{"id":215103,"date":"2026-03-11T16:48:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T16:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/215103\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T16:48:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T16:48:11","slug":"an-oakland-sports-fans-guide-to-the-2026-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/215103\/","title":{"rendered":"An Oakland sports fan\u2019s guide to the 2026 season"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the loss of the Warriors, Raiders and A\u2019s, Oakland sports fans needed a win. In the last 12 months, we\u2019ve gotten more than that: a baseball championship<\/a>, an ice skating champion<\/a>, and three new sports teams, inspired by the success of the Oakland Roots and Ballers to make a home in Oakland. There are about to be at least 10 professional and semi-pro teams based here or playing here, including the San Francisco Unicorns, who brought cricket to the Coliseum last summer; the Oakland Skates, who are launching a hockey team at the Oakland Ice Center this fall; and the Golden State Storm, whose inaugural tackle football season is less than three weeks away.<\/p>\n

It all began this month, as March is when Oakland sports kick off. What\u2019s on the calendar?<\/a> Oakland Tech\u2019s girls <\/a>and boys <\/a>basketball teams just competed in the high school state championships<\/a> (they both got knocked out in the final four); Oakland Roots, Bay Area Falcons and Golden State Storm are about to start their seasons; the Oakland Ballers will play the \u201cBattle of the Bay\u201d against the San Jose Giants; and the Oakland Marathon<\/a> races on. And that\u2019s just the start of, well, a marathon of Oakland sports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To introduce you to our array of teams \u2014 and to help established fans keep up \u2014 here is your Oakland sports fan\u2019s preseason guide, with all you need to know about Oakland\u2019s professional and semipro teams.<\/p>\n

SoccerOakland Roots<\/p>\n

The Roots<\/a> play in the USL Championship<\/a> league, a 15-year-old professional men\u2019s soccer league, with 25 teams across the U.S. There are two conferences, East and West, and the Roots, who joined the league in 2021, play in the Western conference.<\/p>\n

When and where do they play?<\/p>\n

The regular season began March 7, when the Roots eked out a win against Monterey Bay FC on a goal by newly signed defender Mark Fisher<\/a>, and the home opener is on March 14 versus New Mexico United at the Oakland Coliseum.\u00a0 The season goes through October 24, with most of their 34 matches on Saturdays. The top eight teams in each conference make playoffs in November \u2014 which the Roots have made it to three out of the last five seasons .<\/p>\n

You can purchase single game, partial season or full season tickets online<\/a>. When the team is on the road, you can watch their matches through either streaming or broadcast TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What do I need to know?<\/p>\n

Last season, the Roots started with high hopes and a new home at the Coliseum. Then the losing began. The Roots fired Coach Gavin Glinton in June, hoping that interim coach Benny Feilhaber would provide a spark. Alas, the Roots missed the playoffs by five points, finishing in 10th place in the Western Conference with a record of 8 wins, 14 losses, and 8 draws. One bright spot was the emergence of star striker Peter Wilson<\/a>, a forward who won the Golden Boot as the top goal scorer in the league.<\/p>\n

\"\"Oakland Roots forward Peter Wilson. Credit: Ann Marks for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely want to do it again,\u201d Wilson said recently of his Golden Boot win. He will be attempting that on a revamped Roots team this season, including newly signed midfielder Florian Valot, who said he is \u201choping to get him even more goals this year.\u201d In the off season, the Roots hired a well-respected new coach, Ryan Martin<\/a>, from Loudon FC in Virginia. Martin is one of the longest tenured coaches in the league; he brings a playoff pedigree Oakland and a desire \u201cto build something for the long haul and make it special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin said the Roots \u201cwant to be one of the best attacking teams in the league.\u201d Including Valot, nine of 24 players are new to the team. Tommy McCabe, a cerebral midfielder whom Martin brought with him from Loudon and described as a \u201csoccer junkie,\u201d is excited about coming home to Oakland, since he lives in the Bay Area in the offseason. McCabe called the training facility\u00a0 \u2014 the former Raiders facility \u2014 \u201cthe best in the league\u201d as evidenced by the Australian National Team selecting it<\/a> as their home base for the FIFA World Cup. The Roots\u2019 goal for the season, according to Director of Soccer Nana Attakora: \u201cA whole lot more wins.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oakland Soul
\n\"\"Oakland Soul player Miranda Nild trains at the Roots\u2019 facility in Alameda, May 2023. Credit: Oakland Soul<\/p>\n

