Campfire’s octopus, chorizo, and celery-root entrée.
Gage Forster
San Diego, CA
San Diego sports fan? Check out these 12 events (and dozens more) in 2026
The best part about living in San Diego is, well, that we get to live here.
But all too often, those of us in America’s Finest City stay close to home. Life’s easier when you don’t have to fight traffic, find parking or purchase tickets.
That ends today.
Here’s a look at 12 sporting events — one each month, all year long — that will help you become not only a better sports fan in 2026 but a more well-rounded San Diegan, too. The following list of local events is by no means comprehensive given that some teams have yet to announce their schedules and, of course, times and dates are subject to change. But consider it a good start.
So let’s get moving. The first one is Friday!
January: Take in the latest Holiday Bowl in history
This year’s Holiday Bowl will technically be played next year, part of a scheduling quirk that moves San Diego’s annual bowl game to Friday, Jan. 2. The past two Holiday Bowls were marked by opt-outs — USC star Caleb Williams missed in 2024, and Washington State left its quarterback and coach at home in 2025 — but this year’s matchup at Snapdragon Stadium should be a good one. Both No. 21 Arizona (9-3) and SMU (8-4) boast star quarterbacks and pass-happy offensive schemes that fit perfectly with the Holiday Bowl’s reputation as America’s Most Exciting Bowl Game. Just make sure you know the difference between “Pony Up” and “Bear Down” before you go.
Mark your calendars:
Jan. 11: USATF National Marathon Race Walk Championships in Santee
Jan. 16-18: San Diego Rodeo at Petco Park
Jan. 17: Monster Energy AMA Supercross at Snapdragon Stadium
February: Follow the leader at the Farmers Insurance Open
This year’s Farmers Insurance Open wraps on Feb. 1, giving San Diego’s golf fans a chance to take in world-class competition at Torrey Pines Golf Course. The Open returns to a more traditional Thursday-through-Sunday format after being held Wednesday through Saturday in past years. The vibe is coastal cool: even if you don’t know who won in 2025 (Harris English) or 2024 (Matthieu Pavon), you’ll never forget the sweeping views and good-time crowds at Torrey Pines. But bring a quarter-zip: It gets windy (and foggy) out there.
Mark your calendars:
Feb. 1: Final day of the San Diego Open at the Barnes Tennis Center
Feb. 3: San Diego FC vs. Pumas UNAM in Concacaf Champions Cup first-round play at Snapdragon Stadium
Feb. 22: Harlem Globetrotters at Pechanga Arena
Feb. 26: FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifying game: USA men’s basketball national team vs. Dominican Republic at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside
Feb. 27: “No Boxing, No Life” fight card at SeaWorld’s Nautilus Arena
Feb. 28: UC San Diego men’s basketball “Senior Night” vs. Cal Poly at LionTree Arena
March: Step into the Madness at Viejas Arena
The NCAA Tournament returns to Viejas Arena March 20 and 22 for the first two rounds of regional play. And while San Diego State won’t be there — NCAA rules prohibit teams from playing on their home courts in the tournament – there’s bound to be men’s basketball blue-bloods in the building. The nation’s top-ranked team, Arizona, is a good bet to stay in the West if it continues to win; if not, perennial powerhouses like Gonzaga or UCLA could post up in San Diego for the Friday-Sunday series. Buy your tickets now, but be warned: Watching a full day of NCAA Tournament games in person is intense, exhausting — and exhilarating.
