Expansion Teams

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 population growth and geographic shifts of population. Such demographic change results in financial opportunities to engage with the new market as consumers of sports demand local teams to support. Major League Baseball (MLB) was limited to 16 teams located north and east of St. Louis, Missouri for the first half of the 20th century. During that time, the United States population doubled and expanded to the south and west. Rival interests explored the possibility of forming a rival league in the untapped markets. To forestall that possibility, one of the measures that MLB took was to expand by four teams in 1961 and 1962. Over the past four decades, MLB expanded further, to its current 30-team membership. In the context of MLB, the term "expansion team" is also used to refer to any of the 14 teams enfranchised in the second half of the 20th century.

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. Indoor American football leagues are notorious for doing so: the leagues can double the number of teams and have many new teams fail within a year or two. Major League Soccer, after spending most of its first decade of existence with relatively stable membership and struggling finances, adopted a policy of continuous expansion beginning in 2005, a policy that the league as of 2017 has no intention of stopping.

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 Major League Baseball (MLB) The Arizona Diamondbacks won the 2001 World Series in their fourth season, and the Florida Marlins won the 1997 World Series in their fifth season. In the NBA, The Milwaukee Bucks won the 1971 NBA Finals in their third year of existence, greatly helped by drafting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1969 draft and acquiring Oscar Robertson from the Cincinnati Royals before the 1970-71 season began. In the NHL, the Florida Panthers made the Stanley Cup Finals in their third season even though, like MLB, the league then had no salary cap; a cap was established in 2005. However, the Vegas Golden Knights quickly emerged as one of the NHL's best teams in its first season. Thanks to a generous expansion draft, the team defied all odds and advanced to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final.

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 1995While the Baltimore Ravens are officially considered an expansion franchise that began play in , they did not stock their roster with an expansion draft, instead taking on the contracts of the former Cleveland Browns players, while the Browns suspended operations for three seasons. The Ravens later won the Super Bowl in their 5th and 17th seasons of existence. Conversely, when the Browns returned to the NFL in , while not an expansion franchise, their initial roster was stocked by an expansion draft and they were given the top pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. The Browns have not appeared in the Super Bowl since returning to the league. 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 , 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, there have recently been instances where relocating clubs change their identity completely; name, colors, and mascot; but because the roster is the same and the league does not expand as a result, they are not regarded as expansion teams. One exception is the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL): when the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore, an agreement was reached for which the trademark and history of the pre-1996 Cleveland Browns remained in that city and was claimed by the post-1999 Browns when the league placed a new franchise there, even though the personnel and roster had moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens. Another exception is the New Orleans Pelicans, who were previously known as the New Orleans Hornets after relocating to New Orleans from Charlotte, N.C., in 2002. After the 2012 sale of the Hornets, new owner Tom Benson changed the name, colors, and mascot from Hornets to Pelicans. The Charlotte Hornets segment of the franchise's history was sold to the then-Charlotte Bobcats (themselves formerly considered a 2004 expansion team) and the 2002 New Orleans Hornets are now officially regarded as an expansion team.

Cities and regions with large populations that lack a team are generally regarded to be the best candidates for new teams. In rugby league, the United Kingdom-based Rugby Football League's Super League has added teams from France and Wales to cover a great demographic spread. The operator of Super League, England's Rugby Football League, has also added teams to the lower levels of its league pyramid, specifically the Championship and League 1, from both France and Wales, and most recently Canada. In rugby union, the competition originally known as the Celtic League and now as Pro14, which began with sides only from the Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, has added teams from Italy and more recently South Africa. The U.S.-based NFL has been laying groundwork for a potential franchise in the UK, with a target date some time in the early to mid-2020s.

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: San Diego Rockets (now Houston Rockets); Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder)
*1968: Milwaukee Bucks; Phoenix Suns
*1970: Cleveland Cavaliers; Buffalo Braves (later 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 Brooklyn Nets), Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs join NBA after 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) – Following the 2014 assumption of the original Charlotte Hornets' history by the revived Charlotte Hornets, the Pelicans are now officially considered an expansion team that began play in the 2002–03 season.

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 Chicago Cardinals (later the St. Louis Cardinals, now the Arizona Cardinals) and Decatur Staleys (now the Chicago Bears), are still active.

