From College to Pro: Sports Teams in Raleigh To Cheer For!

Sports in Raleigh is a big part of the city’s identity. From the ice-cold thrills of hockey to the thrilling touchdowns of college football, Raleigh is a “goal” standard city for sports enthusiasts. Regardless of whether you’re a die-hard sports fan or just fancy catching a game while in the city, Raleigh has a solid lineup of sports teams that you can cheer on!

So, if you fancy catching a game, go grab a foam finger and your beer hat, and get ready to learn about sports teams in Raleigh and where you can find them playing!

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes are Raleigh’s professional NHL hockey team and well supported in the city by their fans, nicknamed the Caniacs. They started in the World Hockey League in 1972, known then as the Hartford Whalers, and then relocated to Raleigh in 1997. After relocating, they changed their name to the Carolina Hurricanes and have been known as such ever since. The Canes, as they are lovingly referred to, can be seen playing from September to April during the national hockey league season and have since won the Stanley Cup twice, 2006 and 2026!

Canes games are incredibly exciting, and we tailgate here in the South. From sounds of hockey sticks clashing together to the cheers and hollers from the Storm Squad (the Hurricanes’ cheerleading team), a night spent watching the Canes is a feast for the senses.

• Team colors: black for home games, white for away games.
• Mascot: Stormy, a brown pig wearing a number 97 jersey. The number 97 represents the year the Whalers moved to Raleigh.

Where to watch the Carolina Hurricanes?

The Canes play at the Lenovo Center which has a capacity of 18,700 seats for hockey games and is also where you can watch the NC State men’s basketball team (more on that below). It also has 8,000 designated parking spaces, 20 permanent concession stands, and 37 public restrooms, and is accessible to those with mobility issues. Here are the best places to eat near the Lenovo Center (within 15 minutes).

Awards and accolades

• NHL Foundation Player Award (2001-2002) Ron Francis
• Prince of Wales Trophy (2001 – 2002)
• King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2001-2002) Ron Francis
• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (2001-2002) Ron Francis
• Conn Smythe Trophy (2005 – 2006) Cam Ward
• Frank J. Selke Trophy (2005 – 2006 & 2006-2007) Rod Brind’Amour
• Prince of Wales Trophy (2005 – 2006)
• Stanley Cup Winners (2005 – 2006)
• Calder Memorial Trophy (2010 – 2011) Jeff Skinner
• Jack Adams Award (2020-2021), coach, Rod Brind’Amour
• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (2020-2021) Jaccob Slavin
• William M. Jennings Trophy (2021-2022) Antti Raanta & Frederik Andersen
• Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (2023-2024) Jaccob Slavin

NC State Football

The Wolfpack are the athletes who play for NC State University, so if you’re ever unsure what team name to shout in a sports bar in Raleigh, you can never go wrong with “Go Pack!”. College football is a big deal here in Raleigh, and the NC State football team is like the city’s universally adopted children. They compete in the NCAA Division, Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The Wolfpack’s biggest rivals are the Tar Heels from UNC Chapel Hill, the Duke blue devils, the East Carolina Pirates, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and Clemson Tigers. If you want to get involved with cheering on the Wolfpack, learn the NC State Fight Song before you go!

• Team colors: Red, white and black
• Mascot: Mr. and Ms. Wuf, two gray Tamaskan dogs. Mr. Wuf wears a red sports kit with the number 00 on his front, and Ms. Wuf has a white dress with an S on the front. The team also has Tuffy III, a Tamaskan dog, as their live mascot.

Where to watch the NC State games?

The NC State football team play at Carter-Finley Stadium, located next door to the Lenovo Center. Carter-Finley can seat over 56,000 people and is the largest college football stadium in the state.

Awards and accolades

• Winner of the Southern Conference Championships: 1 in 1927
• 6 players and 4 head coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, as of 2022
• Former player and head coach of the Steelers, Bill Cowher, has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Winners of seven ACC championships in 1957, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1973, and 1979 
• Winners of 11 conference championships in three different conferences, the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Southern Conference, and Atlantic Coast Conference
• Participated in 35 bowl games, winning 17 of them
• Winner of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Ted Hendricks Award in 2017, awarded to Bradley Chubb
• Winner of the Rimington Trophy in 2028, awarded to Garrett Bradbury
• Winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award and Dick Butkus Award in 2023, awarded to Payton Wilson
• Winner of the Patrick Mannelly Award in 2023, awarded to Joe Shimko

NC State Men’s Basketball 

The NC State Men’s Basketball Team was founded in 1899 and played their first season in 1911-12. They were originally known as the Techs, and then the Red Terrors, before becoming part of the “Wolfpack” in 1947. Over the years they’ve had their ups and downs, but when they’re on the court, it’s like watching a pack of wolves in their natural habitat — intense and ready to pounce! 

