Major professional sports teams of the United States and Canada explained

This article is a list of teams that play in the major professional leagues in the United States and Canada: Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), and the Canadian Football League (CFL),

Est. represents the first year the team played in its current media market. For brevity, only the most recent names for teams that have had multiple nicknames in their current media market are listed. Future expansion teams whose inaugural seasons are confirmed are also included in this list.

Overview of American and Canadian professional sports teams

Team	Venue	City	State/Province	League		Franchise notes	Ref
Anaheim Ducks	Honda Center	Anaheim	California	NHL	1993		^[1]
Arizona Cardinals	State Farm Stadium	Glendale	Arizona	NFL	1988	Previously the Chicago Cardinals (1920–1959) and St. Louis Cardinals (1960–1987).
Arizona Diamondbacks	Chase Field	Phoenix		MLB	1998
Atlanta Braves	Truist Park	Cumberland	Georgia	MLB	1966	Previously the Boston Braves (1871–1952) and Milwaukee Braves (1953–1965).
Atlanta Falcons	Mercedes-Benz Stadium	Atlanta		NFL	1966
Atlanta Hawks	State Farm Arena			NBA	1968	Previously the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1949–1951), Milwaukee Hawks (1951–1955) and St. Louis Hawks (1955–1968).
Atlanta United FC	Mercedes-Benz Stadium			MLS	2017
Austin FC	Q2 Stadium	Austin	Texas		2021	Expansion team that began play in 2021.
Baltimore Orioles	Oriole Park at Camden Yards	Baltimore	Maryland	MLB	1954	Previously the Milwaukee Brewers (1901) and St. Louis Browns (1902–1953).
Baltimore Ravens	M&T Bank Stadium			NFL	1996	The Baltimore Ravens were created from the corporate structure of the previous season's Cleveland Browns. The NFL considers the Ravens to have been an expansion franchise. See also Cleveland Browns relocation controversy.
BC Lions	BC Place	Vancouver	British Columbia	CFL	1954		^[2]
Boston Bruins	TD Garden	Boston	Massachusetts	NHL	1924
Boston Celtics	NBA			1946
Boston Red Sox	Fenway Park			MLB	1901
Brooklyn Nets	Barclays Center	New York City	New York	NBA	1967	Previously known as the New Jersey Americans (1967–1968), New York Nets (1968–1977) and New Jersey Nets (1977–2012).
Buffalo Bills	Highmark Stadium	Orchard Park		NFL	1960
Buffalo Sabres	KeyBank Center	Buffalo		NHL	1970
Calgary Flames	Scotiabank Saddledome	Calgary	Alberta		1980	Previously the Atlanta Flames (1972–1980).	^[3]
Calgary Stampeders	McMahon Stadium			CFL	1945		^[4]
Carolina Hurricanes	PNC Arena	Raleigh	North Carolina	NHL	1997	Previously the Hartford Whalers (1972–1997).
Carolina Panthers	Bank of America Stadium	Charlotte		NFL	1995
Charlotte FC				MLS	2022	Expansion team that began play in 2022.
Charlotte Hornets	Spectrum Center			NBA	2004	As part of a collaboration between this franchise, the New Orleans Pelicans and the NBA, the history of the original Charlotte Hornets (1988–2002) and the history of the Charlotte Bobcats are considered part of the history of the current Hornets franchise.	^[5]
Chicago Bears	Soldier Field	Chicago	Illinois	NFL	1921	Previously the Decatur Staleys (1920).
Chicago Blackhawks	United Center	NHL	1926
Chicago Bulls	NBA	1966
Chicago Cubs	Wrigley Field	MLB	1870
Chicago Fire FC	Soldier Field	MLS	1997
Chicago White Sox	Guaranteed Rate Field	MLB	1901
Cincinnati Bengals	Paycor Stadium	Cincinnati	Ohio	NFL	1968
FC Cincinnati	TQL Stadium			MLS	2019
Cincinnati Reds	Great American Ball Park			MLB	1882
Cleveland Browns	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Cleveland		NFL	1946	In 1996, the Browns corporate structure was transferred to Baltimore, Maryland, to become the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL considers the Browns to have been inactive from 1996 until the reestablishment of football in Cleveland in the 1999 NFL season. See also Cleveland Browns relocation controversy.
