Sports in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., has major league sports teams, popular college sports teams, and a variety of other team and individual sports. The Washington metropolitan area is also home to several major sports venues including Capital One Arena, Northwest Stadium, Audi Field, and Nationals Park. In 2030, the New Stadium at RFK Campus is expected to open on the site of the former RFK Stadium.

The NFL's Washington Commanders were among the most successful professional sports teams in North America throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, making four Super Bowl appearances and winning three in a ten-year period ending in 1992. The sports of this region would then fall into a period of irrelevance; after the NHL's Washington Capitals reached the 1998 Stanley Cup Final, none of the "Big Four" teams in the area (the Commanders, the Capitals, the NBA's Washington Wizards and MLB's Washington Nationals) would reach its league's semifinal round for several years. The Commanders and Wizards often struggled in their respective regular seasons, while the Capitals and Nationals were known for having spectacular regular seasons followed by demoralizing playoff losses. However, D.C. United of Major League Soccer would win several league championships during the late 1990s and early 2000s, including the inaugural season of the league in 1996.

In 2018, the Big Four drought was broken when the Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2018 Stanley Cup Final. The following year, the Nationals defeated the Houston Astros in the 2019 World Series. Outside of the Big Four, the Washington Mystics defeated the Connecticut Sun in the 2019 WNBA Finals, and the Washington Spirit won their first NWSL Championship when they defeated the Chicago Red Stars in 2021.

Popular collegiate teams in the region include the Georgetown Hoyas and Maryland Terrapins; both schools have each won an NCAA Division I men's basketball championship (Georgetown in 1984, Maryland in 2002).

Professional sports The following table shows the major league sports teams in the Washington area sorted by attendance.

Club Sport League Founded Venue Attendance Major honors Washington Commanders American football NFL 1937 Northwest Stadium 63,950 Pre-1966 NFL champions: 1937, 1942Super Bowl champions: 1982, 1987, 1991 Washington Nationals Baseball MLB 2005 Nationals Park 24,287 World Series champions: 2019 Washington Capitals Ice hockey NHL 1974 Capital One Arena 18,573 Stanley Cup champions: 2018Presidents' Trophy: 2010, 2016, 2017 Washington Wizards Men's Basketball NBA 1973 Capital One Arena 16,898 NBA champions: 1978 D.C. United Men's Soccer MLS 1996 Audi Field 16,256 MLS Cup champions: 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004Supporters' Shield: 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007CONCACAF Champions Cup: 1998 DC Defenders American football UFL 2018 Audi Field 14,269 UFL champions: 2025 Washington Spirit Women's Soccer NWSL 2011 Audi Field 10,876 NWSL champions: 2021 Washington Mystics Women's Basketball WNBA 1998 CareFirst Arena 3,983 WNBA champions: 2019 Capital City Go-Go Men's Basketball NBA G League 2018 CareFirst Arena 1,076 None Old Glory DC Rugby Union Major League Rugby 2018 George Mason Stadium N/A None DC Breeze Ultimate Ultimate Frisbee Association 2013 Carlini Field Unknown None Washington Freedom Cricket MLC 2023 Revolving N/A MLC Champions: 2024DC FlightWomen's VolleyballMajor League Volleyball 2026The Anthem N/ANone

Map of major league teams and sports stadiums in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. is one of 12 U.S. cities with teams in all four major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL), and is one of 11 with teams in all those sports plus the MLS. It's one of only 5 cities with teams in all of those 5 leagues plus the WNBA, the professional league for women's basketball, and one of only 4 that has teams in all of those leagues plus the NWSL, the professional league for women's soccer.

Soccer Historic teams Washington has had several professional soccer teams over the years. The Washington Whips played in the United Soccer Association between 1967 and 1968, playing their games at RFK Stadium, when it was known as D.C. Stadium. The Washington Darts played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1970 and 1971. The Washington Diplomats played in the NASL from 1974 to 1981, and had a record attendance of 53,351 in a match against the New York Cosmos in 1980. Team America played in the NASL for one season in 1983, playing their home games at RFK Stadium.

Washington also has a history of women's professional soccer. The Washington Freedom were a professional women's team playing in the Washington area from 2001 until 2011. The team first played in the now-defunct Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) between 2001 and 2003. The Freedom played at RFK for the three years of the league's existence and won the league championship in 2003, the WUSA's final year. Following the WUSA's demise, the team continued as an associate member of the W-League, playing their home games at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown. In 2009, the team joined the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league. In 2011, the franchise relocated to Boca Raton, Florida.

Current teams

Washington is home to an original Major League Soccer (MLS) club, D.C. United, which began play at RFK Stadium in 1996. One of the most successful MLS teams (with twelve major trophies, won domestically and at an international level), United has won four MLS Cups, including three of the first four played. They also won the U.S. Open Cup in their first year, in 2008, and again in 2013. In addition, United have captured four MLS Supporters Shields, the most out of any MLS club in the region. D.C. United's 1997 MLS Cup victory at RFK Stadium was the only time a Washington team has won a championship within the District."United have RFK all to themselves". MLSnet.com. 2007-09-25. United is also the first American team to win the continental CONCACAF Champions Cup, which they won in 1998. United moved to their new home, Audi Field, in 2018.

