When it comes to sports, San Jose isn’t just a big-league town: It’s world class.
The city got its first major-league team when the San Jose Sharks made their NHL debut in 1993 at the downtown arena known as the SAP Center. Since then, Major League Soccer and National Women’s Soccer League franchises arrived, not to mention the San Francisco 49ers, who play 10 minutes from downtown in Levi's Stadium.
San Jose has also served as the stage for national and international sporting events. In 2026, the Super Bowl comes to Levi’s Stadium for the second time. Then soccer’s elite take to the pitch for six matches during FIFA World Cup 26.
Over the years, it has all happened here: the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, March Madness, the College Football National Championship game, and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
Take a look at San Jose’s professional and college teams, as well as other ways you can experience the sports tradition in a city that has produced the likes of Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming, Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Plunkett, and current NBA star Aaron Gordon.
Football: San Francisco 49ers
August–January
The San Francisco 49ers found their way to the San Jose area when they moved into state-of-the-art Levi’s Stadium in 2014. Bay area football fans embrace the team’s new luxurious Silicon Valley digs. The Bay-centric food offerings include crab sandwiches, lobster bisque, lumpia, ahi bowls, and pulled pork sandwiches from San Jose’s very own Mesquite and Oak Barbecue.
It is easy to reach Levi’s Stadium from San Jose on Valley Transportation Authority Light Rail, and downtown San Jose hotels offer super-convenient game-day access to many light rail stations. Arrive early and check out the 49ers Museum to see the team’s five Vince Lombardi Trophies. And do not miss the stadium’s art collection, which features 200 original works by California artists and 500 vintage photographs.
Points of Interest: The 49ers commissioned the giant Faithful to the Bay mural on the wall of World of Sports Memorabilia, the place to pick up signed ‘Niner jerseys and photos. Can’t get to the game? Watch with the diehards at Alex’s 49er Inn.
Hockey: San Jose Sharks
October–April
With future Hall of Famers Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau leading the charge for 15 years, the Sharks enjoyed a long run of playoff appearances and reached the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals.
The team wasn’t an overnight success. While awaiting the opening of their new arena (dubbed “The Shark Tank” by fans), the Sharks played two seasons in San Francisco. The expansion Sharks struggled, setting an NHL record for losses with 71 in their debut season.
But once in San Jose, the Sharks showed their teeth. During the 1994 playoffs, they defeated the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings in seven games—among the biggest upsets in playoff history.
Famous for the iconic logo of a shark chomping on a hockey stick, the Sharks even spawned another local hockey team: The San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ American Hockey League affiliate, plays at 4,200-seat Tech CU Arena.
Points of Interest: Watch team practices at Sharks Ice at San Jose and take to the ice during public skates. For team lore, head to Kukar’s House of Pizza, where a grassroots group launched the campaign to bring hockey to San Jose.
Baseball: San Jose Giants
April–September
Long before the San Jose Giants, baseball began here in 1942 when California League MVP and local hero Sal Taormina led the San Jose Owls to a second-place finish. Since then, the franchise has had many names, among them the Bees, Missions, JoSox, and Expos.
All those teams played in Excite Ballpark, built by the federal Works Project Administration in 1942. While the ballpark has undergone many improvements, it has never lost its intimate, vintage atmosphere. With a capacity of just 4,200, you’ll get close-up looks at tomorrow’s Giants legends; past greats include MVP catcher Buster Posey and two-time Cy Young Award–winner Tim Lincecum. Tickets start at $7, and you can see a tribute to San Jose’s 12 California League championships on the lower concourse.
Point of Interest: Raise a glass to the home team at Strike Brewing Company, where baseball-themed beers include the Triple Play IPA and the Pine Tar Incident West Coast IPA—a tribute to Hall of Famer and Bee alum George Brett.
Soccer: San Jose Earthquakes and Bay FC
February–October
Soccer in San Jose is about both tradition and innovation. The San Jose Earthquakes made their MLS debut in 1994, but the name dates to a franchise that played in the North American Soccer League starting in 1974. So, in 2024, the two-time MLS Cup champs are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Quakes soccer with throwback kit, the creation of 50 local soccer-themed murals, and the announcement of the team’s 50 greatest players.
Meanwhile, 2024 also marks the inaugural season of the National Women’s Soccer League’s
Bay FC. The club aims for success on the pitch and something bigger, a spirit captured on the team website: “Bay FC is a team that defies convention and transcends culture. We are proud to represent the Bay Area with its tapestry of different ethnicities, languages, climates, and ideas. Our team will be a uniting force, building a culture of belonging and shared pride.”
Both teams play at 18,000-seat PayPal Park—home to the 310-foot-long Scoreboard Bar (North America’s largest outdoor bar) and Krazy George, the San Jose State University alum credited with inventing The Wave and whose drum-banging antics whip crowds into a frenzy.
College Sports: San Jose State University and Santa Clara University
August–May
Some of the world’s top athletes and coaches began their careers at San Jose State University and nearby Santa Clara University. Three-time Super Bowl–winning coach Bill Walsh played tight end and defensive end for San Jose State, while fellow Hall of Fame coach Dick Vermeil started at quarterback. In 2025, the Spartans will resume their Bill Walsh Legacy Game series against Stanford.
Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash led Santa Clara to a trio of NCAA tournaments. And Bay FC’s four cofounders—Brandi Chastain, Aly Wagner, Danielle Slaton, and Leslie Osborne—starred on Santa Clara’s 2001 national championship squad (the Broncos repeated in 2020) before achieving international glory with the U.S. Women’s National Team.
Point of Interest: On the San Jose State campus, visit Victory Salute, a monument to Olympic track medalists and university alums John Carlos and Tommie Smith, whose clenched fist, Black Power salute made history at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
More Sporting Life in San Jose
A few blocks from SAP Center, The Farmers Union is terrific for pregame gastropub cuisine. Rookies Sports Lodge is also within walking distance of Sharks games and has big screens to catch ‘Niner and Giants games. Classic pub grub is on the menu at O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub, a popular destination on Sharks game days that also draws plenty of fans for soccer and rugby matches. Opened in 1948, Jack’s is a San Jose institution with 11 screens and is a go-to spot for soccer matches—especially for supporters of the English Premier League club Arsenal.
