Sports are a great way of socializing. Especially team sports, because the players need the others to play well and win.
I’ve heard that any sports are good for making friends. But I personally believe that not all of them are. Strength training, snowboarding, running, and swimming are sports. I haven’t had much success socializing with those. I believe this is because they are individual sports.
However, I’ve seen much social activity with hockey, volleyball, soccer, and basketball. In a team, the players ought to know each other. Each time someone skips the game, everyone feels the impact. Sometimes after a game, the players get some food or some other social gathering.
If you go to a new place, I highly recommend getting the most popular sports. I mean multiple sports, not a single sport. Other activities are helpful, but sports were the most effective ones that I had the pleasure of taking part in.
For myself, my most practiced team sport is hockey. And my most practiced individual sport is weight training.