Sports in Chicago include many professional sports teams. Chicago is one of eleven U.S. cities to have teams from the five major American professional team sports (baseball, football, basketball, hockey, and soccer). Chicago has been named as the "Best Sports City" by Sporting News three times: 1993, 2006, and 2010.
Chicago was a candidate city for the 2016 Summer Olympics but lost to Rio de Janeiro. Chicago also hosted the 1959 Pan American Games, as well as the 2006 Gay Games. Chicago hosted the inaugural 1968 Special Olympics Summer World Games as well as its second games in 1970. Chicago also was the host of the 2017 Warrior Games.
Major league teams
The following is a list of active, professional major-league Chicago sports teams, ranked by attendance: Club League Sport Venue Attendance Founded Championships Last Championship Chicago Bears NFLFootballSoldier Field 61,142 19191 Super Bowl, 8 prior Championships 1985 Chicago Cubs MLB BaseballWrigley Field 41,649 18703 World Series, 6 prior championships 2016 Chicago White SoxRate Field 40,625 19003 World Series, 1 prior championship 2005 Chicago Blackhawks NHLIce hockeyUnited Center 21,65319266 Stanley Cups 2015 Chicago Bulls NBABasketballUnited Center 20,776 19666 NBA Championships 1998 Chicago Fire FC MLS Soccer Soldier Field 14,806 19971 MLS Cup, 1 Supporters Shield, 4 U.S. Open Cup 2006 Chicago Sky WNBA Basketball Wintrust Arena 6,358 2006 1 WNBA Championship 2021 Chicago Stars FC NWSL Soccer Martin Stadium 5,451 2006 None N/A Chicago Hounds MLRRugby unionSeatGeek Stadium 4,443 2022 1 MLR Shield 2026
American football (NFL)
The Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) play at Soldier Field. The Bears' history includes many NFL personalities, including owner George Halas, players Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, Walter Payton, and coach Mike Ditka. The Bears are one of the original teams of the NFL, founded by Halas in 1919 in Decatur, Illinois. They currently have the most players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 26. In 1985, the Bears won Super Bowl XX 46–10 over the New England Patriots. In the 2006 season, the Bears reached Super Bowl XLI, but lost 29–17 to the Indianapolis Colts. They were led by coach Lovie Smith.
The Bears' rivalry with the Green Bay Packers dates back the 1920s, and is one of the most intense in American professional sports. The Bears have other regional and divisional rivalries with the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions.
The Bears play their home games at Soldier Field, named after "The men and women of the armed forces". It is located next to the shores of Lake Michigan, on DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Soldier Field was an aging stadium and was in dire need of renovation by the end of the 20th century. In 2003, the stadium re-opened after an extensive renovation, which increased the number of luxury boxes and dramatically improved the game day experience for Bears fans. However, because of this renovation, the stadium lost its National Historic Landmark designation on February 17, 2006.
Baseball (MLB)
Chicago is one of three metro areas in the United States that has two Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, the others being Los Angeles and New York City. Of these, only Chicago and New York City have both teams in the city limits. Chicago is the only city that has had more than one MLB team every year since the founding of the American League in 1901 (New York City hosted one team between 1958 and 1962, and Los Angeles has only done so since 1961). The Chicago Cubs are members of the National League (NL), while the Chicago White Sox are members of the American League (AL).
The Cubs play in Wrigley Field in the North side neighborhood of Wrigleyville. The Cubs are the oldest Major League Baseball team to have never changed their city, one of nine out of the sixteen teams to predate expansion that have not changed cities. They have played in Chicago since 1871, and continuously so since 1874 due to the Great Chicago Fire. The White Sox play in Rate Field in the South Side neighborhood of Armour Square. They have played in Chicago since the formation of the American League in 1901.
The Cubs' rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals is one of the most bitter in North American professional sports. The Cubs are the oldest team to play continuously in the same city since the formation of the National League in 1876. They have played more games, have more wins and scored more runs than any other team in Major League baseball since 1876.Baseball Reference - MLB Teams and Baseball Encyclopedia They have won three World Series titles (1907, 1908, 2016) and are fourth among National League teams with 17 NL pennants. In 2016, the Cubs broke the two longest droughts in professional sports: 1) they won their sport's title for the first time since 1908, a drought of 108 years, and 2) participated in a World Series for the first time since 1945, a drought of 71 years.
The White Sox have played on the South Side continuously since 1901, with all three of their home fields throughout the years being within mere blocks of one another. They have won three World Series titles (1906, 1917, 2005) and six American League pennants, including the first in 1901. The Sox are fifth in the American League in all-time wins, and sixth in pennants.
Basketball (NBA, WNBA) The Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball team. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to six NBA championships in two "threepeats" from 1991 to 1993 and again from 1996 to 1998. The new generation of Bulls, known as "The Baby Bulls", emerged in 2005. In 2007, they swept the defending champs, the Miami Heat. In 2011, led by league MVP Derrick Rose, the Bulls made it to the Eastern Finals, losing to the Miami Heat.
Chicago is home to the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Chicago Sky won the 2021 WNBA Finals beating the Phoenix Mercury 3–1.
Ice hockey (NHL) The Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) is the city's professional ice hockey team, and are an Original Six team. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 1934, 1938, 1961, 2010, 2013, and again in 2015. The Blackhawks receive national attention for the intense rivalries with the Detroit Red Wings, also an Original Six team. Other rivalries include the Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues (former Norris Division rivals), and the Nashville Predators. Some well-known players include: Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, Bobby Hull, Keith Magnuson, Glenn Hall, Denis Savard, Steve Larmer, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios, Ed Belfour, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marián Hossa, Corey Crawford, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith.