Cleveland Cavaliers	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse			NBA	1970
Cleveland Guardians	Progressive Field			MLB	1901	Previously the Cleveland Indians (1915–2021). Club announced on December 14, 2020 that it would change the name "Indians" amidst the controversy surrounding it. The new team name "Guardians" was officially announced on July 23, 2021.	^[6] ^[7]
Colorado Avalanche	Ball Arena	Denver	Colorado	NHL	1995	Previously the Quebec Nordiques (1972–1995).
Colorado Rapids	Dick's Sporting Goods Park	Commerce City		MLS	1996
Colorado Rockies	Coors Field	Denver		MLB	1993
Columbus Blue Jackets	Nationwide Arena	Columbus	Ohio	NHL	2000
Columbus Crew SC	Lower.com Field			MLS	1996
Dallas Cowboys	AT&T Stadium	Arlington	Texas	NFL	1960
FC Dallas	Toyota Stadium	Frisco		MLS	1996
Dallas Mavericks	American Airlines Center	Dallas		NBA	1980
Dallas Stars	NHL			1993	Previously the Minnesota North Stars (1967–1993).
D.C. United	Audi Field	Washington	District of Columbia	MLS	1996
Denver Broncos	Empower Field at Mile High	Denver	Colorado	NFL	1960
Denver Nuggets	Ball Arena			NBA	1967
Detroit Lions	Ford Field	Detroit	Michigan	NFL	1934	Previously the Portsmouth Spartans (1928–1933).
Detroit Pistons	Little Caesars Arena			NBA	1957	Previously the Fort Wayne Pistons (1948–1957).
Detroit Red Wings	NHL			1926
Detroit Tigers	Comerica Park			MLB	1901
Edmonton Elks	Commonwealth Stadium	Edmonton	Alberta	CFL	1949	Previously the Edmonton Eskimos (1949–2019). Club announced on July 21, 2020 it had retired its "Eskimos" name amid the controversy over it. In 2021, the club officially changed its name to the Elks.	^[8] ^[9] ^[10]
Edmonton Oilers	Rogers Place			NHL	1972
Florida Panthers	Amerant Bank Arena	Sunrise	Florida		1993
Golden State Warriors	Chase Center	San Francisco	California	NBA	1962	Previously the Philadelphia Warriors (1946–1962).
Green Bay Packers	Lambeau Field	Green Bay	Wisconsin	NFL	1919
Hamilton Tiger-Cats	Tim Hortons Field	Hamilton	Ontario	CFL	1950	Formed by the merger of the Hamilton Tigers (1869) and Hamilton Wildcats (1941).
Houston Astros	Minute Maid Park	Houston	Texas	MLB	1962	Competed in the National League from 1962 to 2012 and currently in the American League from 2013 to the present.
Houston Dynamo FC	Shell Energy Stadium			MLS	2006	Formed from the roster of the San Jose Earthquakes, which went on hiatus.
Houston Rockets	Toyota Center			NBA	1971	Previously the San Diego Rockets (1967–1971).
Houston Texans	NRG Stadium			NFL	2002
Indiana Pacers	Gainbridge Fieldhouse	Indianapolis	Indiana	NBA	1967
Indianapolis Colts	Lucas Oil Stadium			NFL	1984	Previously the Baltimore Colts (1953–1983). See also Baltimore Colts relocation to Indianapolis.
Jacksonville Jaguars	EverBank Stadium	Jacksonville	Florida		1995
Kansas City Chiefs	Arrowhead Stadium	Kansas City	Missouri	NFL	1963	Previously the Dallas Texans (1960–1962).
Kansas City Royals	Kauffman Stadium			MLB	1969
Sporting Kansas City	Children's Mercy Park	Kansas City	Kansas		MLS	1996	Played in Kansas City, Missouri 1996–2008.
LA Galaxy	Dignity Health Sports Park	Carson	California	MLS	1996
Las Vegas Raiders	Allegiant Stadium	Paradise	Nevada	NFL	2020	Previously the Oakland Raiders (1960–1982 and 1995–2019) and Los Angeles Raiders (1982–1994). See also Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas.
Los Angeles Angels	Angel Stadium	Anaheim	California	MLB	1961	Previously known as the California Angels from 1965 to 1996 and the Anaheim Angels from 1997 to 2004.
Los Angeles Chargers	SoFi Stadium	Inglewood		NFL	2017	Played inaugural 1960 season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego, where they played as the San Diego Chargers from 1961–2016.
