Expansion team
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An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also hope that the expansion of their competition will grow the popularity of the sport generally. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues but is applied to sports leagues in other countries with a closed franchise system of league membership. The term refers to the expansion of the sport into new areas. The addition of an expansion team sometimes results in the payment of an expansion fee to the league by the new team and an expansion draft to populate the new roster.
Reasons for expansion
In North America, expansion often takes place in response to
Leagues that are new and/or financially struggling may also admit large numbers of expansion teams so that the existing franchises can pocket more revenue from expansion fees.
When an expansion team begins play, it is generally stocked with less talented free agents, inexperienced players, and veterans nearing retirement. Additionally, prospective owners may face expensive fees to the league as well as high startup costs such as stadiums and facilities. The team is also at a disadvantage in that it has not been together as a team as long as its opponents and thus lacks the cohesiveness other teams have built over years. As a result, most expansion teams are known for their poor play during their first seasons. Expansion teams must also compete with any expansion rivals for available talent, a common problem since leagues often expand by two or four teams in one season.
Expansion teams are not necessarily doomed to mediocrity, however, as most leagues have policies which promote parity, such as drafts and salary caps, which give some expansion teams the opportunity to win championships only a few years after their first season. In
The National Football League (NFL), despite being considered the most generous in its revenue sharing and the strictest with its salary cap, has had far more difficulty bringing expansion teams up to par with their more established brethren. Of the six teams to have been added to the NFL since the AFL–NFL merger, the fastest turnaround between an inaugural season and the team's first Super Bowl victory was 27 seasons (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, established in 1976, won Super Bowl XXXVII in the 2002 season); none of the four teams to hold expansion drafts since 1995[note 1] have ever won that contest, with only one, the Carolina Panthers (who reached the game in their 9th and 21st seasons of existence) playing in the game. In 1996, the Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars each made it to their respective conference championship games in their second season in the league.
Expansion teams are usually considered as such in their first season and sometimes in their second season. A team that moves to another location and/or changes its name is not an expansion team. If it moves, it is known as a relocated team, and if the name changes, the team is known as a renamed team. In response to a negative attitude that some fans have towards relocated teams,[
Cities and regions with large populations that lack a team are generally regarded to be the best candidates for new teams. In
Expansion teams in North America
Major League Baseball (MLB)
The National League had an eight-team lineup established in 1900, mirrored by the eight charter franchises of the American League in 1901. This list enumerates franchises added since this "Classic Eight" era.
- 1961: Los Angeles Angels; Washington Senators (now Texas Rangers)
- 1962: Houston Colt .45s (now Houston Astros); New York Mets
- 1969: Kansas City Royals; Montreal Expos (now Washington Nationals); San Diego Padres; Seattle Pilots (now Milwaukee Brewers)
- 1977: Seattle Mariners; Toronto Blue Jays
- 1993: Colorado Rockies; Florida Marlins (now Miami Marlins)
- 1998: Arizona Diamondbacks; Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now Tampa Bay Rays)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Eight charter franchises of the NBA (founded in 1950 via merger of the BAA and NBL) are still active.
- 1961: Chicago Packers (later Chicago Zephyrs, then Baltimore Bullets, then Capital Bullets, then Washington Bullets, now Washington Wizards)
- 1966: Chicago Bulls
- 1967: )
- 1968: Milwaukee Bucks; Phoenix Suns
- 1970: San Diego Clippers, now Los Angeles Clippers); Portland Trail Blazers
- 1974: New Orleans Jazz (now Utah Jazz)
- 1976: New York Nets (later New Jersey Nets, now merger with American Basketball Association(ABA).
