The Las Vegas metropolitan area, alternately known as the Las Vegas Valley, is home to many sports, most of which take place in the unincorporated communities around Las Vegas rather than in the city itself. Currently, the Las Vegas Valley has three major league professional teams: the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL), which began play in 2017 as the region's first major pro team, the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) which began play in 2020 after relocating from Oakland, California, the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and an as-yet-unnamed team in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). The Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) plan to move to Las Vegas to play at a new ballpark which is estimated to be complete by 2028 after relocating from Oakland and West Sacramento, California. When this relocation happens, Las Vegas will have progressed from being the largest market in the U.S. with no teams in the men's major professional leagues to being one of the smallest markets with at least three such teams within less than a decade. In addition, the National Basketball Association has publicly confirmed Las Vegas is being considered for an expansion franchise to begin play by 2028, which would potentially make Las Vegas by far the fastest market to progress from no teams in the Big Four leagues to having teams in all four leagues.
Las Vegas is also home to three minor league sports teams: the Las Vegas Aviators of the Pacific Coast League (Minor League Baseball), Las Vegas Lights FC of the USL Championship, and the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League. The Las Vegas Lights is currently the only team playing in the City of Las Vegas, at the city-owned Cashman Field.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), located just off the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, fields National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletic teams. Allegiant Stadium, located in Paradise, hosts UNLV football and the Las Vegas Bowl, an annual NCAA bowl game. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) just north of the city hosts NASCAR's Cup Series and other automotive events. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's National Finals Rodeo is held annually at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus, and the Professional Bull Riders holds its annual Team Series Championship at T-Mobile Arena on the Strip.
Bandy in the United States has for most of its existence exclusively been played in Minnesota. However, after the 1st annual Las Vegas Invitational Rink Bandy Tournament, when there were zero local bandy players, there were 100 at the time of the 2nd tournament, with 2 local teams participating, including Bandy Club of Las Vegas (BCLV).Bandy sport grows in popularity across Las Vegas with 100 new players
The Las Vegas Valley has been the site of many prominent combat sports events, such as boxing and MMA, with Las Vegas being considered by many as the "fight capital of the world."
Visitors and residents also have many options for boating, golf, hiking, and rock climbing. The city has many parks which offer a wide range of activities.
List of teams Major professional teams TeamSportLeagueVenue (capacity)EstablishedTitlesLas Vegas RaidersFootballNFLAllegiant Stadium (65,000)19603Vegas Golden KnightsIce hockeyNHLT-Mobile Arena (17,500)20171Las Vegas AthleticsBaseballMLBNew Las Vegas Stadium (33,000)19019Las Vegas AcesWomen's basketballWNBAMichelob Ultra Arena (12,000)20183PWHL Las VegasWomen's ice hockeyPWHLT-Mobile Arena (17,500)20260
Minor professional teams TeamSportLeagueVenue (capacity)EstablishedTitlesLas Vegas AviatorsBaseballMiLB (AAA-PCL)Las Vegas Ballpark (10,000)19833 Las Vegas RoyalsBasketballABAMichelob Ultra Arena (12,000)20200Henderson Silver KnightsIce hockeyAHLLee's Family Forum (5,567)20200Las Vegas Desert DogsBox lacrosseNLLLee's Family Forum (5,567)20210Vegas Knight HawksIndoor FootballIFLLee's Family Forum (5,567)20211Las Vegas Lights FCSoccerUSLCCashman Field (9,334)20180Las Vegas LegendsNISAPeter Johann Memorial Field (2,000)20120 Las Vegas Silver StarsWomen's footballWNFCEldorado High School20170Sin City TrojansWFADesert Pines High School 20080Fabulous Sin City RollersWomen's roller derbyWFTDALas Vegas Roller Hockey Rink20040Vegas ThrillVolleyball MLVLee's Family Forum (5,567)20230Vegas BighornsUltimate frisbeeUFABonanza High School20250
Amateur teams TeamSportLeagueVenue (capacity)EstablishedTitlesLas Vegas GamblersAustralian rules footballUSAFLBill Briare Park20050Vegas JestersIce hockeyMWHLCity National Arena (600)20120Las Vegas ThunderbirdsUSPHL20190Las Vegas LegendsSoccerNPSLPeter Johann Memorial Field (2,500)20210
College teams School Team League Division Primary ConferenceUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)UNLV RebelsNCAANCAA Division IMountain WestCollege of Southern Nevada (CSN)CSN CoyotesNJCAANJCAA Division IScenic West
History Las Vegas was one of the largest cities in the United States without a major league sports team prior to the entry of the Golden Knights into the NHL. Due in part to perceived risks with legal sports betting, no major professional sports league had ever had a team in Las Vegas until the NHL announced its intent to launch an expansion team in the city in June 2016. The placement of a major league team in Las Vegas was an ongoing topic of discussion between city leaders and the professional sports leagues.