Los Angeles Clippers	Intuit Dome	Los Angeles		NBA	1984	Previously the Buffalo Braves (1970–1978) and San Diego Clippers (1978–1984).
Los Angeles Dodgers	Dodger Stadium			MLB	1958	Previously the Brooklyn Dodgers (1884–1957).
Los Angeles FC	BMO Stadium			MLS	2018
Los Angeles Kings	Crypto.com Arena			NHL	1967
Los Angeles Lakers	NBA			1960	Previously the Minneapolis Lakers (1948–1960).
Los Angeles Rams	SoFi Stadium	Inglewood		NFL	2016	Previously the Cleveland Rams (1937–1945) and St. Louis Rams (1995–2015). Previously located in Los Angeles from 1946–1994.
Memphis Grizzlies	FedExForum	Memphis	Tennessee	NBA	2001	Previously the Vancouver Grizzlies (1995–2001). See also Vancouver Grizzlies relocation to Memphis.
Miami Dolphins	Hard Rock Stadium	Miami Gardens	Florida	NFL	1966
Miami Heat	Kaseya Center	Miami		NBA	1988
Inter Miami CF	Chase Stadium	Fort Lauderdale		MLS	2020
Miami Marlins	LoanDepot Park	Miami		MLB	1993
Milwaukee Brewers	American Family Field	Milwaukee	Wisconsin		1970	Previously the Seattle Pilots (1969). Competed in the American League from 1970 to 1997 and currently in the National League from 1998 to the present.
Milwaukee Bucks	Fiserv Forum			NBA	1968
Minnesota Timberwolves	Target Center	Minneapolis	Minnesota		1989
Minnesota Twins	Target Field			MLB	1961	Previously the Washington Senators (1901–1960).
Minnesota United FC	Allianz Field	St. Paul		MLS	2017
Minnesota Vikings	U.S. Bank Stadium	Minneapolis		NFL	1961
Minnesota Wild	Xcel Energy Center	St. Paul		NHL	2000
Montreal Alouettes	Percival Molson Memorial Stadium	Montreal	Quebec	CFL	1946/1996	The CFL considers all incarnations of the Alouettes one franchise. Current incarnation is a result of a move by the Baltimore Stallions (1994–1995) ownership, but the Stallions are not considered part of the Alouettes franchise.
Montreal Canadiens	Bell Centre			NHL	1909
CF Montréal	Saputo Stadium			MLS	2012	Previously the Montreal Impact (2012–2020).
Nashville Predators	Bridgestone Arena	Nashville	Tennessee	NHL	1998
Nashville SC	Geodis Park			MLS	2020
New England Patriots	Gillette Stadium	Foxborough	Massachusetts	NFL	1960
New England Revolution				MLS	1996
New Jersey Devils	Prudential Center	Newark	New Jersey	NHL	1982	Previously the Kansas City Scouts (1974–1976) and Colorado Rockies (1976–1982).
New Orleans Pelicans	Smoothie King Center	New Orleans	Louisiana	NBA	2002	Temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City (2005–2007).
New Orleans Saints	Caesars Superdome			NFL	1967
New York City FC	Yankee Stadium	New York City	New York	MLS	2015
New York Giants	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford	New Jersey	NFL	1925
New York Islanders	UBS Arena	Elmont	New York	NHL	1972
New York Jets	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford	New Jersey	NFL	1960
New York Knicks	Madison Square Garden	New York City	New York	NBA	1946
New York Mets	Citi Field			MLB	1962
New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden			NHL	1926
New York Red Bulls	Red Bull Arena	Harrison	New Jersey	MLS	1996
New York Yankees	Yankee Stadium	New York City	New York	MLB	1903
Oakland Athletics	Oakland Coliseum	Oakland	California		1968	Previously the Philadelphia Athletics (1901–1954) and Kansas City Athletics (1955–1967).
Oklahoma City Thunder	Paycom Center	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	NBA	2008	Previously the Seattle SuperSonics (1967–2008). See also Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City.
Orlando City SC	Inter&Co Stadium	Orlando	Florida	MLS	2015
Orlando Magic	Kia Center			NBA	1989
Ottawa Redblacks	TD Place Stadium	Ottawa	Ontario	CFL	1876/2002/2014	Since 2017, the CFL has treated all Ottawa-based teams in the CFL and its predecessor leagues as a single entity for record-keeping purposes. The previous teams were the Ottawa Rough Riders (1876–1996) and Ottawa Renegades (2002–2005).	^[11] ^[12]
Ottawa Senators	Canadian Tire Centre			NHL	1992
Philadelphia 76ers	Wells Fargo Center	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	NBA	1963	Previously the Syracuse Nationals (1949–1963).
