San Diego is truly a sports lover’s paradise, and the city’s offerings are growing more exciting by the day. A Major League Soccer team, the highest level of men’s professional soccer, was announced in May, adding to an already impressive lineup including the San Diego Padres (Major League Baseball), the San Diego Wave FC (National Women’s Soccer League), the San Diego Loyal (United Soccer League), the San Diego Legion (Major League Rugby), the San Diego Gulls (American Hockey League) and more.
A highly anticipated Major League Soccer announcement came May 18 when MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced that the league’s 30th team will debut in San Diego in 2025. The team is expected to be named the San Diego Football Club or Football Club of San Diego and will play at Snapdragon Stadium, a 35,000-seat venue at San Diego State University’s Mission Valley campus.
The team’s owners include Egyptian businessman Mohamed Mansour, San Diego Padres star Manny Machado and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, the first tribe to co-own a professional soccer team.
“Major League Soccer will draw visitors who will stay in hotels, dine in our restaurants, visit our attractions and support local businesses,” said Julie Coker, president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority. “Establishing a new MLS team leads to out-of-town visitors, which leads to jobs, tax revenue and overall visitor spend. It’s a fantastic development.”
Since opening in August 2022, Snapdragon Stadium has become a popular sports and entertainment center, hosting concerts and festivals and serving as home to SDSU Aztecs football, the San Diego Wave FC and the San Diego Legion.
This summer, the stadium will host a high-profile exhibition soccer game between Manchester United and Wrexham AFC on July 25. It will also host the 20th edition of MexTour on June 10, when the Mexican Men’s National Team takes on Cameroon in an event sponsored by the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol and Soccer United Marketing. The 2023 World Lacrosse Championships will take place at Snapdragon Stadium and Torero Stadium at University of San Diego from June 21 to July 1, and Concacaf Gold Cup will take place at Snapdragon on July 12.
The San Diego Wave women’s professional soccer team has continued to set NWSL records, the most recent being in March when they beat the Chicago Red Stars 3-2, playing for a crowd of 30,854, the highest-ever attendance at a home opener. Upcoming home games at Snapdragon Stadium include May 26 and 31, June 17 and 25, July 8, August 5 and 19. The San Diego Legion rugby team plays at Snapdragon May 28 and June 18.
The San Diego Loyal men’s professional soccer team plan to continue playing at Torero Stadium. The next home match is June 9. And after a historic season that led to the National League Championship Series, the San Diego Padres returned for a highly anticipated season at Petco Park, which was named the best MLB stadium by USA Today for the fourth time.
Additional sports events this summer in San Diego include the DoD Warrior Games, June 2-12 at North Island and Naval Base Point Loma, ECNL Girls National Playoffs, June 24-July 1 at Surf Sports Park, and Cal State Games, July 13-16 at various venues.
