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Who plays here, where they play, and when their seasons run.
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San Diego has no NFL or NBA franchise, but it has more live sport than most people realize: the Padres (MLB) at Petco Park from spring through fall, San Diego FC (MLS) and the San Diego Wave (NWSL) sharing Snapdragon Stadium from late winter into fall, the San Diego Gulls (AHL hockey) at Pechanga Arena from October to April, SDSU Aztecs football and basketball at Snapdragon Stadium and Viejas Arena, USD Toreros in Linda Vista, and thoroughbred racing at Del Mar in summer and November. Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley is on the Trolley Green Line, which makes it the easiest major venue in the county to reach without a car.
| Team | League | Venue | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Padres | MLB | Petco Park, East Village | Late March – September (plus playoffs) |
| San Diego FC | MLS | Snapdragon Stadium, Mission Valley | Late February – October |
| San Diego Wave FC | NWSL | Snapdragon Stadium, Mission Valley | Spring – fall |
| San Diego Gulls | AHL (hockey) | Pechanga Arena, Midway | October – April |
| SDSU Aztecs football | NCAA / Mountain West | Snapdragon Stadium | September – November |
| SDSU Aztecs basketball | NCAA / Mountain West | Viejas Arena, SDSU campus | November – March |
| USD Toreros | NCAA / WCC & Pioneer | Torero Stadium & Jenny Craig Pavilion | Fall & winter |
| Del Mar Thoroughbred Club | Horse racing | Del Mar Fairgrounds | Summer meet & November |
East Village, downtown · Padres · ~40,000 capacity
Widely considered one of the best ballparks in baseball, wedged into downtown with the Western Metal Supply Co. building built into left field. The Park at the Park behind center field sells cheap lawn admission on most game days.
Local tip: Trolley Green and Orange lines stop at Gaslamp Quarter and 12th & Imperial, both a short walk. Driving downtown on a game night is the expensive option.
Mission Valley · San Diego FC, Wave, Aztecs football · ~35,000
Opened in 2022 on the old Qualcomm/Jack Murphy site. Open-air, compact, and served directly by the Trolley Green Line's Stadium station.
Local tip: The Green Line drops you at the gate. It is by a wide margin the best transit-served stadium in the county.
Midway District · Gulls hockey, concerts · ~12,000
The county's aging indoor arena, dating to 1966. Redevelopment of the site has been debated for years. Fine for hockey, tight concourses, plentiful surface parking.
SDSU campus, College Area · Aztecs basketball · ~12,000
One of the loudest mid-size college basketball venues in the West when the Aztecs are good. Reachable on the Trolley Green Line's SDSU station.
Linda Vista · USD football & soccer
A small on-campus stadium with a view over Mission Valley. Cheap tickets, easy parking, genuinely pleasant on a fall afternoon.
For the Padres, Gulls and Aztecs alike, Tuesday and Wednesday games cost a fraction of a Saturday. The atmosphere is quieter but the seats are far better for the money.
Petco Park's outfield lawn admission is the cheapest way into a Padres game, and kids can run around. Ticket count is limited and popular games sell out.
SDSU and USD both discount heavily for students, and most San Diego teams run military appreciation pricing. Bring ID.
The Gulls, Wave and San Diego FC all sell small multi-game packs that beat single-game face value, which matters if you'll go more than twice.
The Chargers relocated to Los Angeles after the 2016 season. Snapdragon Stadium replaced the old stadium on the same Mission Valley site but is not NFL-sized.
San Diego has had two short-lived NBA franchises historically — the Rockets and the Clippers both started here before leaving. Aztecs basketball is the closest thing now.
The Gulls are the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks; the nearest NHL games are in Anaheim, roughly 90 minutes north without traffic.
No. The Chargers moved to Los Angeles after the 2016 season. Snapdragon Stadium, built on the old stadium site in Mission Valley, hosts SDSU football, San Diego FC and the San Diego Wave instead.
The Padres in MLB, San Diego FC in MLS, the San Diego Wave in the NWSL, and the San Diego Gulls in the AHL. Del Mar also runs two thoroughbred racing meets each year.
The MTS Trolley Green Line stops at Stadium station right at the venue. It's the most transit-accessible major stadium in San Diego County.
Park at the Park lawn admission behind center field, bought for a weekday game. Midweek pricing across the board is dramatically lower than weekends.
Football plays at Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley; basketball plays at Viejas Arena on the SDSU campus. Both are on the Trolley Green Line.
Yes — the San Diego Gulls play in the AHL at Pechanga Arena from October through April, as the top affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks.
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Written and fact-checked by the Sandi Spots Editorial team — San Diego residents publishing under Sleep Coast LLC. Every place we recommend has been visited in person or verified against an official source, and no business can pay for inclusion or a higher ranking. Last updated .