Baseball Expansion Teams

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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 comes from the expansion of the sport into new areas. That 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.

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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, and 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 few seasons, which can be exacerbated by the fact that leagues sometimes expand by two or four teams in one season for scheduling reasons, such as eliminating the possibility of a team being without an opponent on a preferred date by an odd number of teams. In those cases, expansion teams must compete with their expansion rivals for available talent. Expansion teams are not usually doomed to mediocrity forever, 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. The Arizona Diamondbacks won the 2001 World Series in only their fourth season. The Milwaukee Bucks won the 1971 NBA Finals in only 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. The Chicago Fire won MLS Cup in 1998 in just their first year of existence in Major League Soccer. In 2011, the Portland Timbers started their MLS franchise, and they won the MLS Cup in 2015. The Florida Panthers made the Stanley Cup Finals in only their 3rd season in the National Hockey League (NHL) even though, like MLB, the league then had no salary cap. The National Football League, 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: none of the four teams started with new rosters since 1995 (when the salary cap was imposed) won a Super Bowl (the Carolina Panthers have come closest, reaching the NFC Championship Game in their second season and reaching the Super Bowl twice, but have never won); the most recent addition to the league, the Houston Texans, took over a decade to reach the playoffs, and the Cleveland Browns have yet to win a playoff game in the nearly two decades since its return to the league in 1999.

Most teams are considered as an expansion team usually in their first season and sometimes in their second season, but especially for purists, Major League Baseball teams can be considered "expansion teams" indefinitely. 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 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 actual team 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. The European Super League in rugby 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, tentatively slated to launch in 2022.

Baseball Expansion Teams Video

Expansion teams in North America

Major League Baseball

• 1961: Los Angeles Angels (later California Angels, then Anaheim Angels, then Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, now Los Angeles Angels once again); 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

• 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 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 - The history of the Hornets is detailed as follows:
  • 2002 - Franchise moves to New Orleans, keeping the Hornets name until becoming the New Orleans Pelicans prior to the 2013-14 season.
  • 2004 - The NBA returns to Charlotte with the expansion Charlotte Bobcats franchise.
  • 2014 - Following the New Orleans team's name change, the Bobcats reclaim the Hornets name effective with the 2014-15 season. In addition, the Hornets, Pelicans, and NBA agree that all history and records of every previous NBA team in Charlotte (including the original Charlotte Hornets) would belong to the revived 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.

National Football League

Only extant teams are listed. Two charter franchises, the Chicago (now Arizona) Cardinals and Chicago Bears (originally Decatur Staleys), are still active.

• 1921: Green Bay Packers, previously an independent, join the league
• 1925: New York Giants
• 1930: Portsmouth Spartans (now Detroit Lions), previously of the Ohio League, join the NFL.
• 1932: Boston Braves (now Washington Redskins) - 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.
• 1936: Cleveland Rams (now Los Angeles Rams) join from the 1936 American Football League.
• 1950: Three teams joined the NFL after a partial merger with the rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC):
  • Baltimore Colts (original) - Not to be confused with the later franchise of the same name, this team folded after the 1950 season.
  • Cleveland Browns - The subsequent history of this franchise is treated as follows (for more details, see Cleveland Browns relocation controversy):
    • 1996 - The team moves to Baltimore, becoming the Ravens.
    • 1999 - Following the 1999 revival of the Browns, the revived Browns received sole possession of history and records from the Ravens' time in Cleveland. All history and records since the move to Baltimore remain with the Ravens.
  • San Francisco 49ers
• 1953: Baltimore Colts (second) (now Indianapolis Colts); not to be confused with the aforementioned Baltimore Colts who folded in 1950. 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, 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 - Following the 1999 assumption of the Cleveland Browns' history by the revived Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Ravens are officially an expansion team that began play in the 1996 season.
• 2002: Houston Texans

National Hockey League

• 1909: Montreal Canadiens - part of National Hockey Association, which became the NHL.
• 1917: Toronto Arenas (now Maple Leafs)
• 1924: Boston Bruins; Montreal Maroons (now defunct)
• 1925: New York Americans (now defunct); Pittsburgh Pirates (now defunct)
• 1926: Chicago Black Hawks; Detroit Cougars (now Red Wings); New York Rangers
• 1967: Los Angeles Kings; Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars); California Seals (defunct; later the Oakland Seals, California Golden Seals, and Cleveland Barons. The Barons were merged with the 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) 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 the second incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets)
• 2000: Columbus Blue Jackets; Minnesota Wild
• 2017: Vegas Golden Knights