The atmosphere at Lenovo Center is electric, with tens of thousands of fans cheering and chanting; you can almost feel the energy bouncing off the walls. Like the NC State Football Team, their biggest rivals are the Tar Heels and Blue Devils. 

• Team colors: Red and white
• Mascot: Mr. and Ms. Wuf

Where to watch the NC State Basketball?

The NC State men’s team plays at the Lenovo Center. The stadium can seat 19,500 people for basketball games, making it one of the largest college basketball facilities in the United States. It has a pit for courtside seats, including over 3,000 seats just for NC State’s most vocal fans – its students. In 2021, the Lenovo Center hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Awards and accolades

• The Wolfpack has won a total of 18 conference tournament championships and 13 regular-season conference titles. 
• They have appeared in the NCAA tournament 29 times, including four Final Four appearances (1950, 1974, 1983, 2024) and two national titles (1974, 1983)
• They have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 13 times, reaching the finals in 1978. 

NC State Women’s Basketball

The NC State Basketball Women’s Team is a team on a roll, securing several accomplishments and victories over the years. They have a record of 1,027–494 and have participated in over 28 NCAA tournaments. The team was founded in 1974 and quickly became a force to be reckoned with in the ACC. They also made it into the Final Four in 2024, proving they can run with the big dogs — or should I say, big wolves? 

Game day for the NC State Women’s Basketball is a buzzing affair. The student section of the court is vivacious and passionate, and the band gets the energy electric. 

• Team colors: Red and white
• Mascot: Mr. and Ms. Wuf

Where to watch NC State Women’s Basketball?

The Ladies Wolfpack team can be found playing at Reynolds Coliseum. It has a capacity of 5,500 people and was also the former stadium of the men’s basketball team before they moved in 1999. It hosted the ACC women’s basketball tournament twice, in 1979 and 1982. 

Awards and accolades

• NC State women’s basketball team has played in 28 NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Final Four in 2024, the first time since 1998
• They have made three appearances in the AIAW women’s basketball tournament

NC State Baseball

The NC State Baseball Team has been hitting some serious home runs since 1894. They have been playing in the ACC since it began in 1954, and have hosted five NCAA Regionals. The team started out as “The Farmers” until 1921 when they changed their name to the “Wolfpack” to coincide with the football team who changed their name the same year.

They have won multiple ACC championships and took a trip to the College World Series four times, proving they can bat with the best of them. Over the years, they have competed in 33 NCAA Tournaments, and 5 NCAA Super Regionals. They have a NCAA Tournament record of 63-68 and an ACC Tournament record of 92-83. As of 2024, the team is ranked 6th in the NCAA Division I baseball rankings.

• Team colors: Red and white
• Mascot: Mr. and Ms. Wuf

Where to watch NC State Baseball?

The team has been playing at Doak Field since 1966. It was named after Charles Doak, the head coach for the team from 1924 to 1939. It’s located on NC State’s West Campus and has a seating capacity of 2,500 spectators, plus an additional overflow of 500 seats. 

Awards and accolades

• Winners of four ACC Regular Season Championships and four ACC tournament Championships
• Appeared in four College World Series championships
• They have made 34 NCAA tournament appearances, with six Super Regionals and four College World Series appearances 
• 47 former Wolfpack players have gone on to play in Major League Baseball, as of 2021
• 4 ACC Baseball Player of the Year winners, Chris Cammack (1969), Mike Caldwell (baseball) (1971), Tracy Woodson (1984) and Turtle Zaun (1988)
• They have had 45 All-Americans, as well as nine First-Team All-Americans

NC State Men’s Soccer 

Another varsity intercollegiate athletic team worth cheering for is the NC State Men’s Soccer Team. They are part of the ACC, in Division 1. As of 2024, they are ranked 21st in the NCAA Division I national rankings. The team was first founded in 1950, but found most of their success in the 80s and 90s, scoring their only ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament title to date in 1990, and their only ACC Regular Season title in 1994. Their rivals include the Tar Heels, Duke Blue Devils, and Wake Forest Demon Deacons – also known as the Tobacco Road Teams.

