Houston, We Have A Victory: A Tour of the City’s Pro Sports Teams

Houston sports fans are used to being in the thick of it when it comes to competition in the Bayou City. Sports events in Houston have attracted fans from every ward since the sunny, Gulf Coast metropolis began hosting professional teams in the early ’60s, and they’ve been rewarded with equal shine from championship rosters in the NBA, MLS and MLB.

Get in the inner loop, and learn about the history and culture of Houston’s sports teams below.

Major League / Professional Sports in Houston

Football

Houston Texans

• League: NFL
• Division: AFC South
• Founded: 2002
• Home Stadium: NRG Stadium

The Houston Texans are the youngest franchise in the NFL, but they’ve built quite an impressive résumé since their first season in 2002. Although the Texans aren’t Houston sports fans’ first rodeo when it comes to football – the Houston Oilers played in the NFL from 1960 to 1996 — the relatively new team has already passed their predecessors’ total Division titles. The team plays home games at NRG Stadium, including annual matchups with AFC South rivals the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts, and the team’s fight song won’t let you forget: it’s always “Football Time in Houston.” Get NRG Stadium tickets and Houston Texans tickets at Ticketmaster.

Basketball

Houston Rockets

• League: NBA
• Division: Southwest
• Founded: 1971
• Home Arena: Toyota Center

The Houston Rockets tipped off in Houston for the first time in 1971 and have remained in the NBA’s upper orbit ever since. Following early Rockets legends like Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone and Ralph Sampson, the Clutch City championship teams, led by two-time MVP Hakeem Olajuwon, brought home back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. The Rockets have played home games at Toyota Center since 2003 with big matchups including the I-10 Rivalry with the San Antonio Spurs and I-45 Rivalry with the Dallas Mavericks, along with Southwest Division opponents the New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies. Get Toyota Center tickets and Houston Rockets tickets at Ticketmaster.

Baseball

Houston Astros

• League: MLB
• Division: AL West
• Founded: 1962
• Home Arena: Minute Maid Park

The Houston Astros are the longest active baseball franchise in Texas. For years, the Astros played at the locally beloved Astrodome, but moved to the downtown Minute Maid Park, nicknamed The Juice Box, in 2000. The ‘Stros hosted the Lone Star State’s first World Series in 2005, but wouldn’t hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy themselves until 2017. After that, the club couldn’t seem to stay away from the series, earning AL pennants in 2019, 2021 and 2022 and winning their second title in 2022. The Astros compete annually in one of the biggest MLB rivalries of all-time, the Lone Star Series against in-state opponents the Texas Rangers, as well as rivalry games against the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals. Get Minute Maid Park tickets and Houston Astros tickets at Ticketmaster.

Soccer

Houston Dynamo FC

• League: MLS
• Conference: Western
• Founded: 2006
• Home Arena: Shell Energy Stadium

The Dynamo have brought the heat to Houston since their inaugural season, when the club captured the 2006 MLS Cup. More impressively, the Orange Crush became the second Houston sports team to win back-to-back championships after securing their second cup in 2007. The club reached the Finals match again in 2011 and 2012. Outside of the MLS Cup, the Dynamo won the U.S. Open Cup in 2018 and 2023. At home games, the city’s passion for the men’s soccer club is shown in the stands by their active supporters clubs. Get Shell Energy Stadium tickets and Houston Dynamo tickets at Ticketmaster.

Collegiate Sports & Other Professional Teams in Houston

The Houston Dash joined the NWSL in 2014 and play at Shell Energy Stadium. The professional women’s soccer club won the inaugural NWSL Challenge Cup in 2020.

Collegiate Houston sports teams include the University of Houston Cougars, who compete in the Big 12 Conference and play home games at TDECU Stadium for football and the Fertitta Center for basketball. The Rice University Owls are the local rivals of UH despite being members of the American Athletic Conference (ACC), but the two football teams still duke it out in the annual Bayou Bucket Classic.