There are over 120 teams amongst the four major sports leagues in North America: MLB, the NHL, the NBA and the NFL. But interest remains in adding even more teams to that big mix of markets.
The most recent expansion was by the National Hockey League, which added the Seattle Kraken as its 32nd team for the 2021/22 season after bringing in the Vegas Golden Knights for the 2017/18 campaign. The other three leagues, meanwhile, have not been as aggressive in bumping their numbers in recent years.
But is that set to change in the near future? What will be the next sports league to add an expansion team?
“Nashville, Salt Lake City, and Charlotte have all been mentioned as expansion candidates for a league that seems overdue to get bigger.”
This author is well-seasoned in the expansion history of all four of the major sports leagues in North America, remembering a time when there were no Houston Texans or Toronto Raptors or San Jose Sharks or Arizona Diamondbacks in their respective circuits.
To that end, let’s break down a theoretical odds board of the next sports league to add an expansion team between the MLB, the NHL, the NBA and the NFL.
The odds displayed are purely speculative and intended for entertainment purposes only.
Next Sports League to Add Expansion Team Odds
| Next Sports League to Add Expansion Team |
Odds |
Implied Probability |
 MLB |
+115 |
46.51% |
 NHL |
+335 |
22.99% |
 NBA |
+335 |
22.99% |
 NFL |
+690 |
12.66% |
Next Sports League to Add Expansion Team Odds Analysis
The following odds are accurate as of November 2025
MLB |+115 | Implied Probability: 46.51%
Major League Baseball hasn’t expanded since way back in 1998, when Arizona and Tampa Bay joined the league to give it 30 total teams.
Since then we’ve seen Montreal move to Washington and Oakland move to Sacramento (they’ll eventually end up in Las Vegas), but no league expansion.
The league still needs to address Tampa Bay’s stadium situation, but when that’s finally dealt with Nashville, Salt Lake City, and Charlotte have all been mentioned as expansion candidates for a league that seems overdue to get bigger.
NHL | +335 | Implied Probability: 22.99%
The National Hockey League has been the most aggressive in expanding over the past few decades, setting up shop in Seattle and Vegas but also adding two more teams in California, two teams in Florida, plus teams in North Carolina, Minnesota, Nashville, Columbus, and Ottawa along with just moving its Phoenix franchise to Utah.
Always keen on distributing expansion money, the league has been heavily rumoured to be interested in going back to both Phoenix and Atlanta, with Houston seen as a top contender as well.
NBA | +335 | Implied Probability: 22.99%
The NBA added a new Charlotte franchise in 2004 to bring the league up to 30 teams, but prior to that they hadn’t expanded since Toronto and Vancouver added a Canadian presence to the circuit back in 1995.
The league, however, has seen multiple teams move to new cities in the meantime, including New Jersey (to Brooklyn), Seattle (to Oklahoma City), original Charlotte (to New Orleans), and Vancouver (to Memphis).
Las Vegas and a return to Seattle beckon, but the NBA does seem to move slowly on expansion.
Next Sports League to Add Expansion Team Odds Commentary
An NFL desire to put franchises into markets in Europe, Mexico, and South America would face logistical and travel challenges, and expansion never seems to be a front-burner issue for the NBA. The NHL loves expansion, but there are some questions about whether that league would be too big at 34 or 36 teams.
That leaves MLB as the favorite on our theoretical odds of the next sports league to add an expansion team, as we project a move from 30 to 32 teams to be announced at some point in the next couple of years.
Disclaimer: The odds displayed for entertainment, political, and other non-sporting events on this page are purely speculative and intended for entertainment purposes only. These are not real betting markets offered by licensed operators. Please note that the odds above have been generated by Oddspedia for this article only. They are not necessarily reflective of the actual probability of the event occurring and it is not possible to place a wager on this event through Oddspedia. Any implied probabilities derived from these odds are not based on professional bookmaking standards and should not be used for actual wagering decisions. Please gamble responsibly with licensed providers.
