Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area facts for kids

The San Francisco Bay Area is a super exciting place for sports! It's home to big cities like San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose. This area has five major professional sports teams, plus a new women's team starting soon. You'll also find many other professional and college sports teams here, and it hosts lots of cool sports events.

Major League Teams

Here's a look at the major league teams in the Bay Area:

American Football Teams

The Bay Area is home to the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers. They play at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers have won five Super Bowl championships. They have also played in the Super Bowl three other times. The Bay Area has hosted the Super Bowl three times.

Baseball Teams

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

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

San Francisco was named the #1 best baseball city in America in 2012. This was based on how many Major League players came from the area since 1920. The Bay Area has also hosted the MLB All-Star Game four times.

Basketball Teams

The Golden State Warriors moved back to San Francisco in 2019. They now play at the new Chase Center. The Warriors 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. Their first championship after moving back to San Francisco was in 2022.

A new women's team, the Golden State Valkyries, will start playing in the WNBA at Chase Center in 2025. The Bay Area has hosted the NBA All-Star Game twice and will host it again in 2025.

Ice Hockey Teams

The San Jose Sharks are the Bay Area's National Hockey League team. They play at the SAP Center at San Jose. The Sharks started playing in 1991. They won their division six times and were the best team in the regular season in 2009. In 2016, they made it to their first Stanley Cup Finals. The Bay Area has hosted the NHL All-Star Game twice.

Soccer Teams

The San Jose Earthquakes started playing in Major League Soccer in 1996. They won the MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003. In 2005, the team moved to Houston, but the Earthquakes name and history stayed in San Jose. The team returned in 2008 and opened PayPal Park in 2015. The Bay Area hosted the 2016 MLS All-Star Game.

In 2023, the National Women's Soccer League announced a new team for the Bay Area. This team, called Bay FC, started playing in 2024 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	Fans
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 will be one of 16 places hosting matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It's one of eleven US venues and one of two in California. For the event, the stadium will be called "San Francisco Bay Area Stadium." It will host six matches: five group stage games and one Round of 32 game.

Major League Championships Won

Here are the major league championships won by teams that have played in the Bay Area:

Minor League Teams

The Bay Area also has many professional minor league sports 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.

The Oakland Ballers are a new minor league baseball team that started in 2024. They were created after the Oakland Athletics moved.

Minor League Soccer

There are several soccer teams in the Bay Area that play in different leagues. The Oakland Roots SC play in the USL Championship. Other teams like San Francisco City FC, San Francisco Glens SC, and Project 51O play in USL League Two. Amateur soccer leagues also have many teams playing across the Bay Area.

Other Minor League Sports

The San Jose Barracuda are an ice hockey team that plays in the American Hockey League. They are linked to the San Jose Sharks. The Barracuda now play their games at the new Tech CU Arena.

The Bay Area Panthers play indoor football in the Indoor Football League.

College Sports

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 for college sports.

Three of these schools have football teams:

• The California Golden Bears
• The Stanford Cardinal
• The San Jose State Spartans

The Golden Bears and Cardinal have a big rivalry game each year called the "Big Game". One of the most famous moments in college football history, "The Play", happened during this rivalry in 1982.

The other three Division I schools do not have football teams:

• The San Francisco Dons
• The Saint Mary's Gaels
• The Santa Clara Broncos

These three schools are also big rivals, especially in basketball.

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

Here are some college teams in the Bay Area that have a lot of fans at their games:

Other Sports and Activities

The Bay Area is great for all kinds of sports and outdoor fun! The weather is perfect for activities like mountain biking, triathlons, and team handball. It's also famous for skateboarding and surfing at spots like Mavericks and Ocean Beach.

TPC Stonebrae is a private golf club that hosts a professional golf tournament each year.

There are also teams for unique sports like Ultimate Disc. The San Francisco FlameThrowers won a championship in 2017, and the Oakland Spiders won championships in 2014 and 2015.

Esports (Video Game Sports)

The Bay Area is also a big place for esports, which are competitive video game tournaments. The San Francisco Shock is a professional Overwatch esports team. They have won the Overwatch League Grand Finals twice! They play their 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.

San Francisco's great weather means lots of chances for outdoor sports and fun. The city has over 200 miles of bike paths and routes. Places like the Embarcadero and Marina Green are popular for skateboarding. You can find many public tennis courts in Golden Gate Park and other neighborhoods.

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

At Aquatic Park, you'll find two swimming and rowing clubs. Members of the South End Rowing Club and the Dolphin Club often swim in the cold bay waters every day!

Stadiums and Arenas

Current Venues

These are the main stadiums and arenas where sports teams play in the Bay Area right now:

Former Venues

Here is a stadium that used to host Bay Area sports teams:

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

See also

• Sports in Los Angeles
• Sports in San Diego