The WNBA is experiencing its biggest expansion wave in over a decade, with three new franchises joining across 2025 and 2026. For the first time since 2008, new franchises are joining the league, and it's not just one team!
The Golden State Valkyries tipped off in 2025 as the league's 13th franchise, ending a 17-year expansion drought. But they're just the beginning.
Portland and Toronto are hot on their heels, set to join in 2026. These two newcomers will bring the league to 15 teams, marking a historic moment for women's professional basketball.
This expansion wave represents more than just new cities getting teams. It's proof that the WNBA can sustain continued growth. We've got the demand, the economics, and fan support to keep expanding, which should have women's sports fans everywhere cheering.
Let's break down everything you need to know about these three new franchises and what their arrival means for the future of women's basketball.
How the WNBA Reached This Expansion Moment
Let's put this into perspective for a second: the last time the WNBA added a new team, Barack Obama was running for his first term as president.
The Atlanta Dream joined the league in 2008, and then... nothing. For 17 years, the league stayed at 12 teams while other professional sports continued expanding.
So what changed? Several factors came together to create the perfect storm for WNBA growth:
Record-Breaking Viewership and Attendance:
The 2024 season shattered records across the board. The league averaged over 9,000 fans per game for the first time in its history, up from the ~6,000 in 2023. TV ratings also jumped over 150% from the previous year.
Debatably, the biggest domino to fall was young superstars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese entering the league. These two and other college stars like Cameron Brink and Kate Martin brought with them a massive amount of fame, huge endorsement deals, and dedicated fans.
When these new college fans began tuning into the WNBA games, they quickly caught on to the electric play of existing superstar talent like Napheesa Collier and A'ja Wilson.
Massive Media Rights Deal:
The WNBA's new $2.2 billion media rights agreement with ESPN, Amazon, and NBC has been another game-changer for the league. This 11-year deal is roughly 10 times larger than the previous agreement, giving the W the financial foothold it needs to keep growing. Each team now receives significantly more broadcasting revenue, making new franchises more viable from day one.
Proven Ownership Groups:
The expansion teams aren't being launched by inexperienced owners hoping to strike it rich. Golden State is backed by the Warriors ownership group, Portland by the successful Thorns soccer ownership, and Toronto by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. These groups bring both financial resources and proven track records in professional sports.
Strategic Market Selection:
Rather than rushing into any available city, the WNBA has been methodical about expansion locations. Golden State taps into the Bay Area's tech wealth and existing basketball culture. Portland leverages an already-proven women's sports market. Toronto opens up international opportunities and is a massive metropolitan area.
The league has also learned from past mistakes. Earlier WNBA teams sometimes struggled with inadequate funding or ownership groups that weren't fully committed to women's basketball. This new wave of expansion features deep-pocketed owners who understand the long-term investment required to build successful franchises.
Now, let's look at the three expansion teams a little more closely.
Golden State Valkyries: The Expansion Template
The Golden State Valkyries, the league's newest franchise, kicked off the 2025 season, and their early performance offers intriguing insights into what Portland and Toronto can expect in 2026.
Playing out of Chase Center alongside the Warriors, the Valkyries entered the league with significant advantages. Their ownership group's NBA experience shows in their professional operations, marketing, and fan engagement. The Valkyries facilities look fresh and swanky, the branding and launch was airtight and sleek, and they've been generating buzz with noteworthy celebrity talent courtside at their early-season games.
On the court, the Valkyries are struggling with some typical expansion growing pains, but they're showing some flashes of competitiveness. Their roster, built through the expansion draft and free agency, features a mix of veteran leadership and young talent. However, they're learning the same lesson that most expansion teams face: building the chemistry needed to compete against teams with established rosters takes time.
The Valkyries' struggles against veteran teams like Las Vegas and New York highlight the challenge facing new franchises. These established teams have star players, proven systems, and the depth that comes from multiple seasons together. Meanwhile, expansion teams are essentially starting from scratch with players who have likely never played together before.
But here's the encouraging part for Portland and Toronto fans: It could be a lot worse.
Golden State has shown they're still up to the challenge! They are sitting at 2-1, and their young players look to be developing quickly while their veteran leadership is providing the stability needed for growth.
No one was expecting a whole lot from the Valkyries this season, and most fans predict them to finish last or second-to-last in the standings. They could certainly outperform this low bar, but, needless to say, it doesn't really matter what their record is this season or even next season, frankly. They just need to play hard, exciting basketball while staying competitive and giving a great viewership experience.
Portland WNBA: The Perfect Time for a Basketball Rebirth
Portland isn't new to the WNBA. We're making a comeback, and the timing couldn't be better.
The Portland Fire played in the league from 2000-2002, building a solid fan base before folding due to ownership issues rather than lack of support. The team actually had stronger attendance than many other WNBA franchises, but when Paul Allen's Oregon Arena Corporation declined to continue operating the team, the league couldn't find a replacement owner in time to keep the team alive.
Fast forward over two decades, and Portland has transformed into the unofficial capital of women's sports in the U.S. The Portland Thorns have consistently broken attendance records, often drawing larger crowds than many MLS men's teams. Oregon and Oregon State have both made women's basketball Final Four runs. The world's first women's sports bar, The Sports Bra, opened here and became a cultural phenomenon.
This isn't just a city that tolerates women's sports. Portland actively celebrates them.
Why Now Is Different
The new Portland WNBA franchise, set to begin play in 2026, has several advantages the original Fire never had:
The team's new owners are the Bhathal family, who own the Thorns. They understand how to build sustainable women's sports franchises. They've created one of the most popular teams in women's soccer while building a passionate fan community. Their $125 million expansion fee, nearly 50 times higher than the original WNBA franchise fees, shows both their commitment and the league's increased value.
The economic foundation is also completely different. The WNBA's new media rights deal provides revenue streams that didn't exist in 2002. Corporate sponsorship opportunities have exploded, and the path to profitability is much clearer than it was for the original Fire.
Built-In Advantages
Portland's new team will play at the Moda Center, giving them a world-class home venue from day one. They're also building a cutting-edge training facility in Hillsboro that will be shared with the Thorns, the first joint women's sports practice facility of its kind in American professional sports.
But the biggest advantage might be the fan base. Portland sports fans are notoriously loyal, and they've already proven their enthusiasm for women's basketball through strong support for college teams. The Thorns have demonstrated that this market will show up for high-quality women's sports, creating a template for WNBA success.
The team also benefits from Portland's unique sports culture. This is a city that embraces teams that fight hard and connect with the community, even if they're not immediate championship contenders. That patience and loyalty could be crucial for an expansion team building toward competitiveness.
Timeline and Expectations
The team will likely announce its name and branding in Spring 2025, giving fans a full year to rally around the new identity. The expansion draft will happen in winter 2025, and if Golden State's experience is any indication, Portland should expect a competitive but developing roster in year one.
It remains to be seen what they will do with Portland and Toronto in terms of draft order and pick number. The Valkyries got the fifth pick in 2025, which frankly doesn't seem like the best deal in the world. It's safe to expect Portland and Toronto will have similar picks next year... but we're not sure how exactly the order will be determined.
but again, the method of choosing who of the two newbies gets the better pick will be interesting, likely some sort of random lottery drawing.
Regardless, the key will be building sustainable success rather than rushing toward quick fixes. With experienced ownership, unwavering community support, and the league's improved economics, Portland's WNBA return has all the ingredients for long-term success.
Toronto Tempo: International Expansion and Big Market Appeal
Toronto's addition to the WNBA in 2026 represents something bigger than just another new franchise — it's the league's bold step into international markets and a signal that women's basketball has global appeal.
The Toronto Tempo (the team name was announced in late 2024) will be the WNBA's first international franchise, bringing professional women's basketball back to Canada for the first time since the short-lived Vancouver stint in the early 2000s. But unlike that earlier experiment, Toronto enters with massive advantages that position them for success.
Ownership and Infrastructure
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) owns the Tempo, bringing the same expertise that runs the Toronto Raptors, Maple Leafs, and Toronto FC. This isn't a startup ownership group learning professional sports. It's an established organization with decades of experience in major league operations.
The team will play at Coca-Cola Coliseum, a 8,400-seat venue that provides an intimate but professional environment. While smaller than some WNBA arenas, the venue should create an exciting atmosphere that could become a major home-court advantage for the Tempo.
Market Opportunity
Toronto is a metropolitan area of nearly 7 million people, larger than most American cities with professional basketball teams. The market has already proven its appetite for basketball through strong Raptors support, and Canada's growing women's basketball talent pipeline suggests natural fan interest.
The international angle also opens up new revenue streams and marketing opportunities. Canadian corporate sponsors, different media markets, and the novelty of international WNBA games could provide unique advantages that American-based teams don't have.
Development and Expectations
Like Portland, Toronto will participate in the 2026 expansion draft. The WNBA will likely structure the draft to ensure both teams get fair access to existing talent, though the specifics haven't been announced.
Toronto faces challenges similar to those faced by other expansion teams: building roster chemistry, competing against established teams, and developing young talent. However, their international profile could help attract players interested in the unique experience of playing professional basketball in Canada.
Tempo's success could also influence the expansion of the WNBA internationally. Cities like London, Mexico City, Vancouver, or Montreal could become possibilities if Toronto proves that the WNBA brand can thrive outside the United States.
What This Expansion Wave Means for the WNBA
Adding three teams in two seasons isn't just about filling more arenas. It's about fundamentally changing the trajectory of women's professional basketball.
Financial Transformation
The combined expansion fees from Golden State, Portland, and Toronto likely exceed $300 million, providing the league with unprecedented financial resources. This money gets distributed to existing teams, improving their financial stability while funding league-wide improvements in marketing, operations, and player development.
More teams also mean more local media markets, more corporate sponsorship opportunities, and more chances for national television exposure. Each new franchise brings its own revenue streams while expanding the league's overall footprint.
Talent Development
A larger league creates more opportunities for players at every level. More roster spots mean college players have better chances of making professional teams, while veteran players have additional options for extending their careers.
The expansion also forces the league to develop deeper talent pipelines. With 15 teams instead of 12, the WNBA will need to identify and develop more international players and college stars who might have been overlooked in a smaller league.
Cultural Impact
Perhaps most importantly, this expansion proves that women's professional sports can grow sustainably. The WNBA's success in adding quality franchises in major markets sends a message to other women's sports leagues, potential investors, and young athletes that there's a real future in women's professional athletics.
The Future Looks Bright for Women's Basketball
The WNBA's recent expansion is an exciting moment for women's professional basketball.
Golden State is showing that expansion teams can compete and build excitement from day one. Portland brings a proven women's sports market and experienced ownership that understands how to build sustainable success. Toronto opens international possibilities that could reshape the league's future growth.
For Portland fans specifically, this expansion wave proves we're joining the WNBA at exactly the right moment. The league has stronger economics, better media exposure, and more sustainable business models than ever before. Our city's proven support for women's sports positions us to become one of the league's flagship franchises and a desirable landing spot for top talent.
The path from 12 to 15 teams in just two seasons shows that the WNBA isn't just surviving anymore. It's thriving. And for cities like Portland that have been waiting for their moment, that moment is finally here.
