The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Cubs are one of the two remaining charter members of the National League (the other being the Atlanta Braves).

The club played its first games in 1870 and was founded professionally in 1876. This makes the Cubs, along with the Braves who were also founded in 1871, one of the two oldest active teams in major North American sports. Because the Cubs lost two seasons to the Great Chicago Fire, the Braves have played more seasons, although the Cubs hold the record for oldest team still in its original city.