Sports in California
has 19 major professional sports franchises, far more than any other US state. The Greater Los Angeles Area has ten major league teams. The San Francisco Bay Area has five major league teams spread amongst three cities: San Francisco, San Jose and Santa Clara. As of 2025, San Diego and Sacramento each host two major league teams.
California is home to some of most successful collegiate sports teams in the country. Among the list of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships the Stanford Cardinal, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans and California Golden Bears rank #1, #2, #3 and #10 on the list by teams with the most titles, and #1, #4, #2, and #7 by most individual titles, respectively.
It is the only U.S. state to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Los Angeles hosted the 1932 and 1984 summer games, and will host the 2028 Summer Olympics. The 1960 Winter Olympics was held at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort in the Lake Tahoe region.
Major league professional teams
Current teams
- Major League Baseball
- *Athletics – based in Sacramento; set to move out of state to Las Vegas in 2028 or 2029
- *Los Angeles Angels - based in Anaheim
- *Los Angeles Dodgers
- *San Diego Padres
- *San Francisco Giants
- National Basketball Association
- *Golden State Warriors - based in San Francisco
- *Los Angeles Clippers – based in Inglewood
- *Los Angeles Lakers
- *Sacramento Kings
- National Football League
- *Los Angeles Chargers – plays in Inglewood; headquarters in El Segundo
- *Los Angeles Rams – plays in Inglewood; headquarters in Agoura Hills
- *San Francisco 49ers – plays in Santa Clara; headquarters also in Santa Clara
- National Hockey League
- *Anaheim Ducks
- *Los Angeles Kings
- *San Jose Sharks
- Major League Soccer
- *LA Galaxy – based in Carson
- *Los Angeles FC
- *San Diego FC
- *San Jose Earthquakes
- Women's National Basketball Association
- *Golden State Valkyries
- *Los Angeles Sparks
Former teams
- Major League Baseball
- * Oakland Athletics
- National Basketball Association
- * San Diego Rockets
- * San Diego Clippers
- National Football League
- * Oakland Raiders
- * Los Angeles Raiders
- * San Diego Chargers
- National Hockey League
- * California Golden Seals
- Major League Soccer
- * Chivas USA
- American Basketball Association
- * Oakland Oaks
- * Anaheim Amigos / Los Angeles Stars
- * San Diego Conquistadors
- North American Soccer League
- * Oakland Clippers
- * San Jose Earthquakes
- * Los Angeles Wolves
- * Los Angeles Aztecs
- * California Surf
- * San Diego Toros
- * San Diego Jaws
- * San Diego Sockers
Major league professional championships
San Francisco Bay Area
Oakland Athletics (MLB)
4 World Series titlesSan Francisco Giants (MLB)
3 World Series titlesSan Francisco 49ers (NFL)
5 Super Bowl titlesOakland Raiders (NFL)
2 Super Bowl titlesGolden State Warriors (NBA)
5 NBA Finals titlesOakland Oaks (ABA)
1 ABA Finals titleOakland Clippers (NASL)
1 NASL Final titleSan Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
2 MLS Cup titlesGreater Los Angeles
Los Angeles Rams (NFL)
1 NFL championship1 Super Bowl title
Los Angeles Raiders (NFL)
1 Super Bowl titleLos Angeles Wolves (NASL)
1 NASL Final titleLos Angeles Aztecs (NASL)
1 NASL Final titleLos Angeles Galaxy (MLS)
6 MLS Cup titlesLos Angeles FC (MLS)
1 MLS Cup titleLos Angeles Dodgers (MLB)
8 World Series titlesAnaheim / Los Angeles Angels (MLB)
1 World Series titlesLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
12 NBA Finals titlesLos Angeles Kings (NHL)
2 Stanley Cup titlesAnaheim Ducks (NHL)
1 Stanley Cup titleLos Angeles Sparks (WNBA)
3 WNBA Finals titlesSan Diego
San Diego Chargers (NFL)
1 AFL championshipOther professional teams
- Premier Lacrosse League
- *California Redwoods (PLL)
- Women's National Basketball Association
- *Los Angeles Sparks
- *Golden State Valkyries – based in San FranciscoNational Women's Soccer League
- * Angel City FC – based in Los Angeles
- * San Diego Wave FC
- * Bay FC – based in San Jose
Pro Football
California has produced the most Super Bowl winning Head Coaches in the history of the NFL, whether born or raised in the state. Collecively, California Head Coaches have accounted for 17 Super Bowl wins. In chronological order of first Super Bowl win: John Madden, Tom Flores, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, George Seifert, Mike Holmgren, Dick Vermeil, Brian Billick, Sean Payton, Pete Carroll, Andy Reid.College sports
Home to some of most prominent universities in the United States, California has long had many respected collegiate sports programs, in particular the University of Southern California, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, Stanford University, all of which were members of the Pac-12 Conference until the 2023–24 academic year. In 2024, USC and UCLA joined the Big Ten Conference, while California and Stanford joined the Atlantic Coast Conference. They are often nationally ranked in the various sports and dominate media coverage of college sports in the state. In addition, those Universities boast the highest academic standards of all major college programs. All 4 schools are ranked, academically, in the top 30 nationally with either Cal or UCLA ranked as the #1 public university in the country and Stanford as the highest academically ranked Division 1A university in the country.California is also home to the oldest college bowl game, the annual Rose Bowl, as well as the Holiday Bowl and San Francisco Bowl. A second San Diego game, the Poinsettia Bowl, was discontinued after the 2016 season.