• Team colors: Red and white
• Mascot: Mr. and Ms. Wuf

Where to watch NC State Men’s Soccer?

The men’s soccer team plays at Dail Soccer Field, an on-campus soccer field with a seating capacity of 3,000 seats. It was built in 2008 and is used by both the men’s and women’s soccer teams.

Awards and accolades

• The Wolfpack appeared in the NCAA Tournament eight times from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. They reached their only College Cup in 1990. They also qualified for the tournament in 2003, 2005, and 2009. 
• They won their only ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament title in 1990. 
• They won their only ACC Regular Season title in 1994. 
• In 2002, the conference named its 50 top players in each sport for the ACC 50th anniversary soccer team, and several Wolfpack players were included. 
• Pablo Mastroeni, who played for NC State from 1994 to 1997, competed for the U.S. National Team at the World Cup in 2002 and 2006. 
• 12 All-Americans

NC State Women’s Soccer

The NC State Wolfpack women’s soccer team currently plays in the ACC of NCAA Division I women’s college soccer. The team was founded in 1984 and had a successful first season, only losing one game. Their success continued throughout the 80s and 90s, but in the 2000s they had a string of mediocre plays and failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament. 

They didn’t have another winning season until 2011, which was the last ACC tournament they qualified for until 2016 when they qualified again, but were knocked out at the first round. Despite a disappointing outcome in the ACC over the years, the team is still passionate in their play and enjoyable to watch.

• Team colors: Red and white
• Mascot: Mr. and Ms. Wuf

Where to watch NC State Women’s Soccer?

The women’s team also plays at Dail Soccer Field, see above.

Awards and accolades

• They won the first ACC women’s soccer tournament in 1988, defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 4-3 on penalty kicks. 
• The Wolfpack’s coach was named ACC and National “Coach of the Year” in 1988, the same year they won the ACC tournament and reached the NCAA championship Final Four. 
• Former players Charmaine Hooper and Linda Hamilton were named NSCAA All-American in 1989 and 1990. 
• They have played in the NCAA Women’s soccer tournament 17 times, most notably in 1988 when they finished as runners-up. 

Durham Bulls Baseball 

The Durham Bulls are the only major league baseball team in the Triangle. They play in the Triple-A minor league and in the International League. The team began in 1902, as the Durham Tobacconists, but changed to the Durham Bulls in 1913.

The team was made famous in 1988 when a sports comedy movie was made about them, titled Bull Durham, starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon. Read more about what it’s like to watch a Durham Bulls game here!

• Team colors: black, white, blue, and burnt orange
• Mascot: Durham Bulls Wool E. Bull, a bull wearing a baseball kit with a blue cap with a D on the front

Where to watch the Durham Bulls play?

You can watch the Bulls play home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in the American Tobacco Campus in Durham. The stadium was built in 1995 and has undergone several major renovations – today it can seat 10,000 fans. You can also watch them play live on MLB.tv or MiLB.tv, or on the Bally Sports Live app.

Awards and accolades

• They have won 17 league championships, including the Piedmont League championship six times (1922, 1924, 1925, 1930, 1940, and 1941), the Carolina League championship (1957, 1967, and 1969), the International League championship eight times (2002, 2003, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2022), and three Triple-A National Championship Games (2009, 2017, and 2022).
• Winner of the John H. Johnson President’s Award in 1989 and 2014
• Winner of the Mike Coolbaugh Award in 2009, awarded to Charlie Montoyo

North Carolina FC

North Carolina FC began in 2006 as the Carolina Rail Hawks, before changing their name to North Carolina FC in 2016. The men’s team started out playing in the USL First Division, before moving to the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 2010, and returned to USL in 2017. Their biggest achievement to date is reaching the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup.

Rivals include Charleston Battery and Atlanta Silverbacks, Rochester Rhinos, and Puerto Rico Islanders.

• Team colors: the team wears blue and black for home games, and red and white for away games
• Mascot: A ram, called Rameses. The mascot pays homage to former player, Jack Merritt, whose nickname was “Battering Ram.” In 2015, they introduced Rameses Jr. (RJ), Rameses’ son.

Where to watch NCFC?

They play at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. The stadium has a capacity of 10,000 fans and has been playing there since 2007. The field is 120 yards x 75 yards, the FIFA international regulation size.

North Carolina Courage 

NC Courage is a women’s soccer team in Cary, not to be confused with the North Carolinan FC men’s team, who also play in Cary. This professional soccer team began in 2017, and they play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

Their biggest achievement to date was in 2018 when they became the first team in NWSL history to win the Shield and the Championship in the same season. 

