San Diego Wave FC were established on 8 June 2021 and began play in 2022, bringing professional womens soccer back to the city for the first time since the San Diego Spirit folded in 2003. The club plays at Snapdragon Stadium, capacity 35,000, after a short spell at Torero Stadium, and the crest is a cresting wave in the blues of the Pacific. The Wave won the NWSL Shield in 2023 and the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2024. Casey Stoney was named Coach of the Year and Naomi Girma Rookie of the Year in the clubs first season, and a crowd of 32,000 against Angel City in September 2022 set an NWSL single-game attendance record at the time.