It is in a total blur that the WNBA announced on Wednesday the main dates of the 2026 season. The league and the players’ union have still not found common ground around the new collective agreement and the distribution of income, which the players hope will be more to their advantage. Despite the uncertainty, and while free agency has been frozen, the schedule has been revealed, with kickoff scheduled for May 8. Each team is scheduled to play 44 games in what will be the 30th season in women’s league history.
The number of matches remains unchanged compared to the 2025 season despite the debut of two new franchises, the Toronto Weather and the Portland Firenotably because of the Women’s World Cup.
This will take place next summer and will force the WNBA to pause for two and a half weeks, from August 31 to September 16. This new exercise will begin with three meetings on Friday May 8, including an inaugural double bill. Sun – Liberty et Mystics – Tempo. The next day will see a rematch of the last final between Phoenix et vegasa clash between the two new stars of the league, Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever) et Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings) and the first official game in Fire history, in Chicago.
The playoffs, 11 days after the post-World Cup resumption
Training camps will begin on April 19, six days after the Draft. Among the other notable dates, the Commissioner’s Cup will take place in June with a final on June 30, while the All-Star Game, which is to be played in Chicago, will take place on July 25. The playoffs will begin on September 27. At least in theory, even if it is impossible at this time to know whether the season will actually take place, and if so, when.
« Releasing the 2026 calendar is a key step in preparing for this 30th season and allows teams, partners, broadcasters and fans to start planning for the upcoming season » explained a spokesperson for the WNBA to the Associated Press.
Among the specificities of this calendar, le Connecticut Sun of French coach Rachid Meziane will play two of his matches in Hartford and one in Boston, two places considered as the future home of the franchise, still for sale. Toronto will play two matches in Montreal and Vancouver.
