On the island of

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

, a large number of different sports are practiced, both outdoor and indoor the various facilities available throughout the island. Amongst the variety of sports practiced on the island, it includes the following:

Football

The first organised game of

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

took place in 1875 in

Camacha Camacha () is a parish in the municipality of Santa Cruz, on the southeastern part of Madeira Island. It is situated in the mountainous interior of the island, 3 km north of Caniço, 7 km northeast of Funchal Funchal () is the larg ...

, organised by the Madeira born Harry Hinton (it was the first organised football match anywhere in Portugal). Madeira has two football teams in the

Portuguese Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...

(Portugal's top league):

C.S. Marítimo Club Sport Marítimo MH M, commonly known as Marítimo ( locally ), is a Portuguese sports club founded in Funchal, Madeira, in 1910. Marítimo is best known for its football team playing in Portugal's top-flight competition, the Primeira Liga. ...

and

C.D. Nacional Clube Desportivo Nacional, commonly known as Nacional and sometimes Nacional da Madeira (), is a Portuguese football club based in Funchal, on the island of Madeira. Founded on 8 December 1910, it currently plays in the Liga Portugal 2, Portug ...

The

Al Nassr FC Al Nassr Football Club ( ar, نادي النصر السعودي; '' Naṣr'' meaning ''Victory'') is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955, the club plays its home games at the Mrsool Park. Their home colours are yellow ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

footballer

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...

was born in Madeira and played for

CF Andorinha Clube de Futebol Andorinha de Santo António ''(abbreviated as CF Andorinha)'' is a Portuguese football club based in Santo António, Funchal, on the island of Madeira. Background CF Andorinha currently plays in the Terceira Divisão Série M ...

and

Nacional Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to: Airlines * Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002 * Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961 Bank * Banco Nacional, a ...

before going to

Sporting Lisbon Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

is considered the biggest club of Madeira and has enjoyed various campaigns in the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

having recorded famous results against teams such as

Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

and Rangers. Having finished 5th in the league in the 2009/2010 season,

qualified for the Europa League for the 2010/2011 season. C.S. Marítimo has nurtured great players such as

Pepe Pepe is a pet form of the Spanish name José (Josep). It is also a surname. * People Mononyms *Pepe (footballer, born 1935), real name José Macia, Brazilian footballer *Pepe (footballer, born 1983), real name Képler Laveran Lima Ferreira, ...

, now at

F.C. Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...

Danny Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to the male name Daniel. It may refer to: People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist *Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer *Danny Baker (born 1957), English journalis ...

, who retired at the club in 2018,

Jorge Costa Jorge Paulo Costa Almeida (born 14 October 1971) is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a central defender, currently manager of Académico de Viseu. Nicknamed ''Bicho'' (animal) and ''Tanque'' (tank) by his colleagues and fans for ...

, a retired

player currently managing

CS Gaz Metan Mediaș Clubul Sportiv Gaz Metan Mediaș (), commonly known as Gaz Metan Mediaș or simply as Gaz Metan, was a Romanian professional football club based in Mediaș, Sibiu County. Founded in 1945 as ''Karres Mediaș'', the team spent most of its existe ...

Tarik Sektioui Tarik Sektioui ( ar, طارق السكتيوي; born 13 May 1977) is a Moroccan former professional footballer who played as a right winger, currently the manager of Union de Touarga. He spent most of his professional career in the Netherlands ...

, a former F.C. Porto player among other clubs who is now managing

RS Berkane Renaissance Sportive de Berkane ( ar, نادي النهضة البركانية) commonly referred to as Nahdat Berkane or RS Berkane for short, is a professional football club based in Berkane, Morocco, that competes in Botola, the top flight o ...

Nuno Valente Nuno Jorge Pereira da Silva Valente (; born 12 September 1974) is a former Portuguese professional footballer who played as a left-back or a winger. He later became a manager. He played professionally in Portugal and England for Sporting, ...

, who retired at Everton in 2009,

Ariza Makukula Ariza Makukula (born 4 March 1981) is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a centre forward. He only amassed Primeira Liga totals of 26 matches and nine goals over three seasons, spending the vast majority of his professional career abr ...

, who retired in 2014 at

BEC Tero Sasana Police Tero Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลโปลิศ-เทโร), formerly known as BEC Tero Sasana Football Club, is a Thai professional football club based in Bangkok. The club finished runners-up in the inaugural ...