*1921: Green Bay Packers, previously an independent, join the league.
*1925: New York Giants (replaced another team of the same name that 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 Washington Commanders) – replaced the 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 (later the St. Louis 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: Baltimore Colts (second) (now Indianapolis Colts); not to be confused with the 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 New England Patriots), Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans), Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders (later the Los Angeles Raiders, now Las Vegas Raiders), and 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 attempted to move to Baltimore and become the Ravens. Following the 1999 assumption of the Cleveland Browns' history by the revived Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Ravens are officially considered an expansion team that began play in the 1996 season, though they did not hold an expansion draft.
*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.
*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: Los Angeles Kings; Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars); 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: Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes), Quebec Nordiques (now Colorado Avalanche), Edmonton Oilers, and original Winnipeg Jets (now Arizona Coyotes) — all join NHL after 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

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 Earthquakes relocated to Houston, considered to be a new expansion team, while the Earthquakes were put on hiatus. A new San Jose Earthquakes team launched in 2007 as an expansion team under new ownership, but maintained the history of the original Earthquakes.
*2007: Toronto FC
*2009: Seattle Sounders FC
*2010: Philadelphia Union
*2011: Portland Timbers; Vancouver Whitecaps FC
*2012: CF Montréal (formerly Montreal Impact)
*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

Canadian Football League, Canadian Football League (CFL)

*1993: Sacramento Gold Miners (defunct) – The first entry in the league's Canadian Football League in the United States, 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 83rd Grey Cup, Grey Cup in 1995 CFL season, 1995. However, the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, 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, National Lacrosse League (NLL)

*1989: Detroit Turbos (defunct); New England Blazers (defunct; previously Boston Blazers)
*1990: Pittsburgh Bulls (defunct)
*1992: Buffalo Bandits
*1995: Rochester Knighthawks
*1996: Charlotte Cobras (defunct)
*1998: Ontario Raiders (now Toronto Rock); Syracuse Smash (defunct; previously Ottawa Rebel)
*2000: Albany Attack (now Vancouver Warriors; previously Vancouver Stealth, San Jose Stealth, and Washington Stealth)
*2001: Columbus Landsharks (defunct; previously Arizona Sting)
*2002: Calgary Roughnecks; Montreal Express (defunct); New Jersey Storm (defunct; previously Anaheim Storm); Vancouver Ravens (defunct)
*2005: Minnesota Swarm (now Georgia Swarm)
*2006: Edmonton Rush (now Saskatchewan Rush); Portland Lumberjax (defunct)
*2007: Chicago Shamrox (defunct); New York Titans (lacrosse), New York Titans (defunct; previously Orlando Titans)
*2009: Boston Blazers (second iteration; defunct)
*2019: San Diego Seals, Philadelphia Wings (2018–), Philadelphia Wings
*2020: Halifax Thunderbirds, New York Riptide
*2021: Panther City Lacrosse Club
*2022: Las Vegas Desert Dogs

Major League Lacrosse, Major League Lacrosse (MLL)

*2006: Rochester Rattlers, 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: Hamilton Nationals, Toronto Nationals (later Hamilton Nationals; though the league considers it an expansion, it was a relocation of the management and player assets from the original Rochester Rattlers, though the name, colors and team history remained in Rochester) (defunct)
*2012: Ohio Machine (defunct); Charlotte Hounds (hiatus)
*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

Major League Rugby, Major League Rugby (MLR)

Six of the seven charter franchises from 2018 remain active.

* 2019: Rugby United New York; Toronto Arrows
* 2020: New England Free Jacks; Old Glory DC; Rugby ATL
* 2021: LA Giltinis (defunct)
* 2022: Dallas Jackals
* 2023: Chicago

Women's National Basketball Association, 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

National Women's Soccer League, National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)

* 2014: Houston Dash
* 2016: Orlando Pride
* 2018: Utah Royals FC – New franchise, but did not increase the number of teams in the league; replaced the folded FC Kansas City.
* 2021: Racing Louisville FC; Kansas City Current (franchise moved from Utah Royals FC)
* 2022: Angel City FC; San Diego NWSL team, San Diego Wave

Canadian Premier League, Canadian Premier League (CPL)

* 2020: Atlético Ottawa
* 2023: Vancouver FC

Canadian Elite Basketball League, Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)

* 2020: Ottawa BlackJacks
* 2022: Montreal Alliance; Scarborough Shooting Stars; Newfoundland Growlers (basketball), Newfoundland Growlers

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: Detroit Compuware Ambassadors (Later the Detroit Jr. Red Wings, Detroit Whalers, and Plymouth Whalers; now the Flint Firebirds)
*1995: Barrie Colts
*1996: Toronto St. Michael's Majors (Later the 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

*2007-08: Wellington Phoenix FC, Wellington Phoenix
*2009-10: Gold Coast United FC, Gold Coast United (defunct); Northern Fury FC (defunct)
*2010-11: Melbourne Heart (now Melbourne City FC, Melbourne City since 2014–15 A-League season)
*2012-13: Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Western Sydney Wanderers
*2019-20: Western United FC, Western United
*2020-21: Macarthur FC