The Washington Spirit began play as a women's professional soccer team in 2011 under the name D.C. United Women. In December 2012, the franchise rebranded as the Washington Spirit. During its early years, the team played at the Maryland SoccerPlex, but in 2019 it moved select games to Audi Field. In 2020, the Spirit began transitioning away from the SoccerPlex, playing four home games at each of three venues: the SoccerPlex, Audi Field, and Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia. Then in 2021, the team left the SoccerPlex entirely, splitting home games between Audi Field and Segra Field. Beginning in 2023, the team moved all of its home games to Audi Field. The team is one of the eight charter members of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), a professional league launched by the United States Soccer Federation in 2013. The Spirit won the 2021 NWSL Championship.

Since 2019, the area has been represented in the second tier of U.S. men's soccer, the USL Championship, by Loudoun United FC, owned and operated by D.C. United as their official reserve side. Loudoun United started play at Audi Field, moving to their permanent home of Segra Field during their first season.

Other information RFK Stadium has hosted two more MLS Cup championships. In 2000, the Kansas City Wizards (now known as Sporting Kansas City) won their first championship with a 1–0 win over the Chicago Fire. In the 2007 MLS Cup, the Houston Dynamo defeated the New England Revolution 2–1. RFK Memorial Stadium also served as a soccer venue in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 Summer Olympics. RFK also hosted games during the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. Northwest Stadium has also hosted several prominent soccer games, including six matches in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. In July 2011, a match between Manchester United and Barcelona at Northwest Stadium (then called FedExField) drew a crowd of 81,807, a record soccer attendance for the D.C. metropolitan area.Attendance Records, Largest Crowds in the United States,

On October 29, 2022, Audi Field hosted the 2022 NWSL Championship game between the Portland Thorns FC and the Kansas City Current.

DC United has hosted three MLS All-Star Games. It hosted the 2002 and 2004 games at RFK Stadium. The team hosted the 2023 MLS All-Star Game at Audi Field on July 19, 2023.

On December 5, 2025, the draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was held at the Kennedy Center in the city's Foggy Bottom neighborhood. During the World Cup, a portion of the National Mall was converted into a Fan Zone with a large screen from which viewers could watch live games.

American football

Historic teams In the early years of professional football, teams were focused mostly in the northeast of the US, with Philadelphia typically being the southern end of the highest professional circuit. However, Washington, D.C. had a very successful professional football team in the city during the early 1900s. The Washington Vigilants dominated the mid-Atlantic professional football landscape. From 1907 until 1914, they were an independent football team and were not affiliated with any league. During their existence, they played against several semi-professional and amateur football teams from Washington, D.C., including the Washington Potomacs, Washington Engineers, and Washington All-Stars. In the 1915 season, they were affiliated with the Ohio League, though the only team from that league they played against were the Youngstown Patricians. The team folded after the 1915 season.

The first professional football team in Washington, D.C. to compete in a country-wide football league were the Washington Senators. The team was founded in 1921, and played the 1921 season in the American Professional Football Association (APFA), which was renamed the National Football League (NFL) the next year. Following that one season, the team left the APFA and continued playing as an independent professional football team until 1941, when they folded. The team was also known as the Washington Pros and Washington Presidents during its existence. They practiced and played their home games at American League Park.

Current team

The NFL's Washington Commanders (known as the Washington Redskins until 2020 and the Washington Football Team from 2020 to 2021) have played professional football in the Washington, D.C. area since 1937, when the team moved from Boston, where it was founded in 1932. Believing the team would find greater financial success in the nation's capital, the team's owner, George Preston Marshall moved the team to Washington, where they played at Griffith Stadium until 1960. Upon arriving in Washington, the team found immediate success, winning the 1937 NFL Championship over the Chicago Bears, with a final score of 28-21. The Redskins were led by Sammy Baugh, who is widely considered to be one of the best and most important football players in the early years of the NFL. Baugh played multiple positions, including quarterback, defensive back, and punter. He was the first quarterback to popularize the forward pass, and threw the ball down field with greater success than any quarterback before. The Redskins lost the 1940 NFL Championship game 73-0 to the Bears, in what remains the most lopsided final score in NFL history. It is believed that the team performed so poorly in that game as a form of protest against the team's ownership. Sammy Baugh led the Redskins to their second championship in 1942 as well, defeating the Bears 14-6 in the championship game, which was played at Griffith Stadium in Washington. The Redskins lost the 1943 NFL Championship 41-21 to the Chicago Bears and lost the 1945 NFL Championship by a score of 15-14 to the Cleveland Rams.