Moussa Marega Moussa Marega (born 14 April 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a second striker for Saudi Professional League club Al Hilal. Born in France, he represents the Mali national team. He began his career in France, playing no higher ...

the current

FC Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portu ...

player,

Moussa Maâzou Ouwo Moussa Maâzou (born 25 August 1988) commonly known as Moussa Maâzou, is a Nigerien professional footballer who plays as a striker for French amateur club FC Bassin Piennois. Career Maazou began his senior career as a player with Niger's ...

the current

Sektzia Nes Tziona F.C. Sektzia Ness Ziona ( he, סקציית כדורגל נס-ציונה, ''Sektziyat Kaduregel Nes Tziona'', lit. ''Football Section Ness Ziona'') are a football club from the Israeli city of Ness Ziona. They currently play in the Israeli Premier Leag ...

player, Bakero the journeyman who retired in 2015 at

Felgueiras Felgueiras () is a municipality in Porto District, Portugal. The current mayor is Nuno Fonseca. There are two cities located in the municipality: Felgueiras (city status received on 13 July 1990) and Lixa. The population in 2011 was 58,065, in a ...

, and many others. In 2003–04

achieved fourth place in the Portuguese League, their best classification ever. They repeated it three years later and are the only Madeiran team to finish fourth place in the Portuguese League. Nacional were the first Madeiran team to reach the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

group stage (in the 2009-2010 season) until Marítimo reached the group stages in the 2012-13 season.

, a football player, played in Nacional until he was 12 years old before moving to Sporting Lisbon. Nacional plays in the Madeira Stadium (Estádio da Madeira), considered by CNN in 2011
one of the eight more unusual stadiums in the world
Besides Cristiano Ronaldo, other known footballers have also played at Nacional including

Paulo Assunção Paulo Assunção da Silva (born 25 January 1980), known as Paulo Assunção, is a Brazilian retired professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder. He was best known for his p ...

(

and

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...

among others),

Rúben Micael Rúben Micael Freitas da Ressureição (born 19 August 1986), known as Micael, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He totalled 206 Primeira Liga games and 19 goals over ten seasons, representing Nacional ...

(Porto and

Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. (), commonly referred to as Zaragoza, is a football club based in Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, that currently competes in the Segunda División, the second tier of the Spanish league system. Zaragoza holds its home games at La ...

among others, current Nacional player),

Maicon Maicon is a Brazilian variant of the given name Michael. It may refer to: Brazilian footballers *Maicon (footballer, born 1981), Maicon Douglas Sisenando, Brazilian football right-back *Maicon dos Santos (born 1981), Brazilian football midfielder * ...

(Porto among others),

Diego Benaglio Diego Orlando Benaglio (born 8 September 1983) is a Swiss former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent most of his professional career with Stuttgart and Wolfsburg in Germany's top flight, the Bundesliga, winning the 2009 league champ ...

(Wolfsburg among others) and Felipe Lopes (Wolfsburg among others). Outside the Portuguese top league, there are four other Madeiran teams not in the District Championships, all in the Campeonato de Portugal:

União da Madeira União is the Portuguese word for Union. It may refer to: *the Brazilian federal government *União do Vegetal, a church known for its usage of Hoasca as tea * Brazilian frigate ''União'' (F45), a general-purpose ''Niterói'' class frigate launc ...

, a former

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...

side,

Câmara de Lobos Câmara (meaning "chamber") is a common surname in the Portuguese language. It may also refer to: People * António de Vasconcelos e Sousa Câmara Caminha Faro e Veiga, 8th Count of Calheta, 4th Marquis of Castelo Melhor and Constable of Portugal ...

, Marítimo B (the

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

of Marítimo), and

A.D. Camacha Associação Desportiva da Camacha, known as A.D. Camacha, is a Portuguese football club from Santa Cruz, Madeira. Founded in 1978, they play in the Campeonato de Portugal. They play their home games in Campo Municipal da Nogueira, which has a c ...

, a newly promoted side.

Basketball

In recent years, Madeira has had a considerable amount of success in professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, with

CAB Madeira Clube Amigos do Basquete, also known as CAB Madeira, is a professional basketball team based in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. They are comprised by men and women departments, both play in their respective highest Portuguese division. Honours Accor ...

having won numerous titles, especially their female team. CAB is often seen competing in European matches such as the

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...

EuroCup and former stars include Filipe da Silva and ex-

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

player

Ike Nwankwo Ikenna Nwankwo (born December 27, 1973) is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From Houston, Texas, he played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, winning a national championship in 1995. College career Nwankwo played w ...

Surfing

In 2001 the World Surfing Championships were held in Madeira at Surfspots including

Paul do Mar Paul do Mar is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 871, in an area of 1.40 km2. History The origin of the toponymy ''paul do mar'' is linked to its geographic p ...

, Ponta Pequena and

Jardim do Mar Jardim do Mar (Portuguese for ''garden of the sea'') is a civil parish in the western part of the municipality of Calheta in the Portuguese island of Madeira. The population in 2011 was 204, in an area of 0.74 km².Surfing in Madeira Surfing was first started in the Portuguese island of Madeira in the 1970s off the villages of Paul do Mar, Jardim do Mar and Ponta Pequena. Almost every surf spot has a rocky bottom with powerful waves; the winter months are particularly consiste ...

Handball

Madeira Andebol SAD Madeira Andebol S.A.D., known until 1998 as Academico Funchal, is a Portuguese handball club from Funchal. Its women's team has won the national championship a record 15 times since 1994, and it is a regular in the EHF Cup and Cup Winners' Cup's ...

