Sports Mecca

Metros that lead on the combined sports dimensions: major league teams (weighted double), total professional teams across all leagues, and major sporting events hosted (weighted triple). Captures the cities where sport is part of the civic identity, from London at the top through to the second-tier metros that punch above their weight on a single league.

100 qualifying metrosMethodology →
RankMetroSports compositeTier
#2LondonUnited Kingdom282Global Capital
#7Los AngelesUnited States213Global Capital
#1New YorkUnited States198Global Capital
#4TokyoJapan156Global Capital
#26MiamiUnited States133World City
#3ParisFrance123Global Capital
#85New OrleansUnited States100Major Metro
#10Washington-BaltimoreUnited States91World City
#40Buenos AiresArgentina90World City
#12ChicagoUnited States89World City
#34AtlantaUnited States88World City
#28MelbourneAustralia82World City
#5San Francisco-San JoseUnited States81Global Capital
#77PhoenixUnited States81Major Metro
#109IndianapolisUnited States79Major Metro
#15SydneyAustralia78World City
#19MadridSpain77World City
#13BostonUnited States73World City
#22IstanbulTurkey70World City
#49JohannesburgSouth Africa69Major Metro
#67ManchesterUnited Kingdom68Major Metro
#32DallasUnited States67World City
#21HoustonUnited States66World City
#20MilanItaly64World City
#114Kansas CityUnited States64Major Metro
#80AthensGreece61Major Metro
#29PhiladelphiaUnited States60World City
#65MinneapolisUnited States60Major Metro
#31SeattleUnited States58World City
#48RomeItaly57Major Metro
#52CairoEgypt54Major Metro
#16TorontoCanada53World City
#38MunichGermany53World City
#33BarcelonaSpain52World City
#59Las VegasUnited States51Major Metro
#17MoscowRussia50World City
#60LisbonPortugal50Major Metro
#62DetroitUnited States50Major Metro
#27Mexico CityMexico49World City
#138GlasgowUnited Kingdom49Major Metro
#53San DiegoUnited States48Major Metro
#64Rio de JaneiroBrazil48Major Metro
#30BerlinGermany47World City
#24Rhine-RuhrGermany46World City
#95TampaUnited States45Major Metro
#96CharlotteUnited States45Major Metro
#8SeoulSouth Korea43Global Capital
#41AmsterdamNetherlands42World City
#70DohaQatar42Major Metro
#75St. LouisUnited States42Major Metro
#72Rotterdam-The HagueNetherlands41Major Metro
#42BrusselsBelgium40World City
#100AucklandNew Zealand40Major Metro
#55DenverUnited States39Major Metro
#128BirminghamUnited Kingdom39Major Metro
#129LiverpoolUnited Kingdom39Major Metro
#14Osaka-Kyoto-KobeJapan38World City
#23Sao PauloBrazil38World City
#46ViennaAustria38Major Metro
#104Salt Lake City-ProvoUnited States38Major Metro
#6BeijingChina36Global Capital
#170LouisvilleUnited States36Regional Hub
#54MontrealCanada34Major Metro
#35Dubai-SharjahUnited Arab Emirates33World City
#106BudapestHungary32Major Metro
#93ClevelandUnited States31Major Metro
#131PortoPortugal31Major Metro
#56VancouverCanada30Major Metro
#74Tel-AvivIsrael30Major Metro
#82PittsburghUnited States30Major Metro
#88PortlandUnited States30Major Metro
#103PerthAustralia29Major Metro
#173San AntonioUnited States29Regional Hub
#9ShanghaiChina28Global Capital
#68Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates28Major Metro
#90BrisbaneAustralia28Major Metro
#98Raleigh-DurhamUnited States28Major Metro
#102StuttgartGermany28Major Metro
#107EdinburghUnited Kingdom28Major Metro
#112NashvilleUnited States28Major Metro
#86DublinIreland27Major Metro
#135CincinnatiUnited States27Major Metro
#223CardiffUnited Kingdom27Regional Hub
#36BangkokThailand26World City
#81AustinUnited States26Major Metro
#172BelgradeSerbia26Regional Hub
#196Leeds-BradfordUnited Kingdom26Regional Hub
#18Hong KongHong Kong25World City
#61StockholmSweden25Major Metro
#87NagoyaJapan25Major Metro
#43ManilaPhilippines24Major Metro
#251MontevideoUruguay24Regional Hub
#144AntwerpBelgium23Regional Hub
#178SevilleSpain23Regional Hub
#11GuangzhouChina22World City
#45JakartaIndonesia22Major Metro
#51DelhiIndia22Major Metro
#79CopenhagenDenmark22Major Metro
#94SantiagoChile22Major Metro
#105ValenciaSpain22Major Metro