Soccer (MLS, NWSL)
Soccer in Chicago can be traced back to Chicago Sparta. Founded in 1917 by immigrant Czechs, Sparta competed in several leagues during its existence. The club's achievements include: winning the National Soccer League of Chicago; winning 9 titles in Chicago's International League, of which the team was a member 1926–1936; and winning the National Challenge Cup twice. In the 1950s, the Chicago Falcons operated. They won the National Challenge Cup in 1953.
Chicago was once the home of the Chicago Sting who competed in the major professional North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1984. They spread their home games at Soldier Field, Wrigley Field, and Comiskey Park. The Sting won the Soccer Bowl twice: 1981 and 1984. They were the only club other than the New York Cosmos to win multiple titles in the NASL One of the club's notable players was German forward Arno Steffenhagen.
Chicago Fire FC, a member of Major League Soccer (MLS), have won one MLS Cup and four U.S. Open Cups since they entered the league in 1998. The Fire won their sole MLS Cup in 1998, their inaugural season, led by head coach Bob Bradley, who later went on to coach the U.S. national soccer team. The Fire played from 2006 to 2019 at SeatGeek Stadium (originally Toyota Park), a soccer-specific stadium located in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview near Midway Airport. The club currently plays at Soldier Field after finalizing an agreement with the Chicago Park District in September 2019, with plans to move to McDonald's Park in 2028. Some notable former players include Cuauhtémoc Blanco from Mexico, Brian McBride from the U.S., Peter Nowak from Poland, and Bastian Schweinsteiger from Germany – a demonstration of the team's international flavor. The club is named after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Chicago is also home to the Chicago Stars FC (formerly Chicago Red Stars), currently playing in the National Women's Soccer League. The Stars began their second stint at the venue now known as SeatGeek Stadium in 2016, having played there previously as a member of the now-defunct Women's Professional Soccer. After the 2025 season, they left SeatGeek Stadium, moving to Martin Stadium on Northwestern University's main campus in Evanston.
Major league professional championships
Chicago Bears (NFL) 1 Super Bowl title 1985 (XX)
8 NFL championships (pre–Super Bowl) 1921 1932 1933 1940 1941 1943 1946 1963
Chicago Cardinals (NFL) 2 NFL championships (pre–Super Bowl) 1925 1947
Chicago Cubs (MLB) 3 World Series titles 1907 1908 2016
Chicago White Sox (MLB) 3 World Series titles 1906 1917 2005
Chicago American Giants (NNL) 2 Negro World Series titles 1926 1927
Chicago Sting (NASL) 2 Soccer Bowl titles 1981 1984
Chicago Fire F.C. (MLS) 1 MLS Cup title 1998
Chicago Bulls (NBA) 6 NBA Finals titles 1991 1992 1993 1996 1997 1998
Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) 6 Stanley Cup titles 1934 1938 1961 2010 2013 2015
Chicago Sky (WNBA) 1 WNBA Championship 2021
Minor league teams The following is a list of active minor league, semi-pro, and amateur Chicago sports teams, ranked by year of establishment:
Club League Sport Venue Location Established Championships Chicago WolvesAHLIce hockeyAllstate ArenaRosemont, Illinois19945 Chicago SteelUSHLIce Hockey Fox Valley Ice ArenaGeneva, Illinois2000 2 Windy City RollersWFTDARoller derby Credit Union 1 ArenaChicago, Illinois2004 0 Chicago SwansUSAFLAustralian rules footballWaveland FieldChicago, Illinois 20080 Chicago UnionUFAUltimateDe La Salle Institute StadiumChicago, Illinois20130 Chicago Fury ABA Basketball Bishop Shephard Little Memorial Center Chicago, Illinois 2015 1 Windy City Bulls NBA G League Basketball Now Arena Hoffman Estates, Illinois 2016 0 Chicago Fire FC IIMLS Next ProSoccer SeatGeek StadiumBridgeview, Illinois2021 0Chicago KingsmenMiLCCricketHanover ParkChicago, Illinois20201Chicago TigersMiLCCricketHanover ParkChicago, Illinois20220Chicago ProwlMLQQuadballVariousChicago, Illinois20230Chicago TripletsBIG3BasketballAllstate ArenaRosemont, Illinois20250
Independent league baseball
Club League Venue Location Established Championships Joliet SlammersFrontier LeagueDuly Health and Care FieldJoliet, Illinois20102 (2011, 2018) Schaumburg BoomersFrontier LeagueWintrust FieldSchaumburg, Illinois20114 (2013, 2014, 2017, 2021) Windy City ThunderBoltsFrontier LeagueOzinga FieldCrestwood, Illinois19952 (2007, 2008) Gary SouthShore RailCatsAmerican AssociationU.S. Steel YardGary, Indiana20013 (2005, 2007, 2013) Chicago DogsAmerican AssociationImpact FieldRosemont, Illinois2018 None Kane County CougarsAmerican AssociationNorthwestern Medicine FieldGeneva, Illinois1991 4 (2001, 2014, 2024, 2025)
Hockey The Chicago metropolitan area is also home to the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. The Chicago Wolves have been successful, making numerous playoff appearances and winning the Turner and Calder cups many times. Playing in suburban Geneva are the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League, a Tier One Junior Hockey league, the only tier one junior league in the United States.
Arena football