Major League Soccer

• 1998: Chicago Fire SC; Miami Fusion (contracted)
• 2005: Chivas USA (folded by the league); Real Salt Lake
• 2006: Houston Dynamo - History of this franchise is treated as follows: In 2005 the franchise was established in Houston from San Jose as an expansion team. The history of San Jose Earthquakes was inactive until the franchise was reactivated in 2007.
• 2007: Toronto FC
• 2009: Seattle Sounders FC
• 2010: Philadelphia Union
• 2011: Portland Timbers; Vancouver Whitecaps FC
• 2012: Montreal Impact
• 2015: New York City FC; Orlando City SC
• 2017: Atlanta United FC; Minnesota United FC
• 2018: Los Angeles FC
• 2018 or 2019: Miami

Arena Football League

Only extant members of the AFL are listed. One charter franchise, the Tampa Bay Storm (originally Pittsburgh Gladiators), is still active.

• 1997: New Jersey Red Dogs (now Cleveland Gladiators, previously Las Vegas Gladiators)
• 2004: Philadelphia Soul
• 2017: Baltimore Brigade, Washington Valor
• 2018: Albany AFL team

Canadian Football League

• 1993: Sacramento Gold Miners (defunct) - The first entry in the league's 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 Grey Cup in 1995. However, the 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)
• 2014: Ottawa Redblacks

Major League Lacrosse

• 2006: Chicago Machine (now second iteration of Rochester Rattlers); Denver Outlaws; Los Angeles Riptide (defunct); San Francisco Dragons (defunct)
• 2009: Toronto Nationals (now 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)
• 2012: Ohio Machine; Charlotte Hounds
• 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)
• 2016: Atlanta Blaze

National Lacrosse League

• 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 Stealth; previously 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 (defunct; previously Orlando Titans)
• 2009: Boston Blazers (second iteration; defunct)
• 2019: San Diego, Philadelphia

National Women's Soccer League

• 2014: Houston Dash
• 2016: Orlando Pride

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)
• 2001: Vancouver Giants
• 2003: Everett Silvertips
• 2006: Chilliwack Bruins(Moved to Victoria, BC in 2011 and became the Victoria Royals)
• 2007: Edmonton Oil Kings

Women's National Basketball Association

• 1997: Houston Comets (folded)
• 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

Women's Professional Soccer

• 2010: Atlanta Beat; Philadelphia Independence
  • Both teams folded along with the league after the 2011 season.
• 2011: Western New York Flash
  • The Flash joined the effective successor to WPS, the National Women's Soccer League, in 2013. After winning the 2016 NWSL title, the Flash sold its NWSL franchise rights to the owner of NASL member North Carolina FC, who relaunched the NWSL team as the North Carolina Courage. The Flash now field a team in the second-level United Women's Soccer.

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Expansion teams in Australia and New Zealand

A-League

• 2007: Wellington Phoenix
• 2009: Gold Coast United (defunct); Northern Fury FC (defunct)
• 2010: Melbourne Heart (now Melbourne City)
• 2012: Western Sydney Wanderers

Australian Football League

• 1908: Richmond; University (dropped out of competition and folded at the end of 1914)
• 1925: Hawthorn; North Melbourne; Footscray (became Western Bulldogs in 1996)
• 1987: Brisbane Bears (now Brisbane Lions); West Coast Eagles
• 1991: Adelaide
• 1995: Fremantle
• 1997: Brisbane Lions; Port Adelaide
• 2011: Gold Coast Suns
• 2012: Greater Western Sydney Giants

National Basketball League

• 1980: Coburg Giants (later became North Melbourne Giants in 1987-1998); Launceston Casino City (defunct)
• 1981: Forestville Eagles (now currently playing ABA)
• 1982: Adelaide City Eagles (now Adelaide 36ers); Geelong Cats (now Geelong Supercats until 1996 but now currently playing ABA); 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 & West Sydney Westars)
• 1990: 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)