- 1980: Dallas Mavericks
- 1988: Miami Heat; Charlotte Hornets
- 1989: Minnesota Timberwolves; Orlando Magic
- 1995: Vancouver Grizzlies (now Memphis Grizzlies); Toronto Raptors
- 2002: New Orleans Hornets (now New Orleans Pelicans) – The Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans in 2002 and in 2013 renamed themselves the New Orleans Pelicans. Subsequently, the original Charlotte Hornets' history was assumed by the revived Charlotte Hornets (previously Charlotte Bobcats; see below). Hence, the Pelicans are retrospectively considered to be an expansion team that began play in the 2002–03 season, while the Charlotte Hornets are considered to have suspended operations from 2002 until 2004.[2]
- 2004: Charlotte Bobcats enter the league and hold an expansion draft. In 2014 the team was renamed the Charlotte Hornets (see above) and received possession of the history and records of the Charlotte Hornets prior to 2002. Hence, the Bobcats are retrospectively considered to be a revival of the previous Charlotte franchise, rather than an expansion team.
American Basketball Association (ABA)
There’s only one expansion team in the whole history of the ABA.
- 1972: San Diego Conquistadors
National Football League (NFL)
Only extant teams are listed. Two charter franchises, the
- 1921: Green Bay Packers, previously an independent, join the league.
- 1925: another team of the same namethat left the league after one season in 1921)
- 1930: Portsmouth Spartans (now Detroit Lions), previously of the Ohio League, join the NFL.
- 1932: Boston Braves (now 1931 Cleveland Indians, who in turn replaced the Orange/Newark Tornadoes, a 1929 expansion team that left the league in 1931.
- 1933: Philadelphia Eagles — replaced the Frankford Yellow Jackets, a 1924 expansion team that folded in 1931; Pittsburgh Pirates (now Pittsburgh Steelers), previously the Rooneys of the Western Pennsylvania Senior Independent Football Conference, join the league.
- 1937: Cleveland Rams (now Los Angeles Rams) join, having previously played in the 1936 American Football League.
- 1950: Three teams joined the NFL after a partial merger with the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC), two of which survive: Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers
- 1953: AAFC Baltimore Colts, who were the third AAFC team to join the NFL but folded in 1950. They replaced the position held by several franchises, dating back to another charter franchise, the Dayton Triangles.
- 1960: Dallas Cowboys
- 1961: Minnesota Vikings
- 1966: Atlanta Falcons
- 1967: New Orleans Saints
- 1970: Boston Patriots (now San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers) join NFL after merger with the 1960 American Football League(AFL).
- 1976: Seattle Seahawks; Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 1995: Carolina Panthers; Jacksonville Jaguars
- 1996: Baltimore Ravens — The Cleveland Browns effectively relocate to Baltimore and become the Ravens, though the legacy of the Browns stays in Cleveland for a future revival of the franchise (see below). Hence the Baltimore Ravens are officially considered an expansion team that began play in the 1996 season.
- 1999: The Cleveland Browns are revived, hold an expansion draft, and receive sole possession of the history and records of the Browns prior to 1996. The Browns are retrospectively considered to be a revival of the previous Cleveland Browns franchise, rather than an expansion team.
- 2002: Houston Texans
American Football League
Two teams from the AFL of the 1960s were expansion teams in that league. Both joined the AFL after the merger with the NFL was agreed to, but before it was finalized.
- 1966: Miami Dolphins
- 1968: Cincinnati Bengals
National Hockey League (NHL)
The NHL had a six-team lineup established in 1942. This list enumerates the teams added since the "Original Six" era.
- 1967: California Seals (defunct; later Cleveland Barons; merged with Minnesota North Stars in 1978); Philadelphia Flyers; Pittsburgh Penguins; St. Louis Blues
- 1970: Buffalo Sabres; Vancouver Canucks
- 1972: Atlanta Flames (now Calgary Flames); New York Islanders
- 1974: Kansas City Scouts (later Colorado Rockies, now New Jersey Devils); Washington Capitals
- 1979: merger with World Hockey Association(WHA).
- 1991: San Jose Sharks
- 1992: Ottawa Senators; Tampa Bay Lightning
- 1993: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (now Anaheim Ducks); Florida Panthers
- 1998: Nashville Predators
- 1999: Atlanta Thrashers (now current Winnipeg Jets)
- 2000: Columbus Blue Jackets; Minnesota Wild
- 2017: Vegas Golden Knights
- 2021: Seattle Kraken
- 2024: Utah NHL team – for intents and purposes, the Arizona Coyotes roster and personnel are relocated to Salt Lake City as an expansion franchise. The Coyotes franchise was deactivated by the NHL for five years with its intellectual property, colors, history remaining behind in Phoenix pending construction of a new arena by 2029.
