The San Francisco Bay Area hosts five major professional men's sports franchises, two major professional women's franchises, as well as several other professional and college sports teams, and hosts for other sports events.
Major professional sports teams
TeamSportBay Area sinceLeagueVenueCityAverage attendance San Francisco 49ers American football 1946 NFL Levi's StadiumSanta Clara 70,799 San Francisco Giants Baseball 1958 MLB Oracle Park San Francisco 41,677 San Francisco Firebells 2026 WPBL Golden State Valkyries Basketball 2025 WNBA Chase Center 18,064 Golden State Warriors 1962 NBA 18,064 San Francisco Unicorns Cricket 2023 MLC Oakland Coliseum Oakland 12,000 San Jose SharksIce hockey 1991 NHLSAP Center San Jose 16,747 PWHL San Jose 2026 PWHL TBD Bay FC Soccer 2024 NWSL PayPal Park 13,617 San Jose Earthquakes 1996 MLS 20,979
American football The Bay Area is home to the National Football League (NFL)'s San Francisco 49ers, who play at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The team previously played at Candlestick Park (1971–2013) and Kezar Stadium (1946–1970) in San Francisco. The 49ers have won five Super Bowl championships: 1981 (XVI), 1984 (XIX), 1988 (XXIII), 1989 (XXIV), and 1994 (XXIX);
The Bay Area was previously home to the NFL's Oakland Raiders from 1960–1981, and later 1995–2019. The Raiders won two Super Bowl championships while in Oakland: 1976 (XI) and 1980 (XV). The team played at Kezar Stadium, Candlestick Park, and Frank Youell Field before moving into the Oakland Coliseum in 1966 and played there for the rest of their tenure. In 1982, the Raiders relocated to Los Angeles where they played until 1994. In 2020, the Raiders relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Bay Area hosted Super Bowl XIX, Super Bowl 50, and Super Bowl LX.
Baseball The Bay Area is home of a Major League Baseball team, the San Francisco Giants who play at Oracle Park and have won eight World Series titles (three as the San Francisco Giants (2010, 2012, and 2014) and five as the New York Giants).
San Francisco was ranked #1 in 2012 among America's Best Baseball cities. The study examined which U.S. metro areas have produced the most Major Leaguers since 1920.
The Bay Area was previously home of another MLB team, the Oakland Athletics. They played at the Oakland Coliseum from 1968 to 2024, and won nine World Series titles (four as the Oakland Athletics, (1972, 1973, 1974, and 1989) and five as the Philadelphia Athletics). Like the Raiders, the team will permanently relocate to Las Vegas. After the 2024 season concluded, the Oakland Athletics moved to Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, where they are temporarily playing as simply the Athletics, without a city, state, or region in their name, until their new ballpark in Las Vegas is completed in January 2028. The Athletics had previously relocated to Oakland from Kansas City in 1967.
The 1989 World Series was known as the "Bay Bridge Series" and the "Battle of the Bay", as the Athletics and Giants played against each other, with the Athletics sweeping the Giants in a 4-game series. However, the series is also known as the "Earthquake Series" because the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake struck on the day of Game 3.
The Bay Area has hosted the 1961, 1984, 1987, and 2007 All Star Games.
The city is also home to San Francisco Firebells of the Women's Professional Baseball League.
Basketball The Golden State Warriors returned to San Francisco beginning with the 2019–20 NBA season when the new Chase Center opened in the Mission Bay district. Originally, the Warriors played in Philadelphia, but relocated to San Francisco in 1962 and then to Oakland in 1971. During their days in Oakland, the Warriors won four NBA Finals (1975, 2015, 2017, 2018). Their first ever championship while based in the San Francisco limits came in 2022.
The expansion Golden State Valkyries of the WNBA started play at Chase Center in 2025.
The Bay Area has hosted the 1967, 2000, and 2025 NBA All-Star Games.
Ice hockey San Jose hosts the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League and PWHL San Jose of the Professional Women's Hockey League with both playing at the SAP Center at San Jose. The Sharks began play in 1991, playing their first two seasons at the Cow Palace before moving to their current home in 1993. They have been Pacific Division champions six times, as well as having won the Presidents' Trophy for the best regular season record in the league in 2009, and the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl as the Western Conference champions in 2016. Though the Sharks have yet to win a Stanley Cup, they made their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2016. The Bay Area hosted the 1997 and 2019 All Star Games. PWHL San Jose began play in 2026.
Before the Sharks, the Bay Area had the California Golden Seals, who had been previously named the California Seals and the Oakland Seals. The Seals came into existence in the 1967 NHL expansion. The Seals played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena (now Oracle Arena). The Seals later became the Cleveland Barons in 1976 and then merged with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978 (who in turn later became the Dallas Stars). The Golden Seals/Barons franchise is notable as the last franchise in North America's four major leagues to permanently cease operations.
Soccer
Beginning in 1996, the San Jose Earthquakes, then known as the San Jose Clash, competed in Major League Soccer, and became the Earthquakes in 1999. The Quakes won MLS Cup 2001 against the Los Angeles Galaxy 2–1, as well as MLS Cup 2003 against the Chicago Fire 4–2. The Quakes then moved to Houston in 2005, and became the Houston Dynamo, but in a fashion similar to the Cleveland Browns move, the Earthquakes name and history stayed in San Jose for a future team. In 2008, the current incarnation of the Earthquakes made its return and subsequently played seven seasons at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara. In March 2015, the Earthquakes opened Avaya Stadium, now known as PayPal Park, across from San Jose International Airport. The Bay Area hosted the 2016 MLS All-Star Game. PayPal Park will host eight soccer matches during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
In April 2023, the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of the women's game in the US, announced that it had awarded a new Bay Area franchise that began play in 2024. The team revealed its identity as Bay FC on June 1, and announced on July 21 that it would play its home games at PayPal Park.
