A team sport is a type of sport where the fundamental nature of the game or sport requires the participation of multiple individuals working together as a team, and it is inherently impossible or highly impractical to execute the sport as a single-player endeavour. In team sports, the cooperative effort of team members is essential for the sport to function and achieve its objectives. The objective often involves teammates facilitating the movement of a ball or similar bob in accordance with a set of rules in order to score points. Examples are basketball, volleyball, rugby league, rugby union, water polo, handball, lacrosse, cricket, baseball, and the various forms of football and hockey. These sports emphasize teamwork, strategy, and coordination among team members while competing against opposing teams to achieve a common goal. Team sports do not include individual or individual-to-team events within a sport.

The meaning of a "team sport" has been disputed in recent years. Some types of sports have different objectives or rules than "traditional" team sports. These types of team sports do not involve teammates facilitating the movement of a ball or similar object in accordance with a set of rules in order to score points. Overall, the division into team sports and individual sports is not always unproblematic since there are different combinations in the individual sports.

This includes sports that can only be practiced as a team sport. The number of team members is fixed for the team. In order to compete successfully in championships and tournaments, teams need a roster that is significantly larger than the number of players starting the game. Players may be substituted from a squad in competition matches to replace exhausted or injured players or to make tactical changes. Examples are basketball, volleyball, rugby union, rugby league water polo, handball, lacrosse, cricket, baseball, and the various forms of football and hockey.

Teams of two people are common in certain sports, such as dancesport or beach volleyball. No substitute players are used here. The two partners are absolutely dependent on each other. The absence of a person here means a loss of competitiveness.

There are sports that are commonly played by individuals, or singles, but may also be played in a cooperative partner formation referred to as doubles. This includes sports such as badminton, table tennis, and tennis. In these formations, common tactics, teamwork, and agreements are crucial for success. There are also different rowing formations, such as one, two, four, and eight, or sailing with their different boat classes. The most important thing here is smooth movements and common tactics. This also applies approximately to the team time trial in cycling, which is the case with cycling tours and one-day races, which are different tasks for the team members of a cycling team.

In some sports, relay races are held, which can be distinguished from pure team evaluations by a common racing tactic and the observance of change regulations. Relay races are common in running, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or short-track speed skating and are also an integral part of the Olympic Games program with high popularity.

There are team ratings in many sports, and the results of individual athletes or formations are added up. In cycling, team members, whilst still in competition with each other, will also work towards assisting one member of the team, usually a specialist, to the highest possible finishing position. In some sports where participants are entered by a team, they do not only compete against members of other teams, but also against each other for points towards championship standings, for example, in motorsport, particularly Formula One. Team orders can occur in such teams and although previously accepted were banned in Formula One between 2002 and 2010. After a controversy involving team orders at the 2010 German Grand Prix however, the regulation was removed as of the 2011 season.

In summary, team sports are characterized by the impossibility or impracticality of executing the sport as a single-player endeavor, and the entire game or match relies on team dynamics. In contrast, sports with team ratings and formations involve both individual and team aspects, where individual performances contribute to a team's overall success but may not be entirely reliant on team dynamics. Relay races combine individual efforts within a team context, where smooth transitions are essential.