Major League Soccer (MLS)
- 1998: Chicago Fire FC (originally Chicago Fire SC); Miami Fusion (contracted in 2002)
- 2005: Chivas USA (folded by the league in 2014); Real Salt Lake
- 2006: Houston Dynamo – In 2005, the San Jose Earthquakesrelocated to Houston, considered to be a new expansion team, while the Earthquakes were put on hiatus.
- 2007: Toronto FC; revived San Jose Earthquakes
- 2009: Seattle Sounders FC
- 2010: Philadelphia Union
- 2011: Portland Timbers; Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- 2012: Montreal Impact (now CF Montréal)
- 2015: New York City FC; Orlando City SC
- 2017: Atlanta United FC; Minnesota United FC
- 2018: Los Angeles FC
- 2019: FC Cincinnati
- 2020: Inter Miami CF; Nashville SC
- 2021: Austin FC
- 2022: Charlotte FC
- 2023: St. Louis City SC
- 2025: San Diego FC
Canadian Football League (CFL)
- 1993: Sacramento Gold Miners (defunct) – The first entry in the league's failed attempt to expand into the U.S. After the 1994 season, the team relocated to San Antonio and played as the San Antonio Texans before folding after the 1995 season.
- 1994:
- Baltimore Stallions (technically defunct) – The Stallions were the most successful team in the CFL's U.S. experiment, winning the Grey Cup in 1995. However, the impending relocation of the NFL's Cleveland Browns to Baltimore led the team to depart for Montreal, where it became the current version of the Montreal Alouettes. Despite this history, the CFL does not recognize the link between the Stallions and Alouettes, instead treating the Alouettes as a continuation of past CFL teams in Montreal.
- Las Vegas Posse (defunct) – Also part of the CFL's failed U.S. experiment
- Shreveport Pirates (defunct) – Also part of the CFL's failed U.S. experiment
- 1995: Birmingham Barracudas (defunct); Memphis Mad Dogs (defunct)
- 2002: Ottawa Renegades (defunct, though now treated by the CFL as the same team as the past Ottawa Rough Riders and current Ottawa Redblacks)
- 2014: Ottawa Redblacks
National Lacrosse League (NLL)
- 1989: Boston Blazers; defunct)
- 1990: Pittsburgh Bulls (defunct)
- 1992: Buffalo Bandits
- 1995: Rochester Knighthawks
- 1996: Charlotte Cobras (defunct)
- 1998: Ontario Raiders (now Toronto Rock); Syracuse Smash (later Ottawa Rebel; defunct)
- 2000: Vancouver Stealth; now Vancouver Warriors)
- 2001: Columbus Landsharks (later Arizona Sting; defunct)
- 2002: Calgary Roughnecks; Montreal Express (defunct); New Jersey Storm (later Anaheim Storm; defunct); Vancouver Ravens (defunct)
- 2005: Minnesota Swarm (now Georgia Swarm)
- 2006: Portland Lumberjax(defunct)
- 2007: Chicago Shamrox (defunct); New York Titans (later Orlando Titans; defunct)
- 2009: Boston Blazers(second iteration; defunct)
- 2019: Philadelphia Wings
- 2020: Halifax Thunderbirds, New York Riptide
- 2021: Panther City Lacrosse Club
- 2022: Las Vegas Desert Dogs
Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
- 2006: Chicago Machine (later the second iteration of the Rochester Rattlers and Dallas Rattlers) (defunct); Denver Outlaws; Los Angeles Riptide (defunct); San Francisco Dragons(defunct)
- 2009: Toronto Nationals (later Rochester Rattlers, though the name, colors and team history remained in Rochester) (defunct)
- 2012: Ohio Machine (defunct); Charlotte Hounds (hiatus then defunct with the PLL merger)
- 2014: Florida Launch (Though the league considers it an expansion, it was a relocation of the management and player assets from the Hamilton Nationals, though the name, colors, and team history remained in Hamilton.) (defunct)
- 2016: Atlanta Blaze (defunct)
- 2020: Connecticut Hammerheads (defunct with the PLL merger)
Major League Rugby (MLR)
Six of the seven charter franchises from 2018 remain active.