Philadelphia Eagles	Lincoln Financial Field			NFL	1933
Philadelphia Flyers	Wells Fargo Center			NHL	1967
Philadelphia Phillies	Citizens Bank Park			MLB	1883
Philadelphia Union	Subaru Park	Chester		MLS	2010
Phoenix Suns	Footprint Center	Phoenix	Arizona	NBA	1968
Pittsburgh Penguins	PPG Paints Arena	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	NHL	1967
Pittsburgh Pirates	PNC Park			MLB	1882
Pittsburgh Steelers	Acrisure Stadium			NFL	1933
Portland Timbers	Providence Park	Portland	Oregon		MLS	2011
Portland Trail Blazers	Moda Center			NBA	1970
Sacramento Kings	Golden 1 Center	Sacramento	California	NBA	1985	Previously the Rochester Royals (1948–1957), Cincinnati Royals (1957–1972) and Kansas City Kings (1972–1985).
	Enterprise Center		Missouri	NHL	1967
	Busch Stadium	MLB		1882
	CityPark	MLS		2023	Expansion team that began play in 2023.
Real Salt Lake	America First Field			MLS	2005
San Antonio Spurs	Frost Bank Center	San Antonio	Texas	NBA	1973	Previously the Dallas Chaparrals (1967–1973).
San Diego FC	Snapdragon Stadium			MLS	2025	Expansion team that will begin play in 2025.	^[13]
San Diego Padres	Petco Park	San Diego	California	MLB	1969
San Francisco 49ers	Levi's Stadium	Santa Clara		NFL	1946
San Francisco Giants	Oracle Park	San Francisco		MLB	1958	Previously the New York Giants (1883–1957).
San Jose Earthquakes	PayPal Park	San Jose		MLS	1996	The franchise was placed on hiatus in 2006, with the roster moving to Houston, Texas to become the Dynamo, and reactivated in 2008.
San Jose Sharks	SAP Center at San Jose			NHL	1991
Saskatchewan Roughriders	Mosaic Stadium	Regina	Saskatchewan	CFL	1910
Seattle Kraken	Climate Pledge Arena	Seattle	Washington	NHL	2021	Expansion team that began play in 2021.	^[14]
Seattle Mariners	T-Mobile Park			MLB	1977
Seattle Seahawks	Lumen Field			NFL	1976
Seattle Sounders FC	MLS			2009
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Raymond James Stadium	Tampa	Florida	NFL	1976
Tampa Bay Lightning	Amalie Arena			NHL	1992
Tampa Bay Rays	Tropicana Field	St. Petersburg		MLB	1998
Tennessee Titans	Nissan Stadium	Nashville	Tennessee	NFL	1997	Previously the Houston Oilers (1960–1996).
Texas Rangers	Globe Life Field	Arlington	Texas	MLB	1972	Previously the Washington Senators (1961–1971)
Toronto Argonauts	BMO Field	Toronto	Ontario	CFL	1873		^[15]
Toronto Blue Jays	Rogers Centre			MLB	1977
Toronto FC	BMO Field			MLS	2007
Toronto Maple Leafs	Scotiabank Arena			NHL	1923
Toronto Raptors	NBA			1995
Utah Hockey Club	Delta Center	Salt Lake City		NHL	2024	Relocation of the Arizona Coyotes, but considered to be an expansion franchise.
Utah Jazz				NBA	1979	Previously the New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979).
Vancouver Canucks	Rogers Arena	Vancouver	British Columbia	NHL	1970
Vancouver Whitecaps FC	BC Place			MLS	2011
Vegas Golden Knights	T-Mobile Arena	Paradise	Nevada	NHL	2017	Expansion team that began play in 2017; first major professional sports team in Nevada.	^[16] ^[17]
Washington Capitals	Capital One Arena	Washington	District of Columbia		1974
Washington Commanders	Commanders Field	Landover	Maryland	NFL	1937	Previously the Boston Braves (1932–1933), Boston Redskins (1933–1936), Washington Redskins (1937–2019), and the Washington Football Team (2020–2021). The team retired its "Redskins" name and logo in July 2020 amidst corporate financial pressure resulting from the controversy over it. They were rebranded as the Commanders in 2022.	^[18] ^[19]
Washington Nationals	Nationals Park	Washington	District of Columbia	MLB	2005	Previously the Montreal Expos (1969–2004). During the franchise's last two seasons as the Expos, it split its home schedule between Montreal and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Washington Wizards	Capital One Arena			NBA	1973	Previously the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (1961–1963), Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973), Capital Bullets (1973–1974) and Washington Bullets (1974–1997).