Past issues with major league sports
Historically, the most prominent issue with sports in Las Vegas was the perceived problem of legal sports betting. Traditionally, all four major professional sports leagues had strong anti-gambling policies, prohibiting their personnel from having any involvement in gambling. The NFL took the toughest stance, even refusing to accept Las Vegas tourism advertising for Super Bowl telecasts and threatening to file suit against any local hotels holding Super Bowl parties. Hotels got around the legal threat by referring to the Super Bowl as "The Big Game" rather than its actual name in advertising. In addition, some potential owners believed a professional sports franchise would have difficulty gaining an audience, given Las Vegas's numerous entertainment options. A number of prior professional football teams in the city ranked at or near last in their leagues in attendance over the years, such as the Las Vegas Posse (Canadian Football League), the Las Vegas Locomotives (United Football League) and the Las Vegas Outlaws (Arena Football League). Las Vegas also has a high percentage of residents working in 24-hour occupations, many of whom work nights and weekends when most games would be played. The Las Vegas area also has a rather transient population, with a significant percentage of its residents being transplants, many of whom are loyal to the teams from their former cities and/or states, causing doubts that a professional sports team could gain an audience.
Several owners of other sports franchises disagreed. Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria described Las Vegas as "a potential gold mine" for a professional sports team owner. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was also quoted saying that Las Vegas would be a good professional sports town.
As the four leagues embraced daily fantasy sports (DFS) and various forms of both online and retail gambling such as state lotteries, Native American gaming and online/mobile sports betting became more prevalent, the ethical arguments that the four major leagues used to justify excluding Las Vegas from professional sports gradually weakened and the doors opened to major pro sports in the market; NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he was in favor of regulated, legalized sports gambling.
Prior to the opening of T-Mobile Arena in April 2016, another major obstacle was the lack of suitable facilities. The city did not have a facility that was large enough or modern enough to host an MLB or NFL team. While the Thomas & Mack Center and MGM Grand Garden Arena were large enough on paper to host an NBA or NHL team, they were only suitable for temporary use due to age and/or design issues.
Harrah's Entertainment and the Anschutz Entertainment Group committed to building a new arena on a parcel of land behind Harrah's Paris and Bally's off the Strip, to be built to NHL and NBA standards. The arena was expected to open in the fall of 2010, but construction never began. Harrah's Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman said in a June 2009 article in the Las Vegas Business Press that his company was still committed to building the arena, but it was delayed by a lack of financing. On April 6, 2010, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that three proposals had been made to build an arena of approximately 20,000 seats on or near the Strip to host professional basketball and hockey, rodeo, concerts and other events. All three proposals called for public money to be used for a portion of the construction cost. On November 5, 2013, Las Vegas news media reported plans for a joint-venture arena to be built on the Strip with the backing parties being AEG and MGM Resorts. Located at a former parking lot at the back of the Monte Carlo, T-Mobile Arena seats 20,000 and costs $350 million. Ground was broken in May 2014, with its opening on April 6, 2016.
Cashman Field was replaced as a baseball venue by Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin in 2019 with Cashman being converted to full-time soccer use. Sam Boyd Stadium was replaced by Allegiant Stadium, which became the home of the Las Vegas Raiders and the UNLV Rebels football team beginning in 2020. Ground was broken for Allegiant Stadium on November 13, 2017, with its opening taking place on July 31, 2020.
Major league professional teams
National Hockey League
Las Vegas is the home to the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Golden Knights are owned by Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, a consortium led by Bill Foley, and play at T-Mobile Arena. The Golden Knights began play during the 2017–18 NHL season and became the first major league professional team in Las Vegas. The Golden Knights also became the first NHL expansion team since the St. Louis Blues to reach the Stanley Cup Final in their first season only to lose to the Washington Capitals. The Golden Knights would later go on to win the 2023 Stanley Cup Final over the Florida Panthers, giving the Las Vegas metropolitan area and the state of Nevada its first championship from the Big Four. The Golden Knights advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in 2026 but lost to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Prior to the Golden Knights, the National Hockey League had experience with Las Vegas beginning in 1991, when an outdoor game was held in Las Vegas, with the Los Angeles Kings facing the New York Rangers outside Caesars Palace in a preseason exhibition game. It carried through the years with an annual preseason exhibition game called Frozen Fury which was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The league has also held the NHL Awards ceremonies after each season since 2009.
National Football League
Las Vegas is home to the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). The Raiders are controlled by principal owner and managing general partner Mark Davis and began play in Las Vegas in 2020. On March 27, 2017, NFL owners voted 31–1 to approve the Oakland Raiders' move to Las Vegas, though the team continued to play at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California until their new stadium, Allegiant Stadium, was built in time for the 2020 NFL season.