- 2019: Rugby United New York; Toronto Arrows
- 2020: Rugby ATL
- 2021: LA Giltinis (defunct)
- 2022: Dallas Jackals
- 2023: Chicago Hounds
- 2024: Miami Sharks
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
- 1998: Detroit Shock (later the Tulsa Shock, now Dallas Wings); Washington Mystics
- 1999: Orlando Miracle (now the Connecticut Sun); Minnesota Lynx
- 2000: Indiana Fever; Seattle Storm; Miami Sol (folded); Portland Fire (folded)
- 2006: Chicago Sky
- 2008: Atlanta Dream
- 2025: Golden State WNBA team
National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
- 2014: Houston Dash
- 2016: Orlando Pride
- 2017: North Carolina Courage (roster relocated from folded Western New York Flash)
- 2018: Utah Royals FC (roster relocated from folded FC Kansas City)
- 2021: Racing Louisville FC; Kansas City Current (roster relocated from folded Utah Royals FC)
- 2022: Angel City FC; San Diego Wave FC
- 2024: Bay FC; revival of Utah Royals (without "FC")
- 2026: NWSL Boston
Canadian Premier League (CPL)
- 2020: Atlético Ottawa
- 2023: Vancouver FC
Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)
- 2020: Ottawa BlackJacks
- 2022: Montreal Alliance; Scarborough Shooting Stars; Newfoundland Growlers
- 2023: Winnipeg Sea Bears
Junior League expansion teams
Ontario Hockey League
- 1981: Belleville Bulls (Now the Hamilton Bulldogs)
- 1982: Guelph Platers (Later the Owen Sound Platers; now the Owen Sound Attack)
- 1990: )
- 1995: Barrie Colts
- 1996: Mississauga St. Michael's Majors; now the Mississauga Steelheads)
- 1998: Brampton Battalion (Now the North Bay Battalion); Mississauga IceDogs (Now the Niagara IceDogs)
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
- 2005: Saint John Sea Dogs; St. John's Fog Devils (became Montreal Junior Hockey Club in 2008 and Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in 2011)
- 2012: Sherbrooke Phoenix
Western Hockey League
- 1991: Tacoma Rockets (Now the Kelowna Rockets)
- 1992: Red Deer Rebels
- 1995: Calgary Hitmen
- 1996: Edmonton Ice (Moved to Cranbrook, British Columbia two years later and changed their name to the Kootenay Ice, now Winnipeg Ice)
- 2001: Vancouver Giants
- 2003: Everett Silvertips
- 2006: Chilliwack Bruins (Moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 2011 and became the Victoria Royals)
- 2007: Edmonton Oil Kings
Expansion teams in Australia and New Zealand
A-League Men
- 2007–08: Wellington Phoenix
- 2009–10: Gold Coast United and Northern Fury FC (defunct)
- 2010–11: Melbourne Heart (now Melbourne City since 2014–15 A-League season)
- 2012–13: Western Sydney Wanderers
- 2019–20: Western United
- 2020–21: Macarthur FC
- 2024–25: Auckland and Canberra
Australian Baseball League
- 2018: Auckland Tuatara; Geelong-Korea (both folded after 2020 season)
Australian Football League
- 1908: Richmond Tigers (relocated from the VFA), University (dropped out of competition and folded at the end of 1914)
- 1925: Hawthorn Hawks, North Melbourne Kangaroos and Footscray Bulldogs (became Western Bulldogs in 1996). All three teams relocated from the VFA.
