Wikipedia

Sports in Miami

The Greater Miami area is home to five major league sports teams — the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League, the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association, the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball, the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League and Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer.[1][2]

Hard Rock Stadium is the home stadium for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League, the Miami Hurricanes football team of the University of Miami, and College Football Playoff's Orange Bowl game held annually each January.
The Sony Ericsson Open, a major tennis tournament, is held in Miami annually.
Casino Miami, built in 1926 and known as "The Yankee Stadium of Jai Alai"
Geoff Brabham in the Nissan NPT-91 about to take the checkered flag at the conclusion of the 1992 Miami Grand Prix on the Bicentennial Park circuit.

Miami is also home to the Miami Open for professional tennis, numerous greyhound racing tracks, marinas, jai alai venues, and golf courses. The city streets has hosted professional auto races, the Miami Indy Challenge and later the Grand Prix Americas, whereas the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval located 35 miles (56 km) southwest currently hosts NASCAR national races, and the Miami International Autodrome has hosted the Grand Prix of Miami (sports car racing) or Miami Grand Prix in Formula One since 2022. Miami is also home to Paso Fino horses, where competitions are held at Tropical Park Equestrian Center.[3]

Major league teams

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The Miami area is home to five major league sports franchises.[4] Currently, the Miami Heat and the Miami Marlins play their games within Miami's city limits. The Heat play their home games at the Kaseya Center in Downtown Miami. The Miami Marlins home ballpark is LoanDepot Park, located in the Little Havana section of the city on the site of the old Orange Bowl stadium.[5]

The city's first entry into the American Football League was the Miami Dolphins, which competed in the fourth AFL league from 1966 to 1969. In 1970 the Dolphins joined the NFL when the AFL–NFL merger occurred. The team made its first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl VI, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys. The following year, the Dolphins completed the NFL's only perfect season culminating in a Super Bowl win. The 1972 Dolphins were the third NFL team to accomplish a perfect regular season, and they went on to win that year's Super Bowl VII, as well as the next year's Super Bowl VIII. Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games. The Miami Dolphins play their games at Hard Rock Stadium in suburban Miami Gardens.

The Orange Bowl, a member of the College Football Playoff, hosts their college football bowl game annually at Hard Rock Stadium. The stadium has also hosted the Super Bowl; the Miami metro area has hosted the game a total of eleven times (six Super Bowls at the now Hard Rock Stadium, including most recently Super Bowl LIV and five at the Miami Orange Bowl), more than any other metro area. It also had time for a Super Bowl LIV halftime show.

The Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association were formed in 1988 as an expansion team. They have won three league championships (in 2006, 2012 and 2013), and seven conference titles. City also hosted the 1990 NBA All Star Game.

The Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball began play in the 1993 season. They won the World Series in 1997 and 2003. From 1993 until 2011, Hard Rock Stadium also was the home field of the Marlins until their move to LoanDepot Park in 2012.

The Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League were founded in 1993 as an expansion team. They have made three appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing in 1996 and 2023, and winning in 2024. They play in nearby Sunrise at the Amerant Bank Arena.

Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer was founded in 2018 as an expansion team. Inter Miami CF will play their first couple of seasons at the Chase Stadium, which was built on the site of the former Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.[6] The site, which includes a 50,000 square-foot training facility, will remain the permanent training complex for the Clubs’ teams, including its youth Academy and Inter Miami CF II.[7] After their first couple of seasons, construction should start on the Miami Freedom Park and be completed in the coming years. On August 19, in the 2023 Leagues Cup final against Nashville SC, Inter Miami won its first-ever Leagues Cup title, winning 10–9 in penalties after a 1–1 draw.[8]

Miami area major league professional teams
Club Sport Miami area location since League Venue Titles in Miami
Miami Dolphins American football 1965 National Football League Hard Rock Stadium 1972 (VII), 1973 (VIII)
Miami Heat Basketball 1988 National Basketball Association Kaseya Center 2006, 2012, 2013
Miami Marlins Baseball 1993 Major League Baseball LoanDepot Park 1997, 2003
Florida Panthers Ice hockey 1993 National Hockey League Amerant Bank Arena 2024
Inter Miami CF Soccer 2018 Major League Soccer Chase Stadium

