Since 2000, Oracle Park has been home to the San Francisco Giants. Credit: ©2019 S.F. Giants/Wildman

Professional Sports You Can See in the San Francisco Bay Area

It's always game time in the Bay Area. Find out which teams will be playing during your next visit.

San Francisco is many things, and a sports city is one of them. Home to both storied franchises with decades of history and fiery upstarts that make a big impact, San Francisco is a fantastic destination for sports fans. Check out the professional squads you can see across the city and around the Bay Area during your next visit.

Baseball: San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics

San Francisco's Major League Baseball team is the Giants, who first played in New York (where they originated in 1883) before coming to San Francisco. The Giants played in San Francisco's iconic Candlestick Park from 1960 to 1999, and then moved to Oracle Park in 2000. This ballpark is centrally located and can be accessed by public transportation. Regular season baseball starts in early April and runs until early October, which lets you enjoy the games in San Francisco's mild weather. Even when the Giants aren't in town, you can still enjoy Oracle Park with a behind-the-scenes tour.

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For more than 50 years, the Giants' nearest competition were the Oakland Athletics. Founded in Philadelphia in 1901, the A's came to the Bay in 1968. Decades of Bay Bridge rivalry ensued, including the infamous 1989 World Series, which was temporarily halted by the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Sadly for East Bay sports fans, the A's announced that they would leave Oakland and move to Las Vegas. While the team may have left the famed Oakland Coliseum behind, their new home in the desert has yet to be built, meaning that there's still a chance to catch an A's game at their temporary home turf in Sacramento. You can get from San Francisco to Sacramento easily aboard the Capitol Corridor train service.

Basketball: Golden State Warriors and Golden State Valkyries

San Franciscans cheer for the Golden State Warriors, the seven-time NBA champions. First formed in Philadelphia in 1946, the team became the San Francisco Warriors in 1962. By 1971, they represented the entire state and relocated to Oracle Arena in Oakland. In 2019, the Warriors moved into their new, state-of-the-art home, Chase Center, located in the Mission Bay neighborhood in San Francisco. Some of the NBA's biggest stars have worn a Warriors jersey, including Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Jimmy Butler.

In 2025, the Warriors were joined at Chase Center by the Bay Area's first WNBA team, the Golden State Valkyries. This hotly anticipated addition to the local professional sports scene already has a vociferous and dedicated fan base, and has quickly become one of the most valuable franchises in all of women's sports.

The NBA season lasts from October to April, while the WNBA season runs from May to September—meaning that no matter when you visit, you'll be able to see top-notch basketball at Chase. Chase Center is easy to reach on public transit, with its own dedicated stop on Muni's T Third Street line.

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Football: San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers hold the honor of being the city's very first professional major-league sports team. The 49ers played their home games in San Francisco from 1946 to 2013, first at Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park and then at Candlestick Park. In 2014, the team moved 40 miles south to a spacious new home at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. This venue can be easily reached by the Valley Transportation Authority light rail and city buses, as well as the Capitol Corridor train and Caltrain for a direct connection to San Francisco. Football season begins with preseason games in August and runs until the Super Bowl in early February. Football games are almost never canceled, although they are occasionally moved or rescheduled.

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Did You Know? In 2026, Levi's Stadium will host two of the biggest events in sports: Super Bowl LX and six days of matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Hockey: San Jose Sharks

San Francisco Bay Area hockey fans follow the San Jose Sharks, one of the teams in the National Hockey League. The regular season runs from early October to April, followed by the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Sharks play in San Jose's SAP Center in the heart of Silicon Valley. Caltrain brings San Francisco hockey fans directly to the venue, while ACE and VTA buses provide access along many local routes. Fans can also access the venue from the Capitol Corridor train, arriving at Diridon Station directly across the street from the Pavilion. The Sharks are known for their theatrical entrance, which involves lowering a 17-foot shark mouth with flashing red eyes from the ceiling.

Soccer: San Jose Earthquakes, Bay FC, and San Francisco City FC

San Jose is also home to the Bay Area's only Major League Soccer team, the San Jose Earthquakes. Initially known as the Clash when they formed in 1996, this team was one of the 10 charter members of the MLS. They play in San Jose's PayPal Park, and their season runs from early March to late October. Visibility in the stadium is exceptionally good because the seat rise is the steepest of any soccer stadium in Major League Soccer. PayPal Park also boasts the largest outdoor bar in North America.

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PayPal Park is also home to Bay FC, the first National Women's Soccer League club to call the Bay Area home. The team was founded by some of the most prolific players in the history of American women's soccer: Brandi Chastain, Aly Wagner, Danielle Slaton, and Leslie Osborne. Their first season was in 2024. You can catch a Bay FC home game between March and September.

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If you didn't want to make the trip down to San Jose, consider checking out a game played by San Francisco City FC, the only professional football club that calls San Francisco home. Competing in USL League Two, this team plays at historic Kezar Stadium, with a season that runs from early May through mid-July.

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