The most popular sports in Syria are football, basketball, swimming, and tennis. Damascus was home to the fifth and seventh Pan Arab Games, while Latakia, Syria's main port, was home to the tenth Mediterranean Games.

Although the Abbasiyyin Stadium in Damascus is home to the Syrian national football team, many other local teams are based in other cities and stadiums. Syria's national team enjoyed some success, having qualified for four Asian Cup competitions. The team's first international was on 20 November 1949, losing to Turkey 7–0. The Syrian national football team's biggest win was with the Maldives, beating them 12-0 on the 4th of June 1997. The team was ranked 75th in the world by FIFA as of 2018.

Although Syria has never qualified for the World Cup finals, its national football team reached the fourth round in 2018 after tying with Iran. They tied with the Australian team on the 5th of October before losing to them 2-1 on he 10 October and disqualifying.

The highest division of football in Syria is the Syrian Premier League which began to play in 1966. The league's champion is Al-Jaish SC, based in Damascus.