Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area facts for kids

Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants (MLB)

Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors (NBA) and the Golden State Valkyries (WNBA)

Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers (NFL)

PayPal Park, home of the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) and Bay FC (NWSL)

SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks (NHL)

The San Francisco Bay Area is a super exciting place for sports! It's home to many professional teams, including six major league teams and two big women's teams. You can also find lots of other professional and college sports teams here, and the area often hosts major sports events.

Major League Sports Teams in the Bay Area

The table below shows the major league teams in the Bay Area:

Football Fun: The San Francisco 49ers

The Bay Area is home to the San Francisco 49ers, a team in the National Football League (NFL). They play their games at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. The 49ers have won five Super Bowl championships! They won in 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, and 1994.

The Bay Area also used to be home to the Oakland Raiders (from 1960–1981 and 1995–2019). The Raiders won two Super Bowl championships in 1976 and 1980. They moved to Las Vegas in 2020. The Bay Area has hosted the Super Bowl three times: Super Bowl XIX, Super Bowl 50, and Super Bowl LX.

Baseball Excitement: The San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are the Bay Area's Major League Baseball (MLB) team. They play at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The Giants have won eight World Series titles! Three of these wins were as the San Francisco Giants (in 2010, 2012, and 2014).

The 1989 World Series was special because it was between the Oakland Athletics and the Giants. It was called the "Earthquake Series" because a big earthquake happened on the day of Game 3!

The Oakland Athletics used to play at the Oakland Coliseum until 2024. They won nine World Series titles, with four of those wins happening while they were in Oakland (1972, 1973, 1974, and 1989). After the 2024 season, the Athletics moved to West Sacramento for a few years before their new stadium in Las Vegas is ready in 2028.

Basketball Action: The Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors basketball team moved back to San Francisco in 2019 when their new home, the Chase Center, opened. The Warriors originally started in Philadelphia, then moved to San Francisco in 1962, and later to Oakland in 1971. While in Oakland, they won four NBA Finals championships (1975, 2015, 2017, 2018). They won another championship in 2022 while playing in San Francisco.

A new women's basketball team, the Golden State Valkyries, will start playing at Chase Center in 2025 as part of the WNBA. The Bay Area has hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1967, 2000, and 2025.

Ice Hockey Thrills: The San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are the Bay Area's National Hockey League (NHL) team. They play at the SAP Center in San Jose. The Sharks started playing in 1991. They have won their division six times and even had the best regular season record in the league in 2009. In 2016, they made it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time! The Bay Area hosted the NHL All-Star Game in 1997 and 2019.

Before the Sharks, the Bay Area had another hockey team called the California Golden Seals. They played from 1967 to 1976.

Soccer Stars: The San Jose Earthquakes and Bay FC

The San Jose Earthquakes soccer team started playing in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996. They won the MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003. The team moved away for a few years but came back to San Jose in 2008. They now play at PayPal Park in San Jose. The Bay Area hosted the 2016 MLS All-Star Game.

In 2023, a new women's soccer team, Bay FC, was announced for the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They started playing in 2024 and also play their home games at PayPal Park.

The Bay Area was a host city for the 1994 FIFA World Cup and will also host games for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

1994 FIFA World Cup Matches

Stanford Stadium hosted six matches during the 1994 FIFA World Cup:

Date	Time (UTC−7)	Team #1	Result	Team #2	Round	Attendance
June 20, 1994	13:00	Brazil	2–0	Russia	Group B	81,061
June 24, 1994	13:00		3–0	Cameroon		83,401
June 26, 1994	13:00	Switzerland	0–2	Colombia	Group A	83,401
June 28, 1994	13:00	Russia	6–1	Cameroon	Group B	74,914
July 4, 1994	12:35	Brazil	1–0	United States	Round of 16	84,147
July 10, 1994	12:35	Romania	2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–5 pen.)	Sweden	Quarter-final	83,500

2026 FIFA World Cup Matches

Levi's Stadium is one of the stadiums chosen to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It will host six matches: five group stage games and one Round of 32 game.