- 1987: Brisbane Bears (now Brisbane Lions); West Coast Eagles
- 1991: Adelaide Crows
- 1995: Fremantle Dockers
- 1997: Port Adelaide Power (had history/links from the successful Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL)
- 2011: Gold Coast Suns
- 2012: Greater Western Sydney Giants
- 2028: Tasmania FC (planned)
AFL Women's
AFL Women's, launched in 2017 with 8 teams, is operated by the Australian Football League, with all teams fielded by AFL clubs. The league expanded to 10 teams prior to the 2019 season and 14 prior to the 2020 season. In 2023, the remaining four AFL clubs launched women's sides.
- 2019: Geelong; North Melbourne
- 2020: Gold Coast Suns; Richmond; St Kilda; West Coast Eagles
- 2023: Essendon, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, Sydney Swans
National Basketball League
- 1980: Coburg Giants (later became North Melbourne Giants in 1987–1998); Launceston Casino City(defunct)
- 1981: Forestville Eagles (now currently playing NBL1 Central)
- 1982: Adelaide City Eagles (now Adelaide 36ers); Geelong Cats (now Geelong Supercats until 1996 but now currently playing NBL1 South); Westate Wildcats (now Perth Wildcats)
- 1983: Devonport Warriors (defunct); Hobart Devils (defunct)
- 1984: Melbourne Tigers (now Melbourne United)
- 1988: West Sydney Westars)
- 1990: Gold Coast Cougars (defunct, later known as Gold Coast Rollers)
- 1992: South East Melbourne Magic (defunct)
- 1993: Townsville Suns (now Townsville Crocodiles since 1998)
- 1998: Sydney Spirit; defunct)
- 1999: Cairns Taipans
- 2004: Hunter Pirates (defunct); New Zealand Breakers
- 2006: Singapore Slingers (defunct); South Dragons (defunct)
- 2007: Gold Coast Blaze (defunct)
- 2019: South East Melbourne Phoenix
- 2021: Tasmania JackJumpers
National Rugby League
- 1910: Annandale
- 1920: University
- 1921: St. George Dragons
- 1935: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
- 1947: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles; Parramatta Eels
- 1967: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks; Penrith Panthers
- 1982: Canberra Raiders; Illawarra Steelers (now part of joint venture with St. George Dragons)
- 1988: Gold Coast-Tweed Giants (later Chargers, now defunct); Newcastle Knights
- 1995: Auckland Warriors (now Western Reds(now defunct)
- 1998: Melbourne Storm; Adelaide Rams (now defunct)
- 1999: St George Illawarra Dragons (Joint venture between St. George Dragons and Illawarra Steelers)
- 2000: Wests Tigers (joint venture between Western Suburbs Magpies and Balmain Tigers)
- 2000: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles) (now defunct; reverted to Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles)
- 2007: Gold Coast Titans
- 2023: The Dolphins
New South Wales Cup
- 2007: Auckland Lions
Northern Territory Football League
Queensland Cup
- 2008: Mackay Cutters; Northern Pride
- 2023: Western Clydesdales
Ron Massey Cup
- 2008: WA Reds
Super League
- 1997: Adelaide Rams (now defunct); Hunter Mariners (now defunct)
Super Rugby
- 2006: Cheetahs and Western Force
- The Cheetahs and Force were both dropped from Super Rugby after the 2017 season. The Cheetahs immediately became an expansion team in Pro14 (now the United Rugby Championship), but ceased Super Rugby operations when the country's four principal Super Rugby sides joined the URC in 2021. The Force later moved to Australia's National Rugby Championship, but after that league folded, it would return to Super Rugby, first in the COVID-era Super Rugby AU before joining the retooled Super Rugby Pacific in 2022.
- 2011: Melbourne Rebels
- 2013: Southern Kings
- The Kings were dropped from Super Rugby at the same time as the Cheetahs and Force, and joined Pro14 alongside the Cheetahs. The team folded in 2020 when a planned takeover bid collapsed in fraud.