Mark your calendars:
March 1: FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifying game: USA national basketball team vs. Mexico at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside
March 13-14: National Women’s Soccer League’s opening weekend; San Diego Wave’s schedule/opponent TBA
March 21-22: Savannah Bananas Baseball at Petco Park
March 23: San Diego Strike Force season opener vs. Northern Arizona Wranglers at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside
March 24-25: UC San Diego baseball vs. Oregon at Triton Field
March 26: San Diego Padres’ 2026 season opener vs. Detroit Tigers at Petco Park
March 27-29: San Diego Crew Classic on Mission Bay
March 28: Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in Oceanside
April: Guide the Gulls into the playoffs at Pechanga Arena
The San Diego Gulls last made the American Hockey League playoffs in 2021. They haven’t advanced past the first round since 2019. But hockey hope springs eternal, and there’s reason to believe that San Diego’s struggles won’t last forever. The club wraps the 2025-26 regular season on April 18 with a home game against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and there could be a playoff spot at stake. This year’s Gulls have enough Anaheim Ducks prospects that they could make a push. And if not? Well, Gulls games are always a good time. The club finished eighth in the 32-team AHL in attendance last season.
Mark your calendars:
April 2: Final day of San Diego Lions Baseball Tournament, various sites
April 12: 40th annual Carlsbad 5000 race, Carlsbad
April 17: San Diego Seals Fan Appreciation Night vs. Las Vegas Desert Dogs at Pechanga Arena
April 23-26: Lakeside Rodeo, Lakeside
April 30: San Diego Mojo regular-season finale vs. Grand Rapids Rise at Viejas Arena
May: Put some heat on the Whitecaps
The last time the Vancouver Whitecaps visited San Diego, they scored two goals in the first 11 minutes and ended San Diego FC’s season in the Major League Soccer Western Conference final. Well, Vancouver is back in town on May 23, and SDFC will be eager to pay back its rival. Wear your tennis shoes, bring cough drops and prepare to stand, chant and sing in SDFC’s final match before its two-month World Cup break.
Mark your calendars:
May 7-15: Etchells World Championship Regatta at San Diego Yacht Club
May 22-27: NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad
May 29-June 3: NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad
May 29-31: Beach Soccer Championships (BeSoCha) in Oceanside
May 31: Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon, finishing at Balboa Park
June: Witness San Diego racing history in Coronado
San Diego will host its first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race as part of a three-day celebration of racing and the military at Naval Station Coronado. The June 21 Anduril 250 is named in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States and the Navy. The Cup Series race caps a weekend that includes the June 19 Craftsman Truck Series race and June 20 Xfinity Series race. El Cajon native Jimmie Johnson, one of the greatest drivers in the history of NASCAR, will attempt to qualify for all three races.
Mark your calendars:
June 13-20: United States Police & Fire Championships, 28 venues throughout San Diego County
June 16: USA Surfing Junior Championships, Oceanside
June 26-28: San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park
July: Watch California’s best
The California State Summer Games return to San Diego in July. From July 17-20, more than 10,000 kids age 18 and under will participate in 29 sports competitions spread throughout San Diego County. (We’re talking everything from archery and artistic swimming to basketball, skateboarding, squash, track and field and wrestling.) The Games begin July 17 with an opening ceremony and Athlete Parade at Pechanga Arena.
Mark your calendars:
July 1: San Diego State moves to the Pac-12 Conference
July 11-12, 18-19: OMBAC Over-the-Line World Championships at Fiesta Island
July 17: Opening day of horse racing at Del Mar
July 26: Solana Beach Triathlon and 5K in Solana Beach
August: Get some sun in Oceanside
The 49th annual World Bodysurfing Championships will be held Aug. 15-16 at the Oceanside Pier. As many as 400 bodysurfers will compete for awards in numerous age divisions, with men’s and women’s grand champions crowned at the end of the second day. Bodysurfing begins at 6:30 a.m. both days.
Mark your calendars:
Aug. 16: CVC San Diego Triathlon in Chula Vista
Aug. 30: Pacific Classic at Del Mar
September: Party like it’s 1998 at Petco Park
It’ll be 1998 all over again on Sept. 4-6, when the New York Yankees visit Petco Park for an interleague series. New York is 21-10 all-time against the Padres, but it’s the Yankees’ first four wins that sting the most. Derek Jeter, Scott Brosius and Co. swept the Padres from the 1998 World Series, four games to none. The Padres haven’t reached the World Series since.
