Other Sports

The capital of Spain is home to three top basketball league teams. Also, it welcomes big names in the field of international tennis and athletics, who come to compete in the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament and the San Silvestre Vallecana footrace.

Basketball

In Madrid, basketball is almost as popular as football. Real Madrid and Fuenlabrada - a town near Madrid - compete in the highest category of the ACB, while Estudiantes plays in the Liga Endesa (the historic Estudiantes men's team plays in the LEB league). Euroleague games can also be seen at the WiZink Center, where both Real Madrid and Estudiantes play their league matches. On the other hand, the Estudiantes women's team plays in the Liga Femenina Endesa. 

Having hosted historic games, this year it was one of the venues of the final phase of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014.

Tennis

Since 2002, Caja Mágica, an impressive tennis centre designed by French architect Dominique Perrault, has staged one of the world’s leading tennis competitions: the Mutua Madrid Open. Top players, both men and women, come to Madrid in May to compete in this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, so it’s a good chance to see the big names in action.

Athletics

Madrileños love not only football but athletics too. Hundreds of cheering spectators take to the streets every year to watch the Madrid Marathon and Half Marathon.

The Half Marathon is one of the road running events held in Europe that attract the highest number of athletes. The Zurich Rock ‘n’ Roll Running Series Madrid is part of this popular world circuit of 'running' - Rock & Roll Marathon Series - in which live music is integrated into sports activity and accompanies along different points of the event.

Madrid has an extensive calendar of popular races throughout the year, among which the traditional San Silvestre Vallecana on 31 December stands out, combining quality and mass participation, as well as the Indoor Athletics Meeting which is held in February, an event that is part of the IAAF World Indoor Tour; the Meeting Madrid, which is held in July and brings together the best national and international athletes. Every year the Women’s Race takes place, the biggest festival of women's sport in Madrid which contributes to raising funds for the fight against breast cancer.  

Cycling

A city with a deeply rooted cycling tradition, Madrid has played witness to the development of the brilliant careers of Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre, among other pro elite riders. What’s more, the final stage of the Vuelta Ciclista a España normally finishes in Paseo de la Castellana.

Madrid also independently hosts Women’s La Vuelta the male version. This race has consolidated itself as one of the most important races on the female World Tour calendar.

Love of cycling extends to the man on the street and more and more kilometres of cycle ways  are being built. Furthermore, the city has a  ‘green belt’, with a perimeter of around sixty-four kilometres, which surrounds the metropolitan area and many options to rent a bicycle.   

Equestrian sports

The Zarzuela Hippodrome represents a traditional leisure and catering offer in Madrid, combining enjoyment with the hippodrome’s open air spaces, (one of the most emblematic venues in the capital – an architectural milestone of rationalism in Madrid). You can enjoy all the thrill of races that take place almost all year round, with around 41 horse riding events and over 230 races a year. In addition, with the arrival of the summer season, races take place in the evening.

IFEMA MADRID hosts an annual edition of IFEMA Madrid Horse Week, the largest equestrian event held in Spain, which aims to bring the world of horses to the general public (and which also hosts events on the international show jumping and dressage circuit). Another not to be missed event is the Longines EEF Series Madrid, better known as the Equestrian Nations Cup, which hosts jumping and dressage competitions.

Club de Campo is another major venue. The prestigious Madrid International Show Jumping Competition is held there in May, with the participation of the best riders in the world ranking each year. 

Motor racing

Another international sporting event that attracts a large number of visitors to Madrid each year is the Spanish Truck Grand Prix, a qualifying event for the European Truck Racing Championship. The competition is held over a weekend, usually between September and October, at the Jarama circuit in San Sebastián de los Reyes, on the outskirts of Madrid.

Madrid also regularly hosts the Motocross World Championship circuit at the intu Xanadú Shopping Centre. This Spanish Motocross Grand Prix (MXGP) brings together the best riders in the world in MXGP, MX2 and WMX (Women's World Championship) and the future champions of the European 250.

Golf

The city of Madrid hosts one of the most popular and traditional tournaments in Europe, the Spanish Open Golf. This tournament is part of the European Tour and can be seen at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, a historic course for the world of golf, where names such as Jack Nicklaus, Colin Montgomerie or Severiano Ballesteros have played.

Rugby

The city of Madrid usually hosts matches between the Spansh national rugby side, known popularly as the Lions , which plays its matches at the Complutense University Central Stadium. Furthermore, over the coming three years, 2024 to 2026, Madrid will host the World Rugby Sevens Series Grand Final (World Rugby Sevens Series).

Madrid Urban Sports

New trends, such as skateboarding, BMX and Parkour must not be forgotten. They are all categories that can be enjoyed at the Madrid Urban Sports event, which is held in autumn. The event hosts national and international competitions with the participation of some of the best athletes in the world, as well as promising young local athletes who have set their sights high in these sports.

As well as raising awareness of these up-and-coming sports, many of which have recently been included in the Olympic programme, this event is a great showcase for urban art. The programme is rounded off with live music and breakdance or graffiti exhibitions, among other street art performances.

Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix

Madrid joins the Formula 1 international calendar by hosting the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026 to 2035, which will be held on the circuit designed at the IFEMA MADRID exhibition centre. 

The new circuit, subject to FIA homologation, will be 5.47 kilometres long, including 20 bends, and the cars are expected to reach an average speed of 213 km/h during the qualifying lap, which is expected to take 1 minute and 32 seconds. A state-of-the-art layout to offer thrilling moments and sections designed to impress fans and boost TV production.

Others

Other traditional events on Madrid’s sporting calendar include the Madrid Spain Masters in Badminton and several national and international triathlon heats such as the Madrid Grand Triathlon  and Madrid Half-Triathlon. International padel competitions are also organised with the best players in the world ranking, as is the case of the Spanish Padel Championship, Madrid Premier Padel P1 or Hexagon Cup which held its first edition in Madrid at the beginning of 2024.

Each year, the city also hosts the Madrid CrossFit Challenger Series, an event that brings together more than 300 athletes to compete in five different categories.  The Beach Volleyball Centre at Puerta de Hierro Sports Park hosts the event Volleyball World Beach ProTour Futures where the great promises of this sport meet with two competitions, male and female.