- 2016: Jaguares and Sunwolves (both now defunct)
- 2022: Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua
Victorian Football League
- 1998: Bendigo Bombers
- 2001: Tasmanian Devils
West Australian Football League
- 1997: Peel Thunder
Women's National Basketball League
- 1983: AIS (defunct)
- 1984: Bulleen Boomers (now Melbourne Boomers)
- 1986: Canberra Capitals
- 1989: Sydney Uni Flames)
- 1990: Perth Lynx
- 1992: Dandenong Rangers
- 2001: Townsville Fire
- 2007: Bendigo Spirit
- 2008: Logan Thunder (defunct)
- 2015: South East Queensland Stars
Expansion teams in Asia
Asia League Ice Hockey
- 2004: Qiqihar; Golden Amur(all defunct)
- 2005: High1; Nordic Vikings (both defunct)
- 2006: Changchun Fuao; China Hosa(all defunct)
- 2007: China Dragon (as China Sharks) (defunct)
- 2009: Tohoku Free Blades
- 2012: Daemyung Sangmu (defunct)
- 2013: PSK Sakhalin (expelled in 2022)
- 2016: Daemyung Killer Whales (defunct)
- 2019: East Hokkaido Cranes (folded in 2023)
- 2022: Yokohama Grits
Indian Premier League
- 2011: Kochi Tuskers Kerala; Pune Warriors India
- 2016: Rising Pune Supergiants
- 2022: Gujarat Titans; Lucknow Super Giants
Indian Super League
- 2017–2018: Bengaluru FC; Jamshedpur FC
- 2019–2020: Hyderabad FC
- 2020–2021: SC East Bengal
- 2023–2024: RoundGlass Punjab
Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League
- 2018 (debut season): Quezon City Capitals (now Quezon City Toda Aksyon); Valenzuela Classic
- 2018–19: Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines(now Zamboanga Master Sardines)
- 2019–20: Soccsksargen Marlins(now Sarangani Marlins)
- 2023: Negros Muscovados; Quezon Huskers
- 2024: Tarlac United Force(withdrew)
Philippine Basketball Association
- 1978: Filmanbank Bankers (defunct)
- 1979: Gilbey's Gin (now Barangay Ginebra San Miguel)
- 1980: CDCP/Galleon Shippers (defunct)
- 1983: Manhattan Shirtmakers/Country Fair Hotdogs (defunct)
- 1984: Manila Beer Brewmasters (folded after the 1986 season)
- 1985: Shell Azodrin Bugbusters(folded in 2005)
- 1986: Alaska Aces (folded in 2022)
- 1988: Purefoods Hotdogs
- 1990: Pop Cola Sizzlers (folded after the 2001 season); Pepsi Hotshots (now TNT Tropang Giga)
- 1993: Sta. Lucia Realtors (folded in 2010)
- 1999: Tanduay Rhum Masters (folded after the 2001 season)
- 2000: Batang Red Bull Energy Kings (from the PBL, note that the promotion and relegation system was not used.) (folded in 2011)
- 2002: Coca-Cola Tigers(folded in 2012)
- 2006: Welcoat Dragons (from the PBL, note that the promotion and relegation system was not used.) (now Rain or Shine Elasto Painters)
- 2010: Meralco Bolts
- 2011: Shopinas.com Clickers(folded in 2014)
- 2012: GlobalPort Batang Pier
- 2014: Blackwater Elite; Kia Sorento (now Terrafirma Dyip); NLEX Road Warriors
- 2016: Phoenix Fuel Masters
- 2022: Converge FiberXers
Philippines Football League
- 2017 (debut season): Ceres-Negros F.C. (now Kaya F.C.-Iloilo); Loyola F.C. (formerly F.C. Meralco Manila); JPV Marikina F.C. (inactive, reverted to Manila All-Japan F.C. name); Stallion Laguna F.C.
- 2019: Green Archers United F.C. (defunct); Mendiola F.C. 1991; Philippine Air Force F.C.
- 2020: Maharlika Manila(now Maharlika Taguig F.C.)
- 2022-2023: Dynamic Herb Cebu F.C.