National Rugby League

• 1910: Annandale
• 1920: University
• 1921: St. George Dragons
• 1935: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
• 1947: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles; Parramatta Eels
• 1967: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks; Penrith Panthers
• 1982: Canberra Raiders; Illawarra Steelers (now part of joint venture with St. George Dragons)
• 1988: Brisbane Broncos; Gold Coast-Tweed Giants (later Chargers, now defunct); Newcastle Knights
• 1995: Auckland Warriors (now New Zealand Warriors); North Queensland Cowboys; South Queensland Crushers (now defunct); Western Reds (now defunct)
• 1998: Melbourne Storm; Adelaide Rams (now defunct)
• 1999: Wests Tigers
• 2007: Gold Coast Titans

New South Wales Cup

• 2007: Auckland Lions

Northern Territory Football League

• 2006: Tiwi Bombers Football Club

Queensland Cup

• 2008: Mackay Cutters; Northern Pride

Ron Massey Cup

• 2008: WA Reds

Super League

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

Super Rugby

• 2006: Cheetahs and Western Force
  • The Cheetahs were dropped from Super Rugby after the 2017 season, and immediately became an expansion team in Pro14.
• 2011: Melbourne Rebels
• 2013: Southern Kings
  • The Kings were dropped from Super Rugby at the same time as the Cheetahs, and joined Pro14 alongside the Cheetahs.
• 2016: Jaguares and Sunwolves

Victorian Football League

• 1998: Bendigo Bombers
• 2001: Tasmanian Devils

West Australian Football League

• 1997: Peel Thunder

Women's National Basketball League

• 1983: 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 (defunct)
• 2015: South East Queensland Stars

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Expansion teams in Asia

Indian Premier League

• 2011: Kochi Tuskers Kerala; Pune Warriors India
• 2016: Gujarat Lions; Rising Pune Supergiants

Indian Super League

• 2017-2018: Bengaluru FC; Jamshedpur FC

Philippine Basketball Association

• 1978: Filmanbank Bankers
• 1979: Gilbey's Gin
• 1980: CDCP Shippers
• 1983: Manhattan
• 1984: Manila Beer
• 1985: Shell Azordin Bugbusters
• 1986: Alaska Aces
• 1988: Purefoods
• 1990: Sunkist Orange Juicers; Pepsi Hotshots
• 1993: Sta. Lucia Realtors
• 1999: Tanduay Rhum Masters
• 2000: Batang Red Bull Energy Kings
• 2002: FedEx Express; Coca-Cola Tigers
• 2006: Welcoat Dragons (from the PBL, note that the promotion and relegation system was not used .)
• 2014: Blackwater Elite; Kia Sorento

Pakistan Super League

• 2018: Multan Sultans

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Expansion teams in Europe

Kontinental Hockey League

• 2009: Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
• 2010: HC Yugra
• 2011: 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 Lev Praha. The latter team folded at the end of the 2013-14 season.
• 2012: HC Donbass; Slovan Bratislava
  • Donbass left the KHL after the 2013-14 season due to the conflict in its home region of Eastern Ukraine. The team would join the competition now known as the Ukrainian Hockey League in 2015-16.
• 2013: Admiral Vladivostok; KHL Medve??ak (from Zagreb, Croatia)
  • Medve??ak, which had joined from the Austrian Hockey League, withdrew from the KHL after the 2016-17 season to rejoin the Austrian league.
• 2014: Sochi; Jokerit (from Helsinki, Finland)
• 2016: Kunlun Red Star (from Beijing, China)

Pro14

• 2010:
  • Aironi - A team formed specifically for the competition by several existing clubs in Northern Italy, with 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 season; it was replaced by the FIR-operated Zebre.
  • 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
  • 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.

Super League

• 1995: 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 2008. Super League instituted a franchise system effective with the 2009 season, and Les Catalans retained their place in the league.
• 2009:
  • 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 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 City Reds - Also technically not an expansion team; they have existed since 1873, and played in Super League as recently as 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 2005.

VTB United League

• 2010: Espoon Honka; Minsk-2006

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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.
  • 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 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.

Source of the article : Wikipedia