According to the list of American universities with Olympic medalist students and alumni the top 4 universities on the list are, #1 USC Trojans, #2 Stanford Cardinal, #3 UCLA Bruins, and #4 Cal Berkeley Golden Bears. Also on the list of top 50 universities are, #27 Long Beach State Beach and #38 UC Irvine Anteaters. Referencing a differing source, OlympStats, the all-time total number of Olympic athletes from California universities was nearly triple the amount from the next state, New York. The medal count was even more impressive, with California accounting for more than 4 times the Gold medal count than the next state, Texas.
File:Qualcomm Interior.jpg|thumb|Interior of then-Qualcomm Stadium before a SDSU Aztecs football game. The Fresno State–San Diego State football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Fresno State Bulldogs football team of California State University, Fresno and San Diego State Aztecs football team of San Diego State University. Both schools are members of the Mountain West Conference. The winner of the game receives the "Old Oil Can" trophy
The Great Heisman State
California has produced more Heisman Trophy winners than any other state.Trivia
- Sixteen winners were born in and played high school football in the Golden State.
- Mater Dei High School has produced 3 Heisman winners; more than any other high school in the country.
- Seven winners played collegiately at USC and one each at UCLA, Stanford, Army, Texas, Colorado, Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama, and LSU.
- Until 2022 winner Caleb Williams of the University of Southern California, who attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington D.C., every winner from a California-based university was born in and played high school football in California.
List of winners
- 1945 Glenn Davis attended Bonita High School in La Verne won the Heisman at United States Military Academy
- 1964 John Huarte attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana won the Heisman at University of Notre Dame
- 1965 Mike Garrett attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles won the Heisman at University of Southern California
- 1967 Gary Beban attended Sequoia High School in Redwood City won the Heisman at University of California Los Angeles
- 1968 O. J. Simpson attended Galileo Academy of Science and Technology in San Francisco won the Heisman at University of Southern California
- 1970 Jim Plunkett attended James Lick High School in San Jose won the Heisman at Stanford University
- 1979 Charles White attended San Fernando High School in San Fernando won the Heisman at University of Southern California
- 1981 Marcus Allen attended Abraham Lincoln High School (San Diego, California) in San Diego won the Heisman at University of Southern California
- 1992 Gino Torretta attended Pinole Valley High School in Pinole won the Heisman at University of Miami
- 1994 Rashaan Salaam attended La Jolla Country Day School in La Jolla won the Heisman at University of Colorado
- 1998 Ricky Antwan Williams attended Patrick Henry High School in San Diego won the Heisman at University of Texas
- 2002 Carson Palmer attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita won the Heisman at University of Southern California
- 2004 Matt Leinart attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana won the Heisman at University of Southern California
- 2005 Reggie Bush attended Helix High School in La Mesa won the Heisman at University of Southern California - Heisman Trophy vacated in 2010 and reinstated in 2024
- 2021 Bryce Young attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana won the Heisman at University of Alabama
- 2023 Jayden Daniels attended Cajon High School in San Bernardino won the Heisman at Louisiana State University
NCAA Division I members
The following California universities are members of NCAA Division I.International sports events
has hosted the Olympic Games three times. Los Angeles, the largest city in the state, hosted both the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics. Squaw Valley, California hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics. Los Angeles and San Francisco were in the race for the United States Olympic Committee nomination to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, but eventually lost to Chicago. Los Angeles will host the Olympic Games for a third time in 2028.Besides the Olympics, California has also hosted several major international soccer events:
- Two of the venues for the 1994 FIFA World Cup were in the state—Stanford Stadium at Stanford University, with San Francisco serving as the official host city, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, with Los Angeles as the host city. The Rose Bowl hosted the final, won by Brazil in a penalty shootout with Italy.
- Both stadiums were also used for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, along with Spartan Stadium in San Jose. The Rose Bowl again hosted the final, in which a crowd of over 90,000—the largest to witness a women's sporting event for more than 20 years—saw the USA defeat China in another penalty shootout, capped off by Brandi Chastain's famous shirt-stripping moment.