The Bay Area was a host of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and later served as one of eleven US hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
1994 FIFA World Cup Stanford Stadium hosted a total of six matches during the 1994 FIFA World Cup:
DateTime (UTC−7)Team #1ResultTeam #2RoundAttendanceJune 20, 199413:00 2–0 Group B81,061June 24, 199413:003–0 83,401June 26, 199413:00 0–2 Group A83,401June 28, 199413:00 6–1 Group B74,914July 4, 199412:351–0 Round of 1684,147July 10, 199412:352–2 (a.e.t.)(4–5 pen.)Quarter-final83,500
2026 FIFA World Cup
Levi's Stadium was one of 16 venues which hosted matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It was one of eleven US venues for the tournament and was also one of two venues in California which hosted matches, the other being SoFi Stadium in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood. During the event, the stadium was temporarily renamed to "San Francisco Bay Area Stadium" in accordance with FIFA's policy on corporate-sponsored names. The stadium hosted six matches: five group stage matches and one Round of 32 match, which included the United States, which advanced to the Round of 16.
DateTime (UTC−7)Team #1Res.Team #2RoundAttendanceJune 13, 2026 12:001–1Group B67,966June 16, 2026 21:003–1Group J68,527June 19, 2026 20:000–1Group D68,827June 22, 2026 20:001–2Group J68,371June 25, 2026 19:000–0Group D68,827July 1, 2026 17:002–0Round of 3268,827
Cricket
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to the San Francisco Unicorns of Major League Cricket. They play their home games at the Oakland Coliseum.
Major professional sports team championships
Oakland Athletics (MLB) 4 World Series titles
1972 1973 1974 1989
San Francisco Giants (MLB) 3 World Series titles
2010 2012 2014
San Francisco 49ers (NFL) 5 Super Bowl titles
1981 (XVI) 1984 (XIX) 1988 (XXIII) 1989 (XXIV) 1994 (XXIX)
Oakland Raiders (NFL) 2 Super Bowl titles
1976 (XI) 1980 (XV)
Golden State Warriors (NBA) 5 NBA Finals titles
1975 2015 2017 2018 2022
Oakland Oaks (ABA) 1 ABA Finals title
1969
Oakland Clippers (NASL) 1 NASL Final title
1967
San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) 2 MLS Cup titles
2001 2003
Minor league teams
+ Minor league professional teams Team Sport League VenueOakland Ballers Baseball Minor League Baseball (Pioneer League) Raimondi ParkEast Bay BlazersCricketMinor League CricketMorgan Hills Sports ComplexSilicon Valley StrikersCricketMinor League CricketMorgan Hills Sports Complex San Jose Barracuda Ice hockey American Hockey League Tech CU Arena Oakland Roots SC Soccer USL Championship Oakland ColiseumSan Jose Earthquakes IISoccerMLS Next ProPayPal Park, other venues Bay Area Panthers Indoor Football Indoor Football League SAP Center San Jose Giants Baseball California League San Jose Municipal Stadium
Baseball The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team in the California League. They've been a farm team of the San Francisco Giants since 1988 and have played continuously since 1962 under several different names and affiliations. The San Jose Giants have developed more than 190 major league players, including current and former San Francisco Giants such as Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Pablo Sandoval, and Madison Bumgarner.
The Oakland Ballers are a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League that was created in 2024 as a response to the Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas.
In the Bay Area Collegiate League, Palo Alto is home to the Palo Alto Oaks, the oldest continuously operated, wood-bat, baseball team in the Bay Area. The Oaks played their inaugural season in 1950, making 2018 their 69th consecutive season of baseball. They are joined by seven other teams in the Bay Area: Alameda Merchants, Burlingame Bucks, San Carlos Salty Dogs, San Mateo Rounders, Solano Mudcats, Walnut Creek Crawdags, and the West Coast Kings.
Soccer Amateur men's soccer has been played in San Francisco since 1902 through the San Francisco Soccer Football League. Over 40 teams in 4 divisions play throughout the city between March and November. Premier Division games are played at the 3,500-seat Boxer Stadium. Amateur women's soccer is played on over 30 teams in the Golden Gate Women's Soccer League.
Supporter-owned San Francisco City FC, founded in 2001 as part of the SFSFL, has played in USL League Two since 2016.
San Francisco Glens SC, commonly known as SF Glens, is an American soccer club based in San Francisco that was founded in 1961. Their first team currently competes in USL League Two.
Project 51O is a soccer club from Oakland, California, competing in the Southwest Division of USL League Two. They are the reserve club of USL Championship club Oakland Roots SC.
El Farolito is an amateur soccer club based out of San Francisco, California. It currently plays in the National Premier Soccer League.
Napa Valley 1839 FC is a men's soccer club based in Napa, California. It competes in the NPSL Golden Gate Conference. The club's colors are green and white.
Sonoma County Sol is an American soccer team based in Santa Rosa, California, United States. Founded in 2004, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League
Other sports
In 2015, the Sharks American Hockey League affiliate team, the Worcester Sharks, became the San Jose Barracuda and share the SAP Center at San Jose until the 2021–2022 season. The San Jose Barracuda now play their home games at the sparkling new Tech CU Arena next to the San Jose Municipal Stadium and adjacent to San Jose State CEFCU Stadium.