Cities Who Hold The Title Of “Most Sports Championship Wins” And Those Who Fall Short
The United States is a sports-fueled country with ride-or-die fans living in each state, cheering on the professional leagues during their seasons and, hopefully, major championships. Not all cities are lucky enough to win those titles, though.
While New York has 50 titles under its belt, Portland has four! Keep reading to learn where your city’s championship numbers rank.
Chicago, Illinois: 20 Championships
Chicago, Illinois, has some great fans who have cheered on their teams to 20 championship victories. The top professional teams leading the charge to that number are the Cubs and White Sox, the Bulls, and the Blackhawks, all of which have six championships.
This city has also produced some of the greatest athletes of all time, including Michael Jordan, who helped the Bulls win all six of their titles.
San Francisco, California: 8 Championships
The San Francisco Bay Area in California has some of the most iconic teams in the country, including the Giants, Golden State Warriors, and the San Francisco 49ers. It’s actually the latter that contributed the most to the city’s eight championship count.
Since its debut in 1946, the 49ers have won five titles.
Detroit, Michigan: 21 Championships
While most other cities see their basketball, football, or even baseball teams holding the title of most championship wins, the same can’t be said for Detroit, Michigan. In this city, the title goes to their NHL team, the Red Wings, who have 11 championship titles.
Some of Detroit’s favorite Red Wing players include Darren McCarty, Vladimir Konstantinov, and Larry Murphy, all of whom were part of championship-winning teams.
Boston, Massachusetts: 39 Championships
Home of the NBA team, the Celtics, the New England Patriots, the NHL Bruins, the MLB team, the Red Sox, and more, Boston, Massachusetts, is the second-highest city with the most sports championships under its belt: 39.
Even though Patriots fans love Tom Brady, the NFL team isn’t leading the city in championships. That title goes to the Celtics, who have 17 championship wins.
New York, New York: 50 Championships
New York is home to many professional teams, including the Yankees and Mets in the MLB, the Giants and Jets in the NFL, the Rangers in the NHL, the Knicks in the NBA, and more. It’s no wonder they’ve won 50 championships since the debut of each league.
Between the leagues, though, the highest amount of titles goes to the two MLB teams that have been part of New York’s history — the Yankees since 1901 and the Mets since 1962. Together, they have 35 championship titles.
Los Angeles, California: 32 Championships
When it comes to the city of Los Angeles, it isn’t the Dodgers that are pulling the weight. That honor actually goes to the city’s NBA team, the Lakers. Since their debut in 1947, the Lakers have won 12 Championships.
Some of the sport’s best players have found their way to this team, including Kobe Bryant.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: 16 Championships
Former Pittsburgh Steeler Jack Lambert would be happy to know that, compared to the other leagues, the NFL team hold’s the most championship wins in the city with six Super Bowl titles.
Still, Pittsburgh has ten titles outside of their NFL team, including five from the Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) and another five from the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL).
St. Louis, Missouri: 14 Championships
The history of professional sports championship wins in St. Louis, Missouri, pretty much begins and ends with the city’s MLB team, the Cardinals. Since their debut in 1882, this particular MLB team has brought 11 championship titles to the city.
Of course, the 2019 Stanley Cup win for their NHL team, the St. Louis Blues, shouldn’t be left out of the count. Nor should the one championship win of the now-defunct St. Louis Hawks.
Washington D.C.: 12 Championships
The United States capital, Washington D.C., has seen six of its seven professional sports teams bring home a championship title, earning the city a total of 12 championships.
Surprisingly, the Washington Football Team, Washington Wizards, nor the Washington Nationals hold the “league most” when it comes to titles. That goes to D.C. United, the major league soccer team, who have four championship wins under their belt.
Oakland, California: 10 Championships
While the Oakland Athletics MLB team, with their two titles, is the only professional team left in the city, Oakland once had a booming pro-sports scene.
The teams helped lead them to 10 championship titles, including two from the Raiders before they moved to Las Vegas and four from the Golden State Warriors before they moved from San Francisco.
Houston, Texas: 10 Championships
When it comes to Houston, Texas, their ten championships are widely in thanks to the ladies! The city’s former WNBA team, the Houston Comets, brought home four titles while they were still playing there.
Even the men’s team, the Rockets, helped bring two to the count! All six of the NBA/WNBA titles came between 1994 and 2000. What an era for Houston basketball!
Kansas City, Missouri: 8 Championships
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes might be the GOAT in the city, but Kansas City, Missouri, has more than one league that’s helped raise the championship count to a solid eight.
While the Chiefs have two titles under their belt, so do the Kansas City Royals (MLB), Sporting Kansas City (MLS), and FC Kansas City (NWLS).
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 14 Championships
Even though a solid majority of Philadelphia natives are live-or-die Eagles fans, the NFL team doesn’t hold the record for league championship wins in the city (much to former bird’s quarterback Donovan McNabb’s dismay).
The title actually goes to the city’s MLB team, the Phillies, who have seven championship wins.
Seattle, Washington: 8 Championships
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is a legend in Seattle, Washington, as he’s the only QB able to bring home a Super Bowl win for the city. Even so, other professional leagues have helped bring the total number up to eight over the years.
While the Seahawks have one title, the Seattle Storm (WNBA) has four, the Seattle SuperSonics (former NBA) has one, and the Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) has two.
Dallas: 7 Championships
While credit has to go to the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars for winning one title each, they’re most likely always going to be overshadowed with whatever the Cowboys do in life.