, the island's only professional

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

team is one of the most successful in the country.

Running

The oldest

Saint Silvester Road Race The Saint Silvester Road Race ( pt, Corrida Internacional de São Silvestre) is a long-distance running event, the oldest and most prestigious street race in Brazil. Regarded as the main international event in Latin American athletics, the Brazi ...

in Portugal and one of the oldest in the Europe Union is held every December 28 and is called the Volta à cidade do Funchal and is made up of professional and amateur runners. There is also the Madeira Island Ultra Trail which is an

ultramarathon An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...

, that takes place once a year. More to that there are: Boa Ventura Trail run, Sky Trail Camp – Porto da Cruz, Trail de Porto Moniz – São Vicente, Madeira Trail Camp – São Vicente, Trail do Porto Santo, Madeira Trail Series – São Vicente, Trail do Ludens de Machico, Corrida Nocturna Baia dos Descubrimentos, Vertical KM – Câmara de Lobos, Trail da Zona Militar da Madeira, Ultra Sky Marathon Madeira, Cristo Rei Trail, Funchal Sky Race, Trail de Água de Pena, Ultra Trail Porto da Cruz Natura, Trail de Santa Cruz, Vertical KM – Funchal, Madeira Uphill 2000, Vertical KM – Fanal, Eco Trail do Funchal, Trail de Câmara de Lobos, Trail da Calheta, Trail Nocturno de Machico
Source

Scuba diving

Scuba diving has become very popular in recent years due to the crystal waters and the abundance of life that characterize Madeira. The Marine Reserve of Garajau and the Marine park of Cabo Girão where lies the Wreck of the F488 Afonso Cerqueira, can offer the best dive sites of the island. These areas are reachable from the dive shops of Funchal. The clear waters and marine life of Madeira, known for its numerous nature reserves and marine areas, offer countless fascinating and electrifying dive spots. The marine fauna of this region consists mainly of coastal species. Sandy and rocky bottoms host numerous species of marine creatures: groupers (''Epinephelus guaza'') and other serranids, salps, sea bream, mullet, scorpion fish (''Scorpaena scrofa''), moray eels, octopuses, cuttlefish, barracudas, damsels are just some of the species that divers may commonly spot. Among the invertebrates, besides various species of anemones and starfish, we emphasize the presence of numerous bearded fireworms (''Hermodice carunculata''), known for their considerable size (up to 30 cm) and for their painfully stinging bristles. Common are also several species of crabs; the most curious of them is definitely the arrow crab (''Stenorhynchus seticornis''). Large, typically pelagic organisms can also be occasionally encountered: wahoos, tunas, cetaceans (i.e. the spotted dolphin and Risso's dolphin), sea turtles, manta rays and mobulas, and the famous but rare monk seal (''Monachus monachus'').

Walking and hiking

Madeira offers about of walks, many alongside the

levadas A levada is an irrigation channel or aqueduct specific to the Portuguese Atlantic region of Madeira. History In Madeira, the levadas originated out of the necessity of bringing large amounts of water from the west and northwest of the island ...

, some of the island's greatest attractions. The levadas provide stunning walks, some of which are quite challenging.

Canyoning Canyoning (canyoneering in the United States, kloofing in South Africa) is a type of mountaineering that involves travelling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include other outdoor activities such as walking, scrambling, climbin ...

has increased in popularity over the last few years with many companies offering canyoning tours.

Other sports

The

Rali Vinho da Madeira The Rali Vinho da Madeira is a tarmac rally held in Madeira Island, Portugal, and it is the biggest annual sporting event of the island, bringing thousands of people into the roads to watch the drivers compete through the hilly terrain and the natur ...

is the largest sporting event held in the archipelago each year, attracting thousands of spectators from Europe. The motor rally (established in 1959) has been part of several international pan-European championships since the 1970s, most notably the

European Rally Championship The European Rally Championship (officially FIA European Rally Championship) is an rallying, automobile rally competition held annually on the European continent and organized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The champions ...

and the

Intercontinental Rally Challenge The Intercontinental Rally Challenge was an FIA-sanctioned rallying series organised by SRW Events and Eurosport Events, and aimed to "give new opportunities to young or amateur rally drivers competing in recognised regional and international ral ...

Karting Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on f ...

and golf are other popular sports played on the island. The island lies in an ideal location for water sports such as

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

, sailing and diving due to its climate and location.

Jogo do Pau () is a Spanish and Portuguese martial art which developed in the regions along the Minho River: Minho, Trás-os-Montes, Pontevedra and Ourense, focusing on the use of a staff of fixed measures and characteristics. The origins of this martial a ...

, a Portuguese

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

, is still practiced in the rural areas of the island but has declined since its peak in the early part of the 20th century. Madeira is also popular as a Mountain bike destination, organizing stops of the Enduro World Series championship.