The Soul<\/a> play in the four-year-old pre-professional USL W League<\/a>. The women\u2019s league has 93 clubs across four conferences (Eastern, Central, Southern and Western, where the Soul play), each of which has three or four divisions. Only the top team in the Soul\u2019s seven-team NorCal division qualifies for the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When and where do they play?<\/p>\n

The Soul play their home games on Sundays at 3 p.m. at Merritt College. The ten-game season starts on Mother\u2019s Day, May 10, at home against Marin FC Sirens and ends on Father\u2019s Day, June 21, against Stockton Cargo SC. Division winners face off in the playoffs in July, leading to the conference championships.<\/p>\n

Single game tickets and season passes<\/a> are on sale now; matches also stream on SportsEngine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What do I need to know?<\/p>\n

Last season, the Soul finished second in the NorCal Division with a record of 8-2-2 which left them just six points short of first place \u2014 and a chance to compete in the playoffs. It was their third straight runner-up season.<\/p>\n

Is 2026 the year the Soul are no longer on the outside looking in? Club spokesperson Tommy Hodul said making the playoffs this year and then winning the conference is the goal.<\/p>\n

Ultimate FrisbeeBay Area Falcons<\/p>\n

The Falcons<\/a> play ultimate frisbee in the Western Ultimate League<\/a>, an eight-team women\u2019s and nonbinary professional league made up of teams in the western U.S. that had its first season in 2022. If you are not familiar with the sport, check out this explainer<\/a>; ultimate has game rules similar to football (scoring in an end zone) with the game flow of soccer (constant motion with an emphasis on passing).\u00a0<\/p>\n

When and where do they play?<\/p>\n

Falcons home games are played at Fremont High School. The Falcons open their season<\/a> March 14 at San Diego with their home opener on March 28 versus the Arizona Sidewinders. Their eight-game regular season ends on May 30 in a home doubleheader with their sibling team, the Oakland Spiders. If the Falcons qualify for championship weekend, they will head to Portland, Oregon, on June 13 and 14.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can purchase season passes and individual game tickets<\/a>; general admission is $18; children attend free. The games will also be live streamed on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What do I need to know?<\/p>\n

The Falcons finished fourth in the regular season last year, qualifying for the playoffs, then advanced to the championship game, held here in Oakland. They lost that match by two points to the San Diego Bloom \u2014 but it was still the most successful season in team history.<\/p>\n

This season, the Falcons are looking to win the championship. They are led by returning star and captain Robyn Fennig<\/a>, who plays for Team USA and recently won the World Beach Ultimate Championships with new Falcons teammates Dawn Culton and Alex Barton. The Falcons augmented their roster with two transfers from other league teams and three players from the Premier Ultimate League on the East Coast.<\/p>\n

Oakland Spiders <\/p>\n

The Spiders<\/a> play ultimate frisbee in another league, the Ultimate Frisbee Association<\/a>, a 22-team men\u2019s league split into four divisions across the U.S.; the Spiders play in the West Division. The top three teams in each division make the playoffs.<\/p>\n

When and where do they play?<\/p>\n

Like the Falcons, the Spiders play their home games at Fremont High. Their 12-game regular season starts at home against the Oregon Steel on April 26 and ends July 18 on the road at the Salt Lake Shred. The divisional playoffs are in July and August leading up to Championship Weekend, which takes place August 28 and 29 in Madison, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Individual and season tickets are now on sale<\/a>; general admission is $24; children attend for free. The Spiders pride themselves on having a family-friendly experience; they do frisbee giveaways and invite kids onto the field at halftime to throw with the players. All league games are livestreamed via a subscription service<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What do I need to know?<\/p>\n

Last season, the Spiders made it to the playoffs, but fell one point short in the division championship.<\/p>\n

According to captain and general manager Robin Vickers, this season\u2019s goal is \u201cto make it to championship weekend \u2014\u00a0and to win.\u201d Walker Frankenberg returns for his fourth season with the Spiders to fire up the crowd and, Vickers said, \u201che gives people what they want\u201d: big energy, big plays and big celebrations. Raekwon Adkins is the Spiders local star, hailing from Alameda.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Golden State Storm<\/p>\n

Six years after the Raiders left, professional tackle football is coming back to Oakland. But this time, it will be women donning the helmets and pads. The Storm<\/a> is the 16th team to join the Women\u2019s National Football Conference<\/a>, founded in 2018. Later this year, the Storm will also field a flag football team.<\/p>\n