- The 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup used one California venue, The Home Depot Center in Carson. It hosted the final of that competition, won by Germany over Sweden.
- The Rose Bowl and Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara hosted matches in the Copa América Centenario, which celebrated the 100th anniversary of South America's international competition and was hosted by the U.S. in 2016.
- During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, SoFi Stadium and Levi's Stadium will host matches, making California one of two US states to have two venues hosting matches during the tournament; the other state being Texas.
Local sports
Most city municipals house a variety of sports activities. The available sports are typically listed on their city websites. Additionally, there are a variety of activities listed on FindSportsNow's California database.Motorsports
California has also long been a hub for motorsports and auto racing. The city of Long Beach, as part of the IndyCar Series, hosts the Long Beach Grand Prix every year in the month of April. The race that take place in the streets of downtown Long Beach is the longest running major street race held in North America. Long Beach has hosted Formula One events there in the past, and also currently hosts an event on the United SportsCar Championship schedule.Auto Club Speedway was a speedway in Fontana and had hosted NASCAR Cup Series racing along with the 2nd-tier Xfinity Series annually. Sonoma Raceway is a multi-purpose facility outside Sonoma, featuring a road course and a drag strip. Different versions of the road course are home to a NASCAR event and an IndyCar event. The drag strip hosts a yearly NHRA event. Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a road course near Monterey that currently hosts an ALMS event, a round of the Rolex Sports Car Series and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. The Auto Club Raceway at Pomona has hosted NHRA drag racing for over 50 years.
The NASCAR Cup Series currently holds two races in California, previously at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, and currently at Sonoma Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway. Beginning in 2022, an exhibition race
has been held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on a temporary oval at the beginning of the Cup Series season. The IndyCar Series competes every April in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, through the streets of downtown Long Beach. IndyCar also holds an event at Sonoma in the summer. The NHRA Drag Racing Series holds three national events in California, as well; two at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona and at the aforementioned Sonoma Raceway.
Notable off-road courses include Lake Elsinore Motorsports Park, Glen Helen Raceway and Prairie City State Park. Also, the AMA Supercross Series holds several events in stadiums at Californian cities such as Anaheim, Oakland, and San Diego.
Golf
California has several notable golf courses, like Cypress Point Club, Olympic Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Riviera Country Club – Pacific Palisades, California and Torrey Pines Golf Course. Notable tournaments include the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Northern Trust Open, Farmers Insurance Open.Notable Californian golfers include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Johnny Miller, Gene Littler, Collin Morikawa, Amy Alcott, Paula Creamer, Juli Inkster, and Xander Schauffele.
Horse racing
Horse racing is regulated by the California Horse Racing Board. Notable racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Del Mar Fairgrounds, Los Alamitos, Golden Gate Fields and Pleasanton Fairgrounds. Notable races include the Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita Handicap, Pacific Classic Stakes and Champion of Champions.Former racetracks include Bay Meadows, Fairplex Race Track and Hollywood Park.
Mixed Martial Arts
California is widely regarded as the "mecca of MMA" for being the birthplace of the UFC, Strikeforce MMA, the WEC, among other prominent MMA promotion orgs, and also for the quality and quantity of MMA fighters born or bred there. Bruce Lee, a California native, is considered one of the pioneering figures in the development of MMA.Not only is California a hotbed for producing native-born MMA fighters, but it also draws many elite athletes from around the world with level of training/gyms. California is home to many of the most successful and historic professional MMA gyms: AKA, Alliance MMA, Team Alpha Male, Black House (MMA), Kings MMA, Lion's Den, RVCA Training Center, Skrap Pack-Cesar Gracie Fight Team.
Countless of Champions in the sport of MMA are California born or bred, or have their fight training in California.
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is a sport heavily associated with California as it is the place where the sport started. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk was born in Carlsbad, California in 1968 and was involved in many bowl riding and vert competitions there.Others
The California State Games, a statewide Olympics-like sport event, take place in California every year. The United States Olympic Committee governs this event.Cricket is growing in California due to the growth of the South Asian community, with one team from the state playing in Major League Cricket.
Northern California–Southern California rivalry
Most of the teams from Northern California and Southern California are involved in intrastate rivalries. There are particularly strong rivalries between the Bay Area and SoCal teams, even extending to college teams.Baseball
Football
Basketball
Hockey
NCAA Football
Soccer
Former:Regional Rivalries
Various rivalries involved two teams from specific metro areas in either Northern or Southern California.Southern California
- Freeway Series
- Freeway Face-Off
- Lakers–Clippers rivalry
- Chargers–Rams rivalry
- El Tráfico
- UCLA–USC rivalry
Former: