Looking for pro rugby at Snapdragon Stadium? There’s nothing on the regular calendar right now. The Legion moved out after the 2024 season. But Snapdragon still owns some of the biggest rugby nights San Diego has ever seen, and the local rugby scene is very much alive.

Is There Rugby at Snapdragon Stadium?

Not on a regular basis. The San Diego Legion of Major League Rugby called Snapdragon home for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. In November 2024, the club announced it was heading back to Torero Stadium at the University of San Diego, where it played its first seasons. One-off international matches can still land here, so keep an eye on the events calendar.

Rugby at Snapdragon: The Big Nights

• 2023: The Legion’s first season at Snapdragon set an MLR attendance record of 11,423.
• 2024: The Legion broke their own record with 12,085 fans.
• July 19, 2024: New Zealand’s All Blacks beat Fiji 47-5 in front of 33,217 fans. It was the first Test between the two teams in the US, and six All Blacks made their Test debuts that night.
• Summer 2024: Snapdragon hosted the MLR Championship, and the New England Free Jacks beat the Seattle Seawolves 20-11 in front of a record crowd.

The All Blacks in San Diego

The 2024 match wasn’t the All Blacks’ first trip to Mission Valley. They beat the USA 53-6 on this same site in 1980, back when the old stadium stood here. The 2024 crowd brought the full San Diego treatment: tailgates in the lots and a stadium that stayed on its feet through the injury breaks. New Zealand’s head coach singled out the tailgate scene afterward.

The All Blacks are the most successful men’s team in rugby history, with three Rugby World Cup titles (1987, 2011, 2015) and a win rate near 80% since 1903. If they ever come back, expect the silver fern, the haka, and a sellout.

What Happened to the San Diego Legion?

In July 2025, the San Diego Legion merged with Rugby FC Los Angeles to form the California Legion, a statewide Major League Rugby franchise. The old San Diego club was one of MLR’s founding teams in 2018 and finished as runner-up in 2019 and 2023.

In 2026, the California Legion played five home matches at five different venues, including one in San Diego at Torero Stadium. The team reached the MLR Championship in its first season and lost 35-17 to the undefeated Chicago Hounds on June 21, 2026, outside Chicago.

Watching the Legion Next Season

Home dates and venues for next season will post at legion.rugby. Tickets are sold through legion.rugby/tickets as single games or memberships.

San Diego Is a Rugby Town

Most people think of San Diego as a football and soccer city. Rugby has deep roots here too. The Old Mission Bay Athletic Club (OMBAC) started its rugby team in 1966 and went on to win 12 amateur national championships between the 1970s and the 1990s. Club rugby still runs across the county at every level.

More Info

• California Legion Official Website
• Follow @legion.rugby on Instagram
• Upcoming events at Snapdragon Stadium
• Getting to Snapdragon Stadium