This list of opera companies lists the most important opera companies in the world by virtue of their long history and size. These companies are full-time professional opera companies that present a minimum of six fully staged opera productions during an annual season. To search more inclusive lists of opera companies by location see the following:
- List of Latin American and South American opera companies
- List of North American opera companies,
- List of opera companies in Africa and the Middle East
- List of opera companies in Asia, Australia, and Oceania
- List of opera companies in Europe
| Name of opera company | Principal theatre | Principal location |
|---|---|---|
| Bavarian State Opera | Nationaltheater München | Germany: Munich |
| Bolshoi Theatre | Russia: Moscow | |
| Canadian Opera Company | Four Seasons Centre | Canada: Toronto |
| Cape Town Opera | Artscape Opera House | South Africa: Cape Town |
| Dallas Opera | Winspear Opera House | United States: Dallas |
| Deutsche Oper am Rhein | Opernhaus Düsseldorf and Theater Duisburg | Germany: Düsseldorf/Duisburg |
| Deutsche Oper Berlin | Germany: Berlin | |
| English National Opera | Coliseum Theatre | United Kingdom: London |
| English Touring Opera | United Kingdom: London | |
| Finnish National Opera | Finland: Helsinki | |
| Grand Théâtre de Genève | Switzerland: Geneva | |
| Greek National Opera | Olympia Theatre | Greece: Athens |
| Hamburg State Opera | Germany: Hamburg | |
| Houston Grand Opera | Wortham Theater Center | United States: Houston |
| Hungarian State Opera | Hungary: Budapest | |
| Komische Oper | Germany: Berlin | |
| Liceu | Gran Teatre del Liceu | Spain: Barcelona |
| Los Angeles Opera | Dorothy Chandler Pavilion | United States: Los Angeles |
| Lyric Opera of Chicago | Civic Opera House | United States: Chicago |
| Lyric Opera of Los Angeles | United States: Los Angeles | |
| Mariinsky Opera | Mariinsky Theatre | Russia: Saint Petersburg |
| Metropolitan Opera | Metropolitan Opera House | United States: New York |
| La Monnaie | Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie | Belgium: Brussels |
| National Opera and Ballet | Bulgaria: Sofia | |
| National Theatre (Národní divadlo) | Czech Republic: Prague | |
| Nationaltheater Mannheim | Germany: Mannheim | |
| De Nederlandse Opera | Het Muziektheater | Netherlands: Amsterdam |
| New National Theatre Tokyo | Japan: Tokyo | |
| New York City Opera | various venues | United States: New York City |
| Oper Frankfurt | Germany: Frankfurt | |
| Oper Leipzig | Germany: Leipzig | |
| Opera Australia | Sydney Opera House | Australia: Sydney |
| Opéra-Comique | Salle Favart | France: Paris |
| Opera Company of Philadelphia | Academy of Music | United States: Philadelphia |
| Opéra de Marseille | Opéra Municipal | France: Marseille |
| Opéra de Monte-Carlo | Salle Garnier | Monaco: Monte Carlo |
| Opéra National de Lyon | Nouvel Opéra | France: Lyon |
| Opéra National de Paris | Palais Garnier and L’Opéra de la Bastille | France: Paris |
| Opera North | Grand Theatre Leeds | United Kingdom: Leeds |
| Pittsburgh Opera | Benedum Center for the Performing Arts | United States: Pittsburgh |
| Státní opera Praha | Czech Republic: Prague | |
| Polish National Opera | Teatr Wielki | Poland: Warsaw |
| Royal Danish Theatre | Copenhagen Opera House | Denmark: Copenhagen |
| Royal Opera | Royal Opera House, Covent Garden | United Kingdom: London |
| Royal Swedish Opera | Kungliga Operan | Sweden: Stockholm |
| Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden | Semperoper | Germany: Dresden |
| San Francisco Opera | War Memorial Opera House | United States: San Francisco |
| La Scala | Teatro alla Scala | Italy: Milan |
| Seattle Opera | McCaw Hall | United States: Seattle |
| Staatsoper Hannover | Germany: Hannover | |
| Staatsoper Stuttgart | Staatstheater Stuttgart | Germany: Stuttgart |
| Staatsoper Unter den Linden | Germany: Berlin | |
| Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz | Germany: Munich | |
| Teatro Colón | Teatro Colón | Argentina: Buenos Aires |
| Teatro Comunale di Bologna | Italy: Bologna | |
| Teatro La Fenice | Italy: Venice | |
| Teatro Massimo | Italy: Palermo | |
| Teatro Nacional de São Carlos | Portugal: Lisbon | |
| Teatro dell'Opera di Roma | Italy: Rome | |
| Teatro Real | Spain: Madrid | |
| Teatro Regio Torino | Italy: Turin | |
| Teatro di San Carlo | Italy: Naples | |
| Théâtre du Châtelet | France: Paris | |
| Vienna State Opera | Austria: Vienna | |
| Volksoper Wien | Austria: Vienna | |
| Washington National Opera | Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | United States: Washington, D.C. |
| Welsh National Opera | Wales Millennium Centre | United Kingdom: Cardiff |
| Zurich Opera | Opernhaus Zürich | Switzerland: Zurich |
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