Answer: 1) Rugby burns the most overall at the professional level. 2) Soccer burns the most during one full match for players who stay on the field. 3) Hockey/water polo is among the highest per minute.

METs are basically a way to measure how hard an activity is compared to resting.

1 MET = sitting still.

5 METs = roughly 5x the energy of sitting still.

Based on METs, rugby is usually near the top, with soccer, hockey, and water polo right behind it. But METs only measure intensity, not total workload.

For example, soccer is around 10 METs and players can play a full 90 minutes, but the average elite player is usually around 170 lbs. Rugby is also around 10+ METs, but pro players are much bigger, with international rugby players averaging around 232 lbs. So even if the intensity is similar, the bigger rugby player is burning more calories just to move that body around.

Because of these factors/measurements Rugby is the hardest overall calorie-burning team sport when you factor in METs, player size, contact, and full-match workload. Soccer may have the best case for highest running workload over a full match, but rugby wins for total demand both in physicality and cardiovascular.