Other professional teams

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Miami area's other professional sports teams
Club Sport City League Venue League Championships
Atletico Miami CF Soccer Miami & unincorporated Miami United Premier Soccer League Tropical Park Stadium & Curtis Park None
Miami Heretics Esports Miami & Orlando Call of Duty League N/A None
Florida Mayhem Esports Miami & Orlando Overwatch League N/A Overwatch League champions: 2023
Inter Miami CF II Soccer Fort Lauderdale MLS Next Pro Chase Stadium None
Jupiter Hammerheads Baseball Jupiter Florida State League Roger Dean Stadium Florida State League champions: 2023
Miami FC Soccer Unincorporated Miami USL Championship Pitbull Stadium NASL 2017 Regular Season (fall & spring)
National Premier Soccer League Champions (2) (2018, 2019)
NISA (2019)
Miami United FC Soccer Hialeah National Premier Soccer League Ted Hendricks Stadium None
Palm Beach Cardinals Baseball Jupiter Florida State League Roger Dean Stadium Florida State League champions (3): 2005, 2017, 2024
FC Miami City Soccer Lauderhill USL League Two Central Broward Park Stadium None
Miami Dade FC Soccer Unincorporated Miami United Premier Soccer League Tropical Park Stadium N\A
Miami Sharks Rugby Union Miami Major League Rugby AutoNation Sports Field N/A

College sports

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Greater Miami is home to many college sports teams with football and basketball having preeminent status. The most prominent are the University of Miami Hurricanes whose football team plays at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and whose men's and women's basketball teams play at Watsco Center on the University of Miami's campus in Coral Gables. The Florida Atlantic University Owls football team plays at FAU Stadium, and its men's basketball team plays at FAU Arena in Boca Raton. The Florida International University Panthers football team plays at Pitbull Stadium, and its basketball team plays at Ocean Bank Convocation Center in University Park.

Miami area college sports teams
College / Athletics Football
(average attendance) 		Basketball
(average attendance) 		Division Conference
Miami Hurricanes Miami Hurricanes football (53,837) Miami Hurricanes men's basketball (5,777) D-I Atlantic Coast Conference
Florida Atlantic Owls FAU football (18,948) FAU basketball (1,190) D-I American Athletic Conference
FIU Panthers FIU football (15,453) FIU basketball (1,474) D-I Conference USA

Defunct and relocated teams

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A number of defunct teams were located in Miami, including:

The Miami Fusion, a defunct Major League Soccer team, played at Lockhart Stadium in nearby Broward County. The Miami Kickers, a Women's Premier Soccer League, played at American Heritage School in Plantation, Broward County.

In 1946, the Miami Seahawks played in the All-America Football Conference for one season, 1946, and then folded.

In 1996, Miami acquired the AFL team the Sacramento Attack, which was renamed as the Miami Hooters (due to its association with the Florida-based Hooters restaurant chain), and it played from 1993 to 1995. In 1996, the association with the chain was completed, and the team moved to West Palm Beach and renamed as the Florida Bobcats.

Boxing

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Miami has hosted numerous boxing matches including high profile bouts at the Hard Rock Stadium.[9][10][11]

Mixed Martial Arts

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Miami has hosted high profile Mixed Martial Arts bouts at the Kaseya Center including the following notable bouts:

Wrestling

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Miami has hosted well known high profile wrestling event bouts by WWE, World Championship Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, & Ring of Honor.

2017 International Champions Cup

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El Clásico at Hard Rock Stadium, July 2017

Miami hosted a duel match of El Clásico for the 2017 International Champions Cup on 29 July 2017 at the Hard Rock Stadium.[12]

2024 Copa América

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See also: 2024 Copa América final

Miami is going to host 2024 Copa América matches including the Final at the Hard Rock Stadium.[13]

2026 FIFA World Cup

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See also: United 2026 FIFA World Cup bid

Miami will be one of eleven US host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with matches set to be played at Hard Rock Stadium.[14]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ All four teams of the Tropical Hockey League—the Miami Clippers, Miami Beach Pirates, Coral Gables Seminoles, and Havana Tropicals—played in the Miami Coliseum in nearby Coral Gables

[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Sports". Greater Miami & Miami Beach. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  2. ^ "Miami's vice: Star power lacking in South Florida sports scene". ESPN.com. 2019-08-24. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  3. ^ "Miami Dade CountryFest".
  4. ^ "Miami Mount Rushmore of Sports: Dan Marino, Dwyane Wade, Bob Griese, Alonzo Mourning voted best of the best | Sporting News". www.sportingnews.com. 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  5. ^ "Sports | Miami Dolphins, Heat, Marlins, Hurricanes Football | WPLG Local 10". WPLG. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  6. ^ "Chase Stadium". intermiamicf. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  7. ^ "Beckham's Inter Miami gets green light for Lockhart site | Miami Herald". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2019-07-11.
  8. ^ "Messi scores, Callender shines, Inter Miami wins League Cup in 11-round PK shootout". Miami Herald. 2023-08-19. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  9. ^ "Boxing | Flashback Miami". Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  10. ^ "Miami- a boxing city - World Boxing Council". 2021-02-14. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  11. ^ "5th St. Gym".
  12. ^ "Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (Jul 29, 2017) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  13. ^ "Copa America 2024".
  14. ^ FIFA announces hosts cities for FIFA World Cup 2026™
  15. ^ "Havana Tropicals". Vintage Ice Hockey. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
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