Mark your calendars:
Sept. 5: USD football opener vs. UC Davis at Torero Stadium
Sept. 11-20: World Surf League competition at Lower Trestles
Sept. 19: San Diego State vs. Oregon State football at Snapdragon Stadium
Sept. 27: San Diego Padres’ regular-season finale vs. Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park
October: Cross the border
October’s Binational Race might be the only half-marathon that starts in one country and finishes in a different one. The event starts at Las Americas in San Ysidro, takes runners through the San Ysidro-El Chaparral International Checkpoint and ends at Playas de Tijuana in Mexico. Race organizers say the Binational Race is “part of a regional movement promoting cultural, social, academic, sports, political, and family exchanges between San Diego and Tijuana.” Want to run? Be sure to bring your passport, global entry or sentry card.
Mark your calendars:
Oct. 22-25: USA Ultimate Frisbee Championships at Surf Cup Sports Park in Del Mar
Oct. 31-Nov. 8: USA Pickleball National Championships at Barnes Tennis Center
November: Stuff yourself with college hoops
The Rady Children’s Invitational has brought its fair share of basketball blue-bloods to San Diego, but UCLA is special. The Bruins of the (ugh) Big Ten Conference highlight the 2026 Rady’s field at Jenny Craig Pavilion, one that also includes Georgetown, Texas and Saint Mary’s. The two-day event starts with two games on Nov. 26 — Thanksgiving — and wraps the next day with championship and third-place games.
Mark your calendars:
Nov. 7: San Diego FC’s regular-season finale vs. Sporting Kansas City at Snapdragon Stadium
Dates TBA: CIF San Diego Section football championships, various sites
December: See Santa run at the Santa Run
One of San Diego’s enduring holiday traditions, the 14th annual San Diego Santa Run will take place Dec. 12 on Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach. Runners can choose between a traditional 5K, a 1-mile kids run or the very P.B. “dog mile,” a 1-mile race you can run alongside your pooch. The event takes place just before the annual Pacific Beach Christmas Parade. Participants in the 5K receive a “Sunny Santa” suit, sunglasses and a drink ticket, while other racers get Santa hats, shirts and sunglasses.
Mark your calendars:
Dec. 19: San Diego Holiday Half-Marathon and 5K, starting in Rancho Penasquitos
Date TBA: Alex Spanos All-Star Classic at Mira Mesa High School
Dates TBA: Torrey Pines Holiday Classic basketball tournament, various locations throughout San Diego County
San Diego Padres (14-7) at Los Angeles Angels (11-11), April 19, 2026, 1:07 p.m. PST
Watch: Padres.TV
Location: Angel Stadium – Anaheim, Calif.
Listen: 97.3 The Fan
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San Diego, CA
Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com
SANDY, Utah — SANDY, Utah (AP) — Sergi Solans had two goals and an assist, Diego Luna added a goal and two assists, and Real Salt Lake beat San Diego FC 4-2 on Saturday night to extend its unbeaten streak to six games.
Morgan Guilavogui scored his first goal in MLS and had an assist for Real Salt Lake (5-1-1). The 28-year-old designated player has five goal contributions in his first six career games.
RSL hasn’t lost since a 1-0 defeat at Vancouver in the season opener.
San Diego (3-3-2) has lost three in a row and is winless in five straight.
Luna opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he re-directed a misplayed pass by Duran Ferree, San Diego’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, into the net.
Moments later, Solans headed home a perfectly-placed cross played by Luna from outside the right corner of the 18-yard box to the back post to make it 2-0. Solans, a 23-year-old forward, flicked a header from the center of the area inside the right post and past the outstretched arm of Ferree to make it 3-1 in the 37th minute.
Guilavogui slammed home a first-touch shot to give RSL a three-goal lead in the 45th.
Marcus Ingvartsen scored a goal in the 14th minute and Anders Dreyer converted from the penalty spot in the 66th for San Diego.
Ingvartsen has five goals and an assist this season and has 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in 16 career MLS appearances.
Rafael Cabral had three saves for RSL.