Australian Baseball League

*2018: Auckland Tuatara; Geelong-Korea (both folded after 2020 season)

Australian Football League

*1908: Richmond Football Club, Richmond Tigers (relocated from the VFA), Melbourne University Football Club, University (dropped out of competition and folded at the end of 1914)
*1925: Hawthorn Football Club, Hawthorn Hawks, North Melbourne Football Club, North Melbourne Kangaroos and Western Bulldogs, 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 Football Club, Adelaide Crows
*1995: Fremantle Football Club, Fremantle Dockers
*1997: Port Adelaide Football Club, Port Adelaide Power (had history/links from the successful Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL)
*2011: Gold Coast Football Club, Gold Coast Suns
*2012: Greater Western Sydney Giants

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 will launch women's sides.
* 2019: Geelong Football Club, Geelong; North Melbourne Football Club, North Melbourne
* 2020: Gold Coast Football Club, Gold Coast Suns; Richmond Football Club, Richmond; St Kilda Football Club, St Kilda; West Coast Eagles
* 2023: Essendon Football Club, Essendon, Hawthorn Football Club, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide Football Club, Port Adelaide, Sydney Swans

National Basketball League (Australia), 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 Supercats, 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: Sydney Kings (merger of Sydney Supersonics and Bankstown Bruins, West Sydney Westars)
*1990: Gold Coast Rollers (NBL), Gold Coast Cougars (defunct, later known as Gold Coast Rollers)
*1992: South East Melbourne Magic (defunct)
*1993: Townsville Suns (now Townsville Crocodiles in 1998)
*1998: Victoria Titans (later became Victoria Giants in 2002–2004 and then defunct); West Sydney Razorbacks (now Sydney Spirit, later 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 (rugby league team), Annandale
*1920: Sydney University rugby league team, University
*1921: St. George Dragons
*1935: Canterbury Bulldogs, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
*1947: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles; Parramatta Eels
*1967: Cronulla Sharks, Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks; Penrith Panthers
*1982: Canberra Raiders; Illawarra Steelers (now part of joint venture with St. George Dragons)
*1988: Brisbane Broncos; Gold Coast Chargers, Gold Coast-Tweed Giants (later Chargers, now defunct); Newcastle Knights
*1995: New Zealand Warriors, Auckland Warriors (now New Zealand Warriors); North Queensland Cowboys; South Queensland Crushers (now defunct); WA Reds, 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: Northern Eagles (Joint venture between North Sydney Bears and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles) (now defunct; reverted to Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles)
*2007: Gold Coast Titans
*2023: Dolphins (NRL), The Dolphins

New South Wales Cup

*2007: Auckland Lions

Northern Territory Football League

*2006: Tiwi Bombers Football Club

Queensland Cup

*2008: Mackay Cutters; Northern Pride RLFC, Northern Pride

Ron Massey Cup

*2008: WA Reds

Super League (Australia), Super League

*1997: Adelaide Rams (now defunct); Hunter Mariners (now defunct)

Super Rugby

*2006: Cheetahs (rugby union), 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. The Force later moved to Australia's National Rugby Championship.
*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.
*2016: Jaguares (Super Rugby), Jaguares and Sunwolves
*2022: Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua

Victorian Football League

*1998: Bendigo Bombers
*2001: Tasmania Devils Football Club (VFL), Tasmanian Devils

West Australian Football League

*1997: Peel Thunder

Women's National Basketball League

*1983: Australian Institute of Sport (WNBL team), AIS (defunct)
*1984: Bulleen Boomers (now Melbourne Boomers)
*1986: Canberra Capitals
*1989: Sydney Flames (now Sydney Uni Flames)
*1990: Perth Lynx
*1992: Adelaide Lightning; Dandenong Rangers
*2001: Townsville Fire
*2007: Bendigo Spirit
*2008: Logan Thunder (WNBL), Logan Thunder (defunct)
*2015: South East Queensland Stars

Expansion teams in Asia

Indian Premier League

*2011: Kochi Tuskers Kerala; Pune Warriors India
*2016: Gujarat Lions; 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

Philippine Basketball Association

*1978: Filmanbank Bankers
*1979: Barangay Ginebra Kings, Gilbey's Gin
*1980: CDCP Shippers
*1983: Manhattan Shirtmakers
*1984: Manila Beer Brewmasters (folded in 1986)
*1985: Shell Turbo Chargers, Shell Azodrin Bugbusters (folded in 2005)
*1986: Alaska Aces (PBA), Alaska Aces (folded in 2022)
*1988: Purefoods Hotdogs
*1990: Pop Cola Panthers, Sarsi Sizzlers; Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, Pepsi Hotshots
*1993: Sta. Lucia Realtors
*1999: Tanduay Rhum Masters
*2000: Red Bull Barako, Batang Red Bull Energy Kings (from the Philippine Basketball League, PBL, note that the promotion and relegation system was not used.)
*2002: Barako Bull Energy, FedEx Express; Coca-Cola Tigers
*2006: Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Welcoat Dragons (from the Philippine Basketball League, PBL, note that the promotion and relegation system was not used.)
*2012: GlobalPort Batang Pier
*2014: Blackwater Elite; Kia Sorento (PBA team), Kia Sorento; NLEX Road Warriors
*2016: Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters, Phoenix Fuel Masters