When and where do they play?<\/p>\n

The Storm\u2019s six-game regular season will include three home games at Laney Field, where the late John Beam served as athletic director. The season runs from March 28, when they play their inaugural game against the San Diego Rebellion at home, to May 16, when they face the Los Angeles Legends on the road. The top eight teams qualify for the league\u2019s June playoffs, culminating with the \u201cIX Cup,\u201d which airs on ESPN2.<\/p>\n

Individual game and season tickets are on sale now<\/a>. All WFNC games are also streamed online for free on Victory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What do I need to know?<\/p>\n

The Golden State Storm will be writing history by bringing women\u2019s tackle football back to the Bay Area. It\u2019s their inaugural season, so anything could happen.<\/p>\n

BaseballOakland Ballers
\n\"\"Mary Ann Davis, 71, cheers during a parade celebrating the Oakland Ballers league championship near Raimondi Park in Oakland on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

The Ballers<\/a> joined the Pioneer Baseball League, a 12-team professional Major League Baseball partner league, in 2024. As an independent league, Pioneer teams are not affiliated with individual Major League clubs. The rules are generally like those in Major League and Minor League baseball with a few key differences: One, the 96-game season is split into two halves, with playoff qualifiers<\/a> drawn from the top two teams of each half. Two, the league has a \u201cKnock Out\u201d rule<\/a>: when the score is tied after nine innings, the teams engage in a \u201csudden death\u201d home run duel to determine the winner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When and where do they play?<\/p>\n

The Ballers play in historic Raimondi Park in West Oakland. Their regular season runs from May 19 to September 6. Four teams will make the playoffs, with two rounds of best-of-five series to determine a champion.<\/p>\n

Later this month, you can travel to San Jose for the Ballers second annual \u201cBattle of the Bay\u201d against the San Jose Giants. Regular season Opening Day is May 19, when the Ballers play the Missoula Paddleheads at home at Raimondi Park. The schedule<\/a> has been released, and tickets are on sale<\/a> now. You can follow most games live, at least with audio, via the Ballers YouTube <\/a>channel.<\/p>\n

What do I need to know?<\/p>\n

The Ballers electrified Oakland when they won the championship<\/a> of the Pioneer League<\/a> last season, only their second season in the league, setting a record with their 73-23 first place finish in the regular season.<\/p>\n

Now the Ballers are preparing to defend their title, despite losing key players to senior leagues, including homegrown hero James Colyer<\/a>, who was signed by the Washington Nationals in the offseason. The Ballers held their open tryouts<\/a> last weekend, and signed a local pitcher from Palo Alto, David Clark, who said he is excited to \u201cjust be in that super cool atmosphere out here in Oakland.\u201d<\/p>\n

BasketballOakland Swish<\/p>\n

The Oakland Swish<\/a> is one of several Bay Area teams that are part of the Women\u2019s Premier Basketball Association (WPBA)<\/a>, an Oakland-based professional women\u2019s basketball league with aspirations of becoming a minor league pipeline<\/a> to the WNBA and other leagues. Last year, there were eight Bay Area teams in the league; the top six made the playoffs. This year\u2019s lineup of teams and games is not yet finalized.<\/p>\n

When and where do they play?<\/p>\n

The season runs from June to August, to align with the WNBA season. All league games are played at the Oakland Hills Campus, the former site of Holy Names University.<\/p>\n

Tickets will be on sale<\/a> for single games and season passes once the schedule is set.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What do I need to know?<\/p>\n

The Oakland Swish finished fifth last season, qualifying for the Tournament of Champions.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the league continues to grow. It\u2019s holding a player combine<\/a> at the NCAA Final Four in April to run scrimmages, hold interviews and evaluate potential players forthe league. The league will be celebrating its five-year anniversary in June.<\/p>\n

CricketSan Francisco Unicorns
\n\"\"The Unicorns Xavier Bartlett in the team\u2019s final match of 2025. Credit: San Francisco Unicorns<\/p>\n

The Unicorns<\/a> play in Major League Cricket<\/a>, a six-team domestic men\u2019s professional league launched in 2022. There are three types of cricket matches: Test matches, the traditional form of cricket that dates back to 1877, that last up to five days; One-Day Internationals or ODIs, which have 50 overs \u2014 similar to at bats \u2014 and last a full day; and Twenty20 Internationals, known as T20, that have 20 overs per side with matches lasting two to three hours. The Unicorns play T20.<\/p>\n