Ferree finished with five saves.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
When John Resnick opened Campfire on a quaint little street in Carlsbad, Calif., in 2016, some locals weren’t sure what to think. The coastal enclave wasn’t exactly awash in innovative, chef-driven establishments, so it was a shock to see the dining room consistently full. Early on, one woman wondered aloud to Resnick, “Where did all these people come from?”
It’s a moment he remembers vividly. “I was struck by her statement, because I think she was surprised that so many other people in Carlsbad were there,” Resnick says.
The rest of the culinary world would take some time to catch up to what was happening. In 2019, when Michelin expanded to rate restaurants throughout all of California—not just the San Francisco area—Addison was the only one in San Diego to earn a star. But since emerging from the pandemic, the region’s food scene has grown dramatically. Driven by outstanding farms, ingredients, a bumper crop of talented chefs, and a G.D.P. approximately the size of New Zealand or Greece, San Diego County has become one of America’s most underrated dining destinations.
Perhaps no single restaurant is a better emblem for this shift than chef William Bradley’s Addison, which opened in 2006. After landing his first star, Bradley knew he wanted more. To get them, he transformed his French-leaning fare to serve what he calls California Gastronomy, which combines the cultures of SoCal with impeccable ingredients and wildly impressive techniques, prizing flavor over flair. Michelin responded, awarding Addison a second star in 2022, and making it the first Southern California three-star restaurant just a year later. The accolade has created a halo effect, attracting culinary tourists from around the world.
Berry beet tartlets at San Diego’s three-star stalwart Addison.
Eric Wolfinger
“Earning three stars forces the global dining community to pay attention to a place that may not have been on their radar before,” says chef Eric Bost, a partner in Resnick’s four Carlsbad establishments.
Resnick recruited Bost, who spent time at award-winning outposts of Restaurant Guy Savoy, to run Jeune et Jolie, which he led to a star in 2021. They’ve since taken over an old boogie-board factory down the street and converted it to an all-day restaurant and bakery, Wildland. The space also hosts an exquisite tasting-counter experience called Lilo, which was given a Michelin star mere months after opening in April 2025. And as Resnick and Bost grew their successful Carlsbad operation, chef Roberto Alcocer earned a Michelin star for his Mexican fine-dining spot Valle in nearby Oceanside.
The stylish tasting counter at Michelin one-star Lilo in Carlsbad.
Kimberly Motos
About 25 miles to the south, another affluent coastal community is going through its own culinary glow up. In La Jolla, chef Tara Monsod and the hospitality group Puffer Malarkey Collective opened the stylish French steakhouse Le Coq. Chef Erik Anderson, formerly of Michelin two-star Coi, is preparing to launch Roseacre. And last year, Per Se alums Elijah Arizmendi and Brian Hung left New York to open the elegant tasting-menu restaurant Lucien, lured by the ingredients they’d get to serve. “A major reason we chose San Diego is the quality and diversity of the produce,” Arizmendi explains. “San Diego County has more small farms than anywhere else in the U.S., and its many microclimates allow farmers to grow an incredible range of ingredients year-round.”
Wildland’s spicy Italian sandwich.
Gage Forster
Chef Travis Swikard has also been a tireless advocate for the region’s ingredients since he returned to San Diego, his hometown, and opened Mediterranean-influenced Callie in 2021. There’s no sophomore slump with his latest effort, the French Riviera–inspired Fleurette in La Jolla, where he’s serving his take on classics like leeks vinaigrette and his San Diego “Bouillabaisse” with local red sheepshead fish and spiny lobster. Its food is bright, produce-driven, and attentive in execution, while the dining room maintains a relaxed and unpretentious style of service. And Swikard sees that approach cohering into a regional style with a strong network of professionals behind it.
“It’s really nice that we are developing our own identity, not trying to be like L.A. or any other market, just highlighting what’s great about the San Diego lifestyle and ingredients,” he says. “Similar to New York, a chef community is starting to develop where chefs are supporting each other. There is a true sense of pride to be cooking here.”
Top: In La Jolla, Lucien serves ocean whitefish with tomatoes turned into concasse, sabayon, and other expressions.
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