Pakistan Super League

*2018: Multan Sultans

P. LEAGUE+

*2021: New Taipei Kings; Kaohsiung Steelers

Expansion teams in Europe

Kontinental Hockey League

*2009: Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
*2010: HC Yugra
*2011: HC Lev Poprad, 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 HC Lev Praha, Lev Praha. The latter team folded at the end of the 2013–14 season.
*2012: HC Donbass; HC Slovan Bratislava, 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: Admiral Vladivostok; 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.
*2014: HC Sochi, Sochi; Jokerit (from Helsinki, Finland)
*2016: HC Kunlun Red Star, Kunlun Red Star (from Beijing, China)

United Rugby Championship

Originally known as the Celtic League, and later as Pro12 and Pro14.
*2010:
**Aironi – A team formed specifically for the competition by several existing clubs in Northern Italy, with Rugby Viadana, Viadana the lead side. The team folded when the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) revoked its professional license effective with the end of the 2011–12 Pro12, 2011–12 Pro12 season; it was replaced by the FIR-operated Zebre.
**Benetton Rugby, 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 (rugby union), 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:
** Bulls (rugby union), Bulls
** Lions (United Rugby Championship), Lions
** Sharks (rugby union), Sharks
** Stormers
*** South Africa's so-called "Big Four" Super Rugby sides left that competition after its reorganisation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. They joined the former Pro14, which changed its name to the United Rugby Championship.

Super League

*1995: Paris Saint-Germain Rugby League, Paris Saint-Germain RL (now defunct)
*2006: Catalans Dragons — Although Super League used a promotion and relegation system at that time, ''Les Catalans'', as the only French team in the otherwise all-English competition, were assured of a place in the league through Super League XIII, 2008. Super League instituted a 2009–11 Super League licences, franchise system effective with Super League XIV, the 2009 season, and ''Les Catalans'' retained their place in the league.
*2009:
**Crusaders Rugby League, Celtic Crusaders (later Crusaders Rugby League) – An expansion team only in the sense that they were invited into Super League. The club were established in 2005. After the Super League XVI, 2011 season, the club folded due to financial problems; their effective successor club, the North Wales Crusaders, currently compete in League 1, two levels below Super League.
**Salford Red Devils, Salford City Reds – Also technically not an expansion team; they have existed since 1873 and played in Super League as recently as Super League XII, the 2007 season.
*2012: Widnes Vikings – An expansion team only in the sense that they have been invited into the now-franchised Super League. The club have existed since 1875, were founding members of what is now the Rugby Football League in 1895, and participated in Super League as recently as Super League X, 2005.

VTB United League

*2010: Espoon Honka; BC Tsmoki-Minsk, Tsmoki-Minsk (formerly Minsk-2006)

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 (South Africa), Rugby Challenge.
**Pampas XV (a developmental side for the Argentina national rugby union team) - Argentina left the Vodacom Cup after the 2013 season, choosing instead to enter the Pacific Rugby Cup, IRB Pacific Cup from 2014. At that time, it was also expected that Argentina would be added to Super Rugby in the near future, and the country would eventually receive a Super Rugby team beginning in 2016.

eSports

''League of Legends''

The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) and the League of Legends European Championship (LEC) initially fielded teams from eight organizations when they began operations in 2013; both leagues expanded to a total of ten teams in 2015.

;LCS expansion teams
* Team Liquid (2015)
* Winterfox (2015; folded 2016)
* Gravity Gaming → Echo Fox (2015; folded 2019)
* Immortals (eSports), Immortals (2016)
* Phoenix1 (2016; folded 2018)
* Flyquest (2017)
* 100 Thieves (2018)
* Golden Guardians (2018)
* Evil Geniuses (2020)

;LEC expansion teams
* Elements (eSports), Elements (2015; folded 2016)
* SK Gaming (2015)
* FC Schalke 04 Esports, Schalke 04 (2016)
* Splyce → MAD Lions (2016)
* G2 Esports (2016)
* Team Vitality (2016)
* Excel Esports (2019)
* Rogue (esports), Rogue (2019)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Expansion Team
Sports terminology
Proposed sports teams,