In this case, they brought Dallas five Super Bowl titles and star players such as Troy Aikman, Tony Romo, and Dak Prescott.
Milwaukee/Green Bay, Wisconsin: 7 Championships
Bringing the two Wisconsin cities of Milwaukee and Green Bay together, they have a total of seven championship titles. That number is mostly thanks to the NFL team, the Green Bay Packers, who have brought four Super Bowl championships home.
That being said, the Milwaukee Brewers (MLB) have one title, and the Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) have two, with their most recent win being in 2021.
Miami, Florida: 7 Championships
Miami has three distinct eras of professional sports championship wins. The first was in the early 1970s when the Miami Dolphins pulled off back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1972 and 1973.
The next came in 1997 and 2003 when the Marlin’s pulled of surprising World Series wins. And finally the dream team of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh that wound up winning the Mami Heat three titles in 2006, 2012, and 2013.
Denver, Colorado: 6 Championships
The Denver Broncos lead the charge when it comes to league titles in Denver, Colorado. The NFL team first won in 1997 and 1998 behind Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway. The third win came in 2015, backed by another Hall of Famer, Peyton Manning.
The city’s MLS team, the Colorado Rapids, and the NHL team, the Colorado Avalanche, also have championship wins under their belts – one and two, respectively.
Minneapolis, Minnesota: 6 Championships
Championship wins haven’t really come easy for the city of Minneapolis. After the Minneapolis Lakers won four NBA championship titles, the city went on to lose four Super Bowls in seven years!
Even the Minnesota Twins haven’t won a title since their second one in 1991. In total, Minneapolis has six championship wins.
Baltimore, Maryland: 6 Championships
When it comes to championship wins for the city of Baltimore, Maryland, the six victories are spread over two professional sports teams. The first is the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
Replacing the Colts as the city’s football team, the Ravens have brought home two of the city’s three Super Bowl victories. The Orioles also have three championship titles under their belt.
Tampa Bay: 5 Championships
Tampa Bay Lightning legend Steven Stamkos is one of the city’s greatest athletes after helping his team win the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years, 2020 and 2021. It was the NHL team’s third championship win.
That being said, Tom Brady is well on his way to meeting Stamkos on the pedestal. After helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win their third Super Bowl in 2020, who knows what the GOAT will do next!
Cincinnati, Ohio: 5 Championships
While the Cincinnati Bengals have been to the Super Bowl a few times, they have zero wins under their belt. The entire five championship victories for the city are entirely thanks to one team: the Cincinnati Reds.
In the 70s, they were known as the “Big Red Machine,” winning two titles in 1975 and 1976. They also won in 1919, 1940, and 1990.
San Antonio, Texas: 5 Championships
Considering the city of San Antonio, Texas, only has one professional sports franchise, they have a solid number of championship wins! The San Antonio Spurs have five rings to their name, coming from the years 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.
All five of those wins actually came with the help of one of the biggest powerhouses to come out of the NBA, Tim Duncan.
Phoenix, Arizona: 4 Championships
Phoenix might have four championships to its name, but they would have significantly less if it weren’t for the women’s basketball team. With the help of legendary ballplayer Diana Taurasi, the Phoenix Mercury has three won three titles, in 2007, 2009, and in 2014.
The city’s MLB team, the Diamondbacks, also have a title, winning the World Series in 2001.
Newark, New Jersey: 3 Championships
While the New Jersey Nets won two championship titles for the ABA, they do not have a ring while in the NBA, so it is not included in the city’s total. Thankfully, Newark isn’t at a complete loss, thanks to the New Jersey Devils ice hockey team.
The NHL team has three Stanley Cup wins, the complete total of the city.
Portland, Oregon: 4 Championships
In 1977, the Portland Trailblazers won their one NBA championship, largely thanks to the legendary Bill Walton and coaching expertise of Dr. Jack Ramsay. Even so, the city has three more titles to its name, thanks to the men and women soccer leagues.
In 2015, the Portland Timbers (MLS) won their first and only title. The NWSL team, the Portland Thorns FC, has two titles, one in 2017 and the other in 2021.
Cleveland, Ohio: 3 Championships
The Cleveland Cavaliers only have one championship win, and it’s largely in thanks to the skills of LeBron James that they won in 2016. Even though they only have one win, their victory is more well-known than the Cleveland Guardians’ two World Series victories.
Both of their championship wins came way back in 1920 and 1948.
Indianapolis, Indiana: 2 Championships
While the Indiana Pacers won three championships with the ABA, they have none under their belt for the NBA, making it, so their three aren’t added to the total count of the city’s two championships.
Those numbers are from the year Peyton Manning led the Colts to a Super Bowl victory, 2006, and when the Indiana Fever (WNBA) won their title in 2012.
Atlanta, Georgia: 3 Championships
Sorry, but if the Braves started in Atlanta and not Boston and Milwaukee, the franchise would have earned two more championships for the city. Alas, the Atlanta Braves only have two World Series wins in 1995 and 2021.
The third title comes from the professional soccer team, Atlanta United FC, which won the championship in 2018.
Buffalo, New York: 7 Championships
Buffalo, New York, is home to many professional sports leagues but only three have brought home titles to the city. The first was the NFL team, the Bills, who won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1964 and 1965.
Then the Bandits, the city’s professional lacrosse team, won titles in 1992, 1993, 1996, and 2008. The ladies of the Buffalo Beauts ice hockey team joined the party in 2017, winning their first and only title.