Major League Professional Championships

Minor League Sports Teams

The Bay Area also has many professional minor league teams. These teams often help players get ready for the major leagues.

Minor League Baseball

The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team. They are a "farm team" for the San Francisco Giants, meaning they help develop players for the major league team. Many famous players like Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum played for the San Jose Giants before joining the San Francisco Giants.

The Oakland Ballers are a new minor league baseball team that started in 2024.

Minor League Soccer

Amateur men's soccer has been played in San Francisco since 1902. Over 40 teams play in different divisions. There are also many women's amateur soccer teams.

Some other soccer clubs include San Francisco City FC, San Francisco Glens SC, Project 51O (a reserve team for Oakland Roots SC), El Farolito, Napa Valley 1839 FC, and Sonoma County Sol.

Other Minor League Sports

The San Jose Barracuda are an ice hockey team that plays at Tech CU Arena. They are connected to the San Jose Sharks.

The Bay Area Panthers are an indoor football team that plays at the SAP Center.

College Sports in the Bay Area

The San Francisco Dons men's basketball team plays at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

The Bay Area is also a big place for college sports! Six universities here are part of NCAA Division I, which is the highest level of college sports.

Three schools have football teams: the California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal (who are big rivals and play in the Atlantic Coast Conference), and the San Jose State Spartans (who play in the Mountain West Conference). The "Big Game" between the Golden Bears and Cardinal is very famous, especially the 1982 game known as "The Play"!

Three other Division I schools do not have football teams: the San Francisco Dons, the Saint Mary's Gaels, and the Santa Clara Broncos. These three schools are also big rivals in other sports.

Here are some college teams with high attendance:

Other Cool Sports and Activities

The Bay Area is great for all kinds of sports and outdoor fun! It has many miles of bike paths, and places like the Embarcadero are popular for skateboarding. You can find public tennis courts in parks all over the city.

Water sports are also very popular on San Francisco Bay, including boating, sailing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing. There are several yacht clubs and marinas. Historic Aquatic Park is home to two swimming and rowing clubs where people swim in the cold bay waters every day!

The Bay Area also hosted the 2013 America's Cup sailing race. You can also find sports like mountain biking, triathlons (like the Alcatraz triathlon), and surfing at famous spots like Mavericks and Ocean Beach.

Esports: Gaming Teams in the Bay Area

The Bay Area is also home to professional video game teams! The San Francisco Shock is an esports team that plays Overwatch. They are two-time champions of the Overwatch League! The team plays some of its home matches in Berkeley and San Jose.

The League of Legends World Championship, a huge esports event, was held in San Francisco at Chase Center.

Recreation and Outdoor Fun

The 18th hole at the Olympic Club.

With its great weather, San Francisco offers many ways to enjoy sports and outdoor activities. There are over 200 miles of bike paths and routes. Golden Gate Park has miles of trails for running, plus a golf course and a disc golf course.

Boating, sailing, windsurfing, and kitesurfing are popular on San Francisco Bay. The city has yacht harbors and clubs like the St. Francis Yacht Club.

Stadiums and Arenas

Current Stadiums and Arenas

These are the main places where sports teams play in the Bay Area right now:

Former Stadiums and Arenas

These are some of the stadiums that used to host sports teams in the Bay Area:

Images for kids

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  Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors

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  Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers

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  Oakland Coliseum, former home of the Oakland Athletics and Oakland Raiders

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  Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants

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  SAP Center at San Jose, home of the San Jose Sharks and San Jose Barracuda

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  PayPal Park, home of the San Jose Earthquakes

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  California Memorial Stadium, home of the California Golden Bears football team

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  Stanford Stadium, home of the Stanford Cardinal football team

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  CEFCU Stadium, home of the San Jose State Spartans football team

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  Cow Palace, home of the former San Francisco Bulls