Famous players: David Campese, Emily Scarratt, Jonny Wilkinson, Portia Woodman, Jonah Lomu, Dan Carter, Magali Harvey, and Michael Jones

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Football

Rugby is, without a doubt, a physically demanding sport. A rugby ball is oval-shaped. Two teams of 15 players play with the ball in hand and by kicking the ball. The aim of the game is to ground the ball behind the opponent's try line and into the in-goal area.

12. Water polo

• Year of invention: 1888
• Governing body: World Aquatics
• First Olympics: 1900
• Famous players: Dezso Gyarmati, Péter Rusorán, Dénes Varga, Aleksandar Šapić, and Tony Azevedo

In water polo, two teams of seven play in water. This competitive team sport involves teams attempting to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. Featuring fast and furious action, it is an exciting game to play and watch.

11. Alpine skiing

• Year of invention: 1850s
• Governing body: The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS)
• First Olympics: 1936
• Famous players: Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller, Hermann Maier, Lindsey Vonn, and Benjamin Raich

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Football

Alpine skiing is also known as downhill skiing. The game was invented in the Alps mountains in central Europe. This game challenges the skier’s ability to maneuver over courses marked by closely spaced gates through which both skis must pass.

10. Soccer/ football

• Year of invention: 1863
• Governing body: Fédération Internationale De Football Association (FIFA)
• First Olympics: 1900
• Famous players: Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo,David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, and Johan Cruyff

Soccer or football requires plenty of power, speed, agility, and flexibility. It is arguably the most-watched sport in the world in 2023. Two teams of 11 try to move a ball into the opponent’s goal. In soccer, the use of hands or arms is prohibited.

9. Baseball/ softball

• Year of invention: 1846
• Governing body: International Baseball Federation
• First Olympics: 1904
• Famous players: Barry Bonds, Mike Trout, Willie Mays, Pedro Martínez, Miguel Cabrera, and Stan Musial

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Football

Baseball is played with a bat, ball, and gloves. In this game, a player from one team throws a small, round ball at a player on the other team, who hits it with a bat. Two teams of nine alternate positions as batters and fielders.

8. Gymnastics

• Year of invention: 1811 (official listing)
• Governing body: The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)
• First Olympics: 1896
• Famous gymnasts: Nadia Comăneci, Simone Biles, Olga Korbut, Carly Patterson, and Carly Patterson

Gymnastics involves the performance of systematic exercises. Usually, tools like bars and rings are used. People engage in gymnastics as a competitive sport or as an activity to enhance agility, strength, and coordination.

7. Tennis

• Year of invention: 1873
• Inventor: Major Walter Clopton Wingfield
• Governing body: International Tennis Federation (ITF)
• First Olympics: 1896
• Famous players: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Pat Rafter, Serena Williams, and Novak Djokovic

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Football

Did you know Serena Williams is ranked among the greatest tennis players of all time? Most people remember how well she played before retirement, and so can you. In tennis, you use a racket and a tennis ball to play against your opponent. The more you fail to return the ball within the prescribed court dimensions, the more points your opponent gets.

6. Martial arts

• Year of invention: 648 BCE
• Governing body: International Mixed Martial Arts Federation
• Famous players: Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, José Aldo, and Jon Jones

Did you know boxing, judo, karate, Muay Thai, and jujitsu are all types of martial arts? Mixed martial arts are among the world’s fastest-growing games in 2023. Athletes compete in a ring or a fenced area. They fight using padded fingerless gloves and other protective gear.

5. Wrestling

• Governing body: United World Wrestling (UWW)
• First Olympics: 1896
• Famous wrestlers: The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Triple H, and Steve Austin

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Football

In wrestling, two competitors force each other to touch the ground with various parts of the body except the feet. Once a player does this, they are required to hold their opponent on the ground for a minimum length of time. The main types of wrestling contests are catch-hold, tbelt-and-jacket, and loose styles.

4. Basketball

• Year of invention: 1891
• Inventor: James Naismith
• Governing body: The International Basketball Federation
• First Olympics: 1936
• Famous players: Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant

Two teams of five players each are needed to play basketball. Each team tries to score by tossing the ball through the opponent’s basket. Players advance the ball by bouncing it while walking, running, or passing it to a teammate. This game is of American origin.

3. American football

• Year of invention: 1869
• Governing body: International Federation of American Football
• First Olympics: 1904
• Famous players: Jerry Rice, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Lawrence Taylor, and Aaron Donald

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Baseball

Gridiron or American football is the most played sport in the United States of America. This physically engaging game is a crossbreed of soccer and English rugby. Unlike soccer, athletes are allowed to touch, throw, and carry the ball with their hands and arms.

2. Ice hockey

• Year of invention: 1875
• Governing body: International Ice Hockey Federation
• First Olympics: 1920
• Famous players: Brett Hull, Paul Coffey, Steve Yzerman, Phil Esposito, Mario Lemieux, and Nathan MacKinnon

Did you know ice hockey is Canada's national winter sport and the country’s most popular game? This difficult sport is played on ice skates on an ice skating rink. Two opposing teams propel the hockey puck into a net guarded by a goaltender.

1. Boxing

• Year of invention: 1681
• Governing body: The International Boxing Association (IBA)
• First Olympics: 1904
• Famous players: Roberto Durán, Mike Tyson, Canelo Álvarez, Muhammad Ali, Terence Crawford, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

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Football

Boxing is arguably the most physically demanding sport in 2023. It is a combat game that involves attacking and defending with fists. Two boxers throw punches at each other in a boxing ring for a predetermined amount of time.

Recap of the hardest sports in 2023

Which is the most difficult sport in 2023?

Boxing is arguably the most difficult game in 2023. It involves two players who attack and defend with fists.

Which is the most athletic sport?

The most athletic games in the world are boxing, basketball, baseball, soccer, rugby, American football, tennis, lacrosse, ice hockey, gymnastics, and wrestling.

What sport takes the most skill?

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Football

The games requiring the most skill include boxing, water polo, gymnastics, martial arts, ice hockey, and basketball.

Which sport is the easiest?

Some of the easiest games are volleyball, running, badminton, spike ball, cycling, and bowling.

What is the hardest sport in 2023? This is a question that has been asked for a long time, and we hope the list above gives you the answer you have been searching for.

READ ALSO: Top 20 most popular sports in the world in 2023 revealed

Sportsbrief.com recently published a list of the most popular sports in the world in 2023. There are over 8,000 indigenous sports in the world.

Different people like specific games better than others. The most popular sports in the world are enjoyed by people from different parts of the world.