- 2024:
Pakistan Super League
- 2018: Multan Sultans
P. LEAGUE+
- 2021: Kaohsiung Steelers
Premier Volleyball League
- 2021 (pro debut): PLDT; Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors(inactive)
- 2022: F2 Logistics (defunct); Akari Chargers
- 2023: Galeries Highrisers; Farm Fresh Foxies
- 2024: Strong Group Athletics; Capital1 Solar Spikers
Expansion teams in Europe
Kontinental Hockey League
- 2009: Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
- 2010: HC Yugra
- 2011: Lev Poprad – This team, based in Slovakia, was purchased after its first KHL season (2011–12) by Czech interests. It was disbanded and replaced by the similarly named Lev Praha. The latter team folded at the end of the 2013–14 season.
- 2012: HC Donbass; Slovan Bratislava
- Donbass left the KHL after the 2013–14 season. The team joined what is now known as the Ukrainian Hockey League in 2015–16.
- 2013: KHL Medveščak(from Zagreb, Croatia)
- Medveščak, which had joined from the Austrian Hockey League, withdrew from the KHL after the 2016–17 season to rejoin the Austrian league.
- Medveščak, which had joined from the
- 2014: Sochi; Jokerit (from Helsinki, Finland)
- 2016: Kunlun Red Star(from Beijing, China)
- 2023: Lada Togliatti
United Rugby Championship
Originally known as the Celtic League, and later as Pro12 and Pro14.
- 2010:
- Zebre.
- Benetton Treviso – Founded in 1932, it competed in Italian domestic leagues before joining the competition originally known as the Celtic League, later known as Pro12 and now as Pro14.
- 2017:
- Cheetahs
- Southern Kings
- These teams had played in Super Rugby before that competition's governing body, SANZAAR, axed three teams at the end of the 2017 season. Both had themselves been Super Rugby expansion teams; the Cheetahs entered in 2006 and the Kings in 2013. The Kings were liquidated prior to the 2020–21 season when a planned takeover bid collapsed in fraud; the Cheetahs left after that season.
- 2021:
Super League
- 1995: Paris Saint-Germain RL (now defunct)
- 2006: the 2009 season, and Les Catalans retained their place in the league.
- 2009:
- League 1, two levels below Super League.
- the 2007 season.
- 2012: 2005.
VTB United League
- 2010: Tsmoki-Minsk(formerly Minsk-2006)
- 2022: Samara; MBA Moscow
Expansion teams in Africa
Vodacom Cup
- 2010:
- Welwitschias (a developmental side for the Namibia national rugby union team) – This was the second time Namibia participated in the competition; it entered a team from 1999 to 2001. The team withdrew from the competition after the 2011 season due to financial constraints. They remained in the Vodacom Cup until the competition was scrapped after its 2015 season. The team now features in the Vodacom Cup's successor competition, the Rugby Challenge.
- IRB Pacific Cup from 2014. At that time, it was also expected that Argentina would be added to Super Rugby in the near future,[3]and the country would eventually receive a Super Rugby team beginning in 2016.
eSports
League of Legends
The
LCS expansion teams
- Team Liquid (2015)
- Winterfox (2015; folded 2016)
- Gravity Gaming → Echo Fox (2015; folded 2019)
- Immortals(2016)
- Phoenix1(2016; folded 2018)
- Flyquest(2017)
- 100 Thieves (2018)
- Golden Guardians (2018)
- Evil Geniuses (2020)
LEC expansion teams
- Elements(2015; folded 2016)
- SK Gaming (2015)
- Schalke 04(2016)
- Splyce → MAD Lions (2016)
- G2 Esports (2016)
- Team Vitality (2016)
- Excel Esports (2019)
- Rogue (2019)
Notes
- 1999 NFL Draft. The Browns have not appeared in the Super Bowl since returning to the league.
References
- ^ "Commissioner Garber: Next round of MLS expansion "likely happening in 2020"". MLSSoccer.com. MLS Digital. April 14, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ Rochinski, Matt (May 20, 2014). "Charlotte Hornets Name Returns to Carolinas". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ^ "Radical changes as Argentina plans for the future". ESPN Scrum. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.