Winnipeg Blue Bombers	Princess Auto Stadium	Winnipeg	Manitoba	CFL	1930		^[20]
Winnipeg Jets	Canada Life Centre			NHL	2011	Previously the Atlanta Thrashers (1999–2011).

See also

• Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada
• List of professional sports leagues
• List of defunct sports leagues
• List of American and Canadian cities by number of major professional sports franchises
• List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
• List of top level minor league sports teams in the United States by city
• List of soccer clubs in the United States by city

Notes and References

1. Web site: Teams. NHL Enterprises, LP. NHL.com. January 28, 2020.
2. Web site: Historical timeline: 1950s . Canadian Football League . 2013-06-05 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130921040503/http://www.cfl.ca/page/his_timeline_1950 . 2013-09-21 .
3. Web site: Calgary Flames history . Calgary Flames Hockey Club . 2013-06-05.
4. Web site: The Stamps story . Calgary Stampeders Football Club . 2013-06-05 . dead . https://archive.today/20130624214137/http://www.stampeders.com/stamps_story . 2013-06-24 .
5. News: Charlotte Hornets Name Returns to Carolinas. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. NBA.com/Hornets. May 20, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140522200148/http://www.nba.com/hornets/charlotte-hornets-name-returns-carolinas. May 22, 2014. May 20, 2014. live.
6. Cleveland Indians announce decision to change current team name. MLB Advanced Media. CLEGuardians.com. December 14, 2020. July 25, 2021.
7. News: Bell. Mandy. New for '22: Meet the Cleveland Guardians. MLB Advanced Media. MLB.com. July 23, 2021. July 24, 2021. live. en-US. July 23, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210723143028/https://www.mlb.com/news/cleveland-indians-change-name-to-guardians.
8. EDMONTON FOOTBALL TEAM DISCONTINUES USE OF THE NAME ESKIMOS. CFL Enterprises, LP. CFL.ca. July 21, 2020. July 24, 2020.
9. News: EDMONTON FOOTBALL TEAM DISCONTINUES USE OF THE NAME ESKIMOS. CFL Enterprises, LP. Esks.com. July 21, 2020. July 24, 2020.
10. News: New name. Same game. We are the Edmonton Elks.. CFL Enterprises, LP. Esks.com. June 1, 2021. June 6, 2023.
11. Web site: CFL GUIDE & RECORD BOOK: 2017 EDITION . cloudfront.net . October 29, 2017 . 155.
12. News: Ottawa officially announces REDBLACKS as team name . Canadian Football League . 2013-06-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010833/http://www.cfl.ca/article/ottawa-announces-team-name-and-logo . 2013-06-11 . dead .
13. Major League Soccer awards expansion team to San Diego. MLS Digital. MLSSoccer.com. May 18, 2023. June 6, 2023.
14. News: Condor. Bob. Say It with Us: Release the Kraken!. NHL Enterprises. NHL.com. July 23, 2020. July 23, 2020.
15. Web site: Historical timeline: 1870s . Canadian Football League . 2013-06-05 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121101063114/http://cfl.ca/page/his_timeline_1870 . 2012-11-01 .
16. News: Rosen. Dan. Las Vegas awarded NHL franchise. NHL Enterprises, LP. NHL.com. June 22, 2016. June 24, 2016. The NHL becomes the first of the four major North American professional sports leagues to put a team in Las Vegas..
17. News: Introducing the Vegas Golden Knights. NHL Enterprises LP. NHL.com/GoldenKnights. November 22, 2016. November 23, 2016.
18. Statement From The Washington Football Team. NFL Enterprises. Commanders.com. July 13, 2020. June 6, 2023.
19. The Washington Football Team is now the Washington Commanders. NFLE Enterprises, LLC. Commanders.com. February 2, 2022. June 6, 2023.
20. Web site: Historical timeline 1930s . Canadian Football League . 2013-06-05 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111020173525/http://cfl.ca/page/his_timeline_1930 . 2011-10-20 .