Given the growing importance of social entrepreneurship in addressing societal problems and the key role of psychological and social factors in its development, it remains unclear how socio-psychological variables influence social entrepreneurial intentions (SEI) in sports. Therefore, this study examines the effects of social intelligence (SI) and social capital (SC) on SEI in the context of sports. Furthermore, this study, which focuses on the mediating role of social entrepreneurial self-efficacy (SESE) in these relationships, seeks to more precisely explain the factors affecting SEI in sports. The study employs a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach to analyze the data. The results show that SESE, SC, and SI significantly affect SEI among sports science students, with SESE serving as a mediator. The findings suggest that enhancing SEI in sports requires a combined approach targeting psychological factors (SESE and SI) and structural factors (SC). This study contributes to the literature by integrating SC and SI within the framework of social cognitive career theory. It uncovers their joint effects and SESE's mediating role in shaping SEI in sports. In practice, it provides policymakers in the sports industry with helpful advice.