San Diego’s longest-reigning pro sports team, the Padres have been the city’s Major League Baseball club since 1969 — and a key part of local history for much longer than that. The team’s home field, Petco Park, has been deemed the best MLB ballpark in the nation by USA Today, and it’s easy to see why: The park is just blocks from the city’s glittering Downtown bayfront and boasts stunning skyline views, an inviting and intimate atmosphere, outstanding food and beverage offerings and much more. The Padres are part of MLB’s National League West division and play from March to September.
The San Diego Wave Fútbol Club has made major waves since becoming the 12th and newest member of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2021. The team’s winning ways already have put it among the NWSL elite, with the Wave making the league semifinals in its first season. The club plays from March to November in Mission Valley’s beautiful Snapdragon Stadium, the host venue for the 2023 NWSL Championship.
San Diego’s Major League Rugby franchise has been lighting up the field since 2017, with exciting gameplay and top stars of the sport. The Legion, which advanced to the league championship in 2023, plays its regular season from February to June at Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley.
Representing San Diego in the National Lacrosse League, the Seals have been perennial contenders since the club’s founding in 2017. The team plays from December to April at Pechanga Arena San Diego in the Midway District.
One of the most celebrated horse-racing destinations in the nation, the Del Mar Racetrack has been bringing all the excitement of Thoroughbred racing to this beautiful seaside site since the track was opened by the legendary entertainer Bing Crosby in 1937. Del Mar hosts two racing seasons each year, in summer and fall, and also is a frequent home to such major events as the Breeders’ Cup.
Every January, the stunning Torrey Pines Golf Course — situated high above the Pacific in northern La Jolla — hosts this premier golf tournament, an official PGA event. The Farmers Insurance Open is a hot ticket for spectators, as the event attracts the game’s top players to the course’s beautiful surroundings for top-notch golf action.
Inaugurated in 2023, the Rady Children’s Invitational is dedicated to bringing some of the nation’s top college hoops programs to San Diego for basketball by the beach. The tournament, which takes place at LionTree Arena on the UC San Diego campus over Thanksgiving weekend, has four elite teams competing for the championship.
Part of the exciting Women's Tennis Association 500 series of tournaments, the Cymbiotika San Diego Open draws many of the top players on the planet to San Diego for a full week of rousing tennis action. And the tournament also incorporates programming aimed to educate, inspire and empower girls and women of all ages.
San Diego’s own Holiday Bowl, a 40+ year annual tradition, has a longstanding reputation as one of the most exciting football bowl games in the country. The game, played in late December, not only matches up two top college teams but also includes the KGB Sky Show, a dazzling fireworks-and-music spectacular.
San Diego’s sports thrills for spectators don’t end where the Pacific begins: You can check out plenty of awesome surfing competitions and other events all along our sparkling coastline. Stake out a viewing spot on the sand or along a pier and check out such happenings as the Switchfoot Bro-Am, the Super Girl Surf Pro or the canine-centric Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon. Most of these events unfold in summer and fall, when the ocean water is warmest and the annual south swells begin to pump.
The Breeders’ Cup World Championships, one of horse racing’s premier annual events, unfolds at the Del Mar Racetrack in 2024 for the third time since 2017. The track “where the turf meets the surf” makes the perfect setting for this fall event, which attracts the world’s top racehorses, trainers and jockeys, vying for purses and awards totaling more than $31 million.
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