in
Newark home of the NHL's New Jersey Devils and PWHL's New York Sirens. in
Harrison, home of the MLS's New York Red Bulls and NWSL's Gotham FC. The
National Hockey League's
New Jersey Devils, based in
Newark at the
Prudential Center, is the only major league franchise to solely bear the state's name. Founded in 1974 in
Kansas City, Missouri as the
Kansas City Scouts, the team played in
Denver, Colorado as the
Colorado Rockies from 1976 until the spring of 1982 when naval architect, businessman, and
Jersey City native
John J. McMullen purchased and relocated the franchise to
Brendan Byrne Arena in
East Rutherford's Meadowlands Sports Complex under its current identity. While the organization was largely a failure on the ice in Kansas City, Denver, and its first years in New Jersey, the Devils would ultimately begin their rise to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s under the tenure of Hall of Fame president and general manager
Lou Lamoriello, winning the
Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000, and 2003, and act as an annual fixture in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the majority of two decades. The organization is the youngest out of all nine "Big Four" major league teams within the New York Metropolitan Area and media market dominated in terms of ice hockey by the
New York Rangers and
Islanders prior to the Devils' arrival, but has ultimately been successful in establishing a visible and dedicated following throughout the northern and central portions of the state. In 2018, one of the Devils' fiercest rivals, the
Philadelphia Flyers, renovated and expanded their training facility, the Flyers Training Center, in
Voorhees Township in the southern portion of the state. The former
Metropolitan Riveters of the
Premier Hockey Federation played at The Rink at the
American Dream Meadowlands in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in
East Rutherford. While initially beginning in Brooklyn as the New York Riveters, they moved to New Jersey in their 2016 season playing out of the Barnabas Health Hockey House at the Prudential Center. In 2016 the team formed an affiliation with the New Jersey Devils where the team renamed to the Metropolitan Riveters along with changing their uniform and team colors to match the Devils. The Riveters won both the regular season title and the
Isobel Cup in the 2017–18 season. In 2019, this affiliation was terminated between the Devils and the Riveters, which caused the team to revert to their original colors along with finding a new home at the ProSkate Ice Arena in Monmouth Junction. The Premier Hockey Federation ceased operations on June 29, 2023, along with the Riveters. On September 13, 2024, the
New York Sirens of the
Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) announced they would move to the Prudential Center and play 13 of 15 home games of the 2024 season at their new home rink. The club also announced they would move their practice facility to the
Richard J. Codey Arena in
West Orange, the former Devil's practice facility from 1986 to 2007. The New York Metropolitan Area's two
National Football League teams, the
New York Giants and the
New York Jets, both play at
MetLife Stadium in
East Rutherford's Meadowlands Sports Complex. At completion, with a construction cost of approximately $1.6 billion, the venue is the most expensive stadium ever built. in 2001, had the
New York/New Jersey Hitmen playing at Giants Stadium for the only season they played before the
league folded. The New York/New Jersey Hitmen finished in third for the XFL Eastern Division for the season they played. In 2020, the
New York Guardians of the newly revived
XFL began played only two games at MetLife Stadium. After the XFL filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 13, 2020, citing the premature suspension of their season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Guardians ceased operations. The Guardians brand was later transferred to
Orlando. The
New York Red Bulls of
Major League Soccer play in
Sports Illustrated Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium located in
Harrison immediately across the
Passaic River from downtown
Newark. The team was founded in 1994 as the Empire Soccer Club, and renamed to New York/New Jersey Metrostars in 1995 and played under this name until the acquisition of the team by
Red Bull GmbH in 2006, where the team was renamed to the New York Red Bulls and dropped their association with New Jersey in the team's name. For the entire team's history, the team has always played in New Jersey, where Giants Stadium served as the team's home stadium, prior to the opening of Sports Illustrated Stadium in 2010. On July 27, 2011, Sports Illustrated Stadium hosted the
2011 MLS All-Star Game.
Gotham FC was founded in 2008 as Sky Blue FC and began playing in the 2009
Women's Professional Soccer season. After the league was folded in 2012, SkyBlue FC transferred to the
National Women's Soccer League beginning in the 2013 season. In November 2019 it was announced that SkyBlue FC will move from Yurcack Field at
Rutgers University to Sports Illustrated Stadium, for the
2020 NWSL season In April 2021, Sky Blue officially rebranded itself as NJ/NY Gotham FC, Along with the new name, the club introduced a new crest that features the
Statue of Liberty’s crown as it was voted the most recognizable symbol of New Jersey and New York. The crest also displays three letters – an “N” and a hybrid “J/Y”, which acknowledges New Jersey as the club's birthplace while embracing the club's growing New York reach. In 2025, NJ/NY Gotham rebranded to Gotham FC. The
New York Cosmos of the
North American Soccer League (NASL) played at Giants Stadium from 1977 until the league collapsed at the end of the 1984 season. They won the league championship, the NASL
Soccer Bowl, five times. New Jersey hosted seven matches during the
1994 FIFA World Cup at Giants Stadium and is set to host eight matches during the upcoming
2026 FIFA World Cup, including the
final, at MetLife Stadium. Four matches of the
1999 FIFA Women's World Cup were also held at Giants Stadium. The 2016
Copa América Centenario final and three matches, including the semi-finals, of the
2024 Copa América have been played at Metlife Stadium. Several
CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments have also been played at Giants Stadium, MetLife Stadium and Sports Illustrated Stadium. From 1977 to 2012, New Jersey had a
National Basketball Association (NBA) team, the
New Jersey Nets, which last played at the Prudential Center in Newark. In 2012, the team was moved to
Brooklyn and now plays under the
Brooklyn Nets. The Net's former headquarters and training facility in East Rutherford has been renovated into the Meadowlands
YMCA. The
WNBA's
New York Liberty played at the Prudential Center from 2011 to 2013 while
Madison Square Garden was renovated. In 2016, the
Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA opened their new headquarters and training facility, the
Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex, in
Camden.
Major league sports Current New Jersey teams Former New Jersey teams New York metropolitan teams that play in New Jersey Former New York metropolitan teams that played in New Jersey ==Major league professional championships==