• Team colors: blue, red, and gold
• Mascot: Roary, a lioness, which pays homage to the original Carolina Courage logo.

Where to watch NC Courage play?

NC Courage also plays at WakeMed Soccer Park, see above.

Awards and accolades

• NC Courage was the first team in NWSL history to win the Shield and the Championship in the same season (2018). 
• In 2019, they were the first team to win the Championship on their home field.
• Winners of the NWSL Championship in 2018 and 2019.
• Winners of the NWSL Shield in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
• Winners of the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2022 and 2023.
• Winners of the Women’s International Champions Cup in 2018.

Carolina Mudcats

The Carolina Mudcats are a minor league baseball team, currently playing in the Carolina League and the Single-A class. They originally started out in Columbus, Georgia, but moved to Zebulon, North Carolina in 1991. The Mudcats are planning to relocate to Wilson, North Carolina in 2025, where a new $75.5-million stadium is being built. They will become the Wilson Warbirds. In case you didn’t know, a mudcat is a type of catfish.

• Team colors: red, black, white, and gray
• Mascot: Muddy the Mudcat

Where to watch the Carolina Mudcats play?

They currently play their home games at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, which has a capacity of 6,500 spectators. When they become the Wilson Warbirds, they will play at a new stadium in downtown Wilson from 2026.

Awards and accolades

• Winners of the Southern League championship in 1995 and in 2003.
• Nine players and two managers have won league awards, including Pitcher of the Year in the Carolina League awards (2013, 2019) and Most Outstanding Pitcher in the Southern League awards (2009).

North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball, (UNC Chapel Hill) 

The North Carolina Tar Heels Men’s Basketball Team is a varsity team for the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. They play in the ACC in the NCAA Division I. They began in 1910, and have won six NCAA championships, a Helms Athletic Foundation title, and participated in 133 NCAA tournament matchups – 21 Final Fours, and 12 title games. 

They are the only college team to have a streak of reaching the National Championship game for nine straight decades. In 2024, they are ranked #10 best college basketball teams in the country. The Tar Heels basketball team is famous for being the team that Michael Jordan played college basketball at. You can learn more about the Tar Heels Basketball team at the Carolina Basketball Museum in Chapel Hill. 

• Team colors: blue and white
• Mascot: A ram called Rameses.

Where to watch the Tar Heels basketball play?

The Tar Heels play at the Dean E. Smith Center, also known as the Dean Dome. This court in Chapel Hill opened in 1986 and was last renovated in 2018. It can seat 21,750 people.

Awards and accolades

• Number of all-time wins is 2,372.
• They have won 6 NCAA championships. 
• They’ve had 49 players picked as All-Americans, a total of 78 times.
• They have 33 ACC regular season titles.
• They have 18 ACC Tournament titles.
• They have won 12 NCAA championship games.
• They currently have 10 former players playing in the NBA.
• 21 players have gone on to play in international leagues.
• They have the most ACC regular season titles on record, most all-time NCAA Tournament wins, and ACC wins.
• They also hold the record for the longest winning streak at home versus away.

Duke Blue Devils Basketball, Duke University

The Duke Blue Devils are the basketball team for Duke University in Durham. Both the men’s and women’s teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level.

The men’s basketball team is the fourth-winningest college basketball team of all time, having won the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship five times (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, and 2015), and had 16 Final Fours. As well as basketball, the Duke Blue Devils have 27 varsity teams, including soccer, field hockey, fencing, football, golf, lacrosse, rowing, and more.

• Team colors: dark blue and white
• Mascot: The Blue Devil, a superhero wearing a blue and white cape with the team’s logo on it, plus a blue mask with white horns

Where to watch Duke basketball?

The Duke Blue Devils play at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, on the campus of Duke University. It was built in 1940 and can house 9,300+ fans. It is used by the men’s and women’s basketball teams, as well as the women’s volleyball team.

Awards and accolades

• 11 Duke players have been named the National Player of the Year
• 36 players have been named All-Americans and 14 players named Academic All-Americans.
• 71 players have been selected in the NBA draft. 
• They have competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference Champions 22 times.
• They have 19 ACC regular season titles. 
• They have won the Southern Conference championships five times. 
• Former men’s basketball players Tate Armstrong won gold in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, Christian Laettner won gold in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Grant Hill won gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and Carlos Boozer won gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.