For those new to cricket, it is the sport from which baseball evolved, where one team bats a ball and then runs between locations. In cricket, the running takes place between wickets, and the opposing team \u201cbowls\u201d rather than pitches. ESPN produced a handy guide<\/a> for cricket beginners, or you can watch this explainer video<\/a> produced by Vox Media.<\/p>\n

When and where do they play?<\/p>\n

The Unicorns home field is the Oakland Coliseum. However, the season is organized so that all six league clubs play in a single location at a time. One of the three locations will be the Coliseum, sometime during the season, which runs from June 18 to July 18, scheduled to take place during the break of the other international T20 leagues so the best cricketers in the world can participate. The schedule of matches will be released by the end of March.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tickets <\/a>will go on sale for the Oakland matches once the schedule is announced.<\/p>\n

What do I need to know?<\/p>\n

The team was established in 2023, but last season was the first where the Unicorns got to play in front of a home crowd in Oakland. Their first match at the Coliseum was a historic one, as Unicorn Finn Allen<\/a>, who also plays for the New Zealand national team, set multiple world records<\/a> batting against the Washington Freedom. The rest of the season was not as magical, with the Unicorns finishing in fourth place.<\/p>\n

Finn Allen returns to the team this season, as does local hero Sanjay Krishnamurthi<\/a>, who plays cricket for Team USA and lives in the East Bay. Expectations are high. According to Unicorns spokesperson Zayanya de Alwis, \u201cWe believe we have the best team. We are looking to win it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roller DerbyOakland Outlaws
\n\"\"The Oakland Outlaws, in red and black, play a 2024 Bay Area Roller Derby match at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium. Credit: Will Toft<\/p>\n

The Outlaws<\/a> play flat track roller derby in the local Bay Area Derby<\/a>, a local two-team league that is part of the Women\u2019s Flat Track Derby Association<\/a>. The league fields an All-Star Team that travels to compete in regional tournaments. Roller derby is a sport dating back to the 1930s<\/a> in which one team of skaters tries to lap the other team\u2019s skaters around a rink; modern flat track rules of play <\/a>are explained on the association\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

When and where do they play?<\/p>\n

Oakland Outlaws games are held at Richmond Memorial Coliseum in Richmond, but the team\u2019s new practice facility is in East Oakland. There are only two local games scheduled for the 2026 season, on August 1 and October 24.<\/p>\n

Tickets will be available via the Bay Area Derby website<\/a>. You can also stream live matches on the league\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What do I need to know?<\/p>\n

The Outlaws ended last year\u2019s season with a 1-3 record in its four matches against the San Francisco Rolling Dead. So far, they only have two matches scheduled for this season, as the Bay Area Derby focuses on hosting the 2026 WFTDA North America Playoffs<\/a> in May, where 12 of the best roller derby teams in the world will battle for the opportunity to play in the Global Championships in Sweden.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ice HockeyOakland Skates<\/p>\n

The Skates<\/a> play Ice Hockey in the semipro Senior A Mountain Hockey League<\/a>, which follows the same rules as the NHL. The men\u2019s league will have 10 teams next season across the Western U.S., from California to Texas, including one in nearby Santa Rosa. The Clear Cup, in April, is the championship tournament for the league\u2019s top four teams.<\/p>\n

When and where do they play?<\/p>\n

The Skates will play their home games at the Oakland Ice Center, which is also the home ice of Alysa Liu<\/a>. The season runs from October to April.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The schedule is yet to be announced but $99 season tickets<\/a> for home games are on sale now. Many games will be live streamed; details are forthcoming.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Oakland Ice Center. Credit: Estefany Gonzalez for The Oaklandside<\/p>\n

What do I need to know?<\/p>\n

2026-27 is the Skates\u2019 inaugural season, and team tryouts are ongoing, including an open skate scrimmage in April that will be open to fans. It is an exhibition season, as required by the league for an expansion team, so Skates games won\u2019t count in the league standings.<\/p>\n

The Skates leadership is hoping to provide hockey fans with a high-level sporting event that they would otherwise have to travel to San Jose for a Sharks game to experience. \u201cHockey is the most incredible event to watch live,\u201d says Skates co-founder Cassidy Lavin. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t translate to television in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n

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