Longest Championship Droughts in American Sports

Winning a championship is the ultimate goal in professional sports, but some fanbases have been waiting considerably longer than others.

Across the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, there are teams whose last championship came before the Super Bowl existed, before the NBA had 10 teams and, in some cases, before many of their current fans were born.

Lucky Rebel analyzed championship records across all four major US sports leagues to find the teams currently enduring the longest title droughts. The study tracks the date of each franchise’s most recent championship and how many years and days have passed since, while also identifying teams that have never won a title.

So, which fanbases have been waiting the longest?

The 30 longest championship droughts in US sports

Among teams that have previously won a championship, the Arizona Cardinals have the longest active drought in major US sports.

The Cardinals last won a championship on December 28, 1947. As of September 30, 2026, that puts their drought at 78 years, nine months and three days, or 28,767 days.

The Cleveland Guardians are close behind. Their last World Series title came in 1948, leaving Cleveland without an MLB championship for 77 years, 11 months and 20 days.

Third are the Sacramento Kings, whose last NBA championship came in 1951. Their wait has now passed 75 years.

The full ranking shows just how widespread long championship droughts are across American sport, with the 30 longest active waits spanning all four major leagues.

Active droughts among previous champions · NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL · As of September 30, 2026

Football is particularly prominent at the top of the ranking, with six NFL franchises appearing in the top 10. The expanded top 30 also shows that lengthy waits are far from exclusive to football, with NBA, MLB and NHL franchises all featuring heavily further down the list.

The longest NFL championship droughts

The Arizona Cardinals sit at the top of both the NFL ranking and the overall list.

Their 1947 NFL Championship remains the franchise’s most recent title, meaning the Cardinals are approaching eight decades without another championship.

The Detroit Lions have the NFL’s second-longest drought. Their last title came in 1957, putting their current wait at more than 68 years.

Next come the Tennessee Titans, whose franchise last won the AFL Championship in 1961, followed by the Los Angeles Chargers in 1963 and Cleveland Browns in 1964.

Buffalo is another notable name. The Bills haven’t won a championship since their 1965 AFL title, a wait that has now exceeded 60 years and 22,000 days.

The New York Jets aren’t far behind. Their famous Super Bowl III victory in January 1969 remains their most recent championship, leaving them with a drought of more than 57 years.

The longest NBA championship droughts

The Sacramento Kings have waited longer for a championship than any other NBA team that has previously won one.

Their last title came in 1951, when the franchise won the NBA Finals. More than 75 years have now passed without another championship.

The Atlanta Hawks are second, having last won in 1958. Their drought has reached more than 68 years.

The Indiana Pacers follow at more than 53 years since their 1973 ABA Championship, while the Brooklyn Nets have passed 50 years since winning the ABA Championship in 1976.

The Portland Trail Blazers are approaching the same milestone, with their sole NBA championship coming in 1977.

The longest MLB championship droughts

The Cleveland Guardians have the longest championship drought in Major League Baseball and the second-longest across all four leagues.

Cleveland’s last World Series victory came in 1948. By September 2026, 28,479 days had passed since that championship – a drought of just under 78 years.

There is then a considerable gap to the next MLB team.

The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t won the World Series since 1979, giving them a drought of almost 47 years. The Baltimore Orioles follow at almost 43 years since their 1983 championship, while the Detroit Tigers have gone nearly 42 years since winning in 1984.

The New York Mets are also approaching four decades without a title, with their most recent World Series win coming in 1986.

The longest NHL championship droughts

The Toronto Maple Leafs currently hold the NHL’s longest championship drought among previous Stanley Cup winners.

Toronto last won the Stanley Cup in 1967. As of September 2026, the wait stood at 59 years, four months and 29 days.

Next are the Philadelphia Flyers, who haven’t lifted the Stanley Cup since 1975, putting their drought above 51 years.

The New York Islanders have waited more than 43 years since their 1983 title, while the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers have gone more than 37 and 36 years respectively without another Stanley Cup.

Which teams have never won a championship?

Long droughts tell only part of the story. Several franchises across the four major leagues are still waiting for their first championship.

The Atlanta Falcons have played 60 seasons without winning an NFL championship, while the Cincinnati Bengals have gone 58 seasons without one. The Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars have each completed 31 seasons without a title, while the Houston Texans remain without one after 24 seasons.

In the NBA, the Phoenix Suns have reached 58 seasons without a championship, followed by the LA Clippers at 56. The Utah Jazz have also gone 52 seasons without a title.

Baseball has two franchises with 57-season waits: the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres. The Seattle Mariners have reached 49 seasons without a World Series title.

In the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks both have 56-season championship droughts, while the San Jose Sharks have gone 35 seasons without winning the Stanley Cup.

Some championship waits span generations

What stands out most from the rankings is just how far back some of these droughts stretch.

The Cardinals’ last championship was in the 1940s. The Guardians and Kings haven’t won since the 1940s and 1950s respectively. The Lions and Hawks are still waiting for a title since the 1950s, while seven more franchises last won in the 1960s.

At the other end of the scale, several fanbases have celebrated much more recently. The New York Knicks and Carolina Hurricanes both won championships in 2026, while the Seattle Seahawks’ most recent Super Bowl victory came in February 2026.

That is what makes championship droughts such a persistent part of American sports. Every season offers the possibility that decades of waiting could finally end – or that another year gets added to the clock.

Methodology

Lucky Rebel analyzed championship records across the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, recording each franchise’s most recent championship and calculating the length of its active title drought as of September 30, 2026.

The main ranking includes franchises that have previously won a championship, ranked according to the time elapsed since their most recent title. The analysis considers the date and type of each franchise’s last championship, alongside the number of years and days since that victory.

Franchises that have never won a championship are considered separately, as their drought cannot be measured from a previous title. Instead, their wait is shown according to the number of seasons they have competed without winning a championship.

The data is correct as of September 30, 2026.