2026 WNBA season

2026 WNBA season
LeagueWomen's National Basketball Association
SportBasketball
Teams15
TV partner(s)ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
NBC
USA Network
Ion
CBS
Streaming partner(s)ESPN DTC
Amazon Prime Video
Peacock
Paramount+
Draft
Regular season
Playoffs

The 2026 WNBA season will be the 30th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

The league will expand from 13 to 15 teams with the addition of the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, first announced in 2024.[1] This followed the addition of the Golden State Valkyries in 2025.

In October 2025, the WNBA announced that the Chicago Sky will host the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game and related events for the second time in franchise history. The All-Star game will be played at the United Center on Saturday, July 25, while the three-point contest and Skills Challenge will take place on Friday, July 24, at Wintrust Arena.[2][3]

Offseason

Collective bargaining agreement

The current WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), signed in 2020, was originally to run through 2027, but the Women's National Basketball Player's Association (WNBPA) opted out in October 2024, accelerating its termination to October 31, 2025.[4]

The previous CBA was signed in January 2020, covering the 2020–2027 seasons. The agreement introduced increased salaries, maternity and family benefits, and improved travel conditions.

Timeline

  • October 2024: The WNBPA officially notified the league of its intent to opt-out of the existing CBA.[4]
  • Spring 2025: Preliminary discussions began between league representatives and the union.[5]
  • July 2025: The WNBPA issued a public statement claiming that the league has "failed to meet players' priorities" in the early stages of negotiations.[6]
  • October 2025: Tensions escalated after Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier criticized league leadership, prompting WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to respond that she will "do better" in rebuilding trust with players.[7]
  • October 30: It was announced that the WNBA and WNBPA had reached an agreement for a 30-day extension to continue negotiations.[8]
  • November 30: It was announced that the WNBA and WNBPA had reached an agreement to a 6-week extension pushing back the expiration deadline for the current CBA until January 9, 2026.[9]
  • December 18: The WNBPA announced that the union had authorized the executive committee to "call a strike when necessary" as players continue negotiations with the league over a new CBA.[10]
  • February 23, 2026: The WNBA told the WNBPA and its teams that a new CBA must be agreed to by March 10 for the 2026 schedule not to be impacted.[11]
  • March 18: The WNBA and WNBPA reached a verbal agreement on the terms of a new CBA.[12]

The regular season is set to begin as scheduled on May 8.[12]

Drafts

Draft lottery

On November 7, 2025, the WNBA announced that the 2026 draft lottery will be broadcast on Sunday, November 23, on ESPN.[13]

The Dallas Wings won the first overall pick in the draft lottery for the second consecutive year.[14]

Transactions

Coaching changes

Off-season
Team 2025 season 2026 season Ref.
Dallas Wings Chris Koclanes Jose Fernandez [15][16]
New York Liberty Sandy Brondello Chris DeMarco [17][18]
Portland Fire Did not exist Alex Sarama [19]
Seattle Storm Noelle Quinn Sonia Raman [20][21]
Toronto Tempo Did not exist Sandy Brondello [22]

Media coverage

Media rights deals

In July 2024, the WNBA announced a series of new media rights agreements set to begin with the 2026 season and run through 2036.[23] The league entered into long-term partnerships with The Walt Disney Company (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2), NBCUniversal (NBC, USA Network, Peacock), and Amazon Prime Video. A separate agreement was also reached with Versant for expanded coverage on the USA Network.[24]

The combined package is valued at approximately US $2.2 billion over 11 years, a substantial increase from the league's previous broadcast contracts.[25] The agreements are intended to enhance visibility, expand global distribution, and provide the league with a more stable revenue base as it enters a new decade of growth.[23]

Under the deal, Disney will continue to air regular-season and playoff games on its linear and digital platforms, including a rotating share of the WNBA Finals. NBCUniversal will carry weekly primetime doubleheaders and playoff coverage on USA Network and Peacock, while Amazon Prime Video will stream roughly 30 regular-season games per year worldwide. In select years, USA Network will also broadcast postseason series under the Versant agreement.[23][24]

2 separate multi-year agreements with CBS Sports and Scripps Sports were also made to renew their contracts with the league with games airing on CBS and ION respectively.[26][27]

References

  1. ^ "Portland, Oregon Awarded WNBA's 15th Franchise". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. September 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "Chicago Selected To Host 2026 All-Star Weekend". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 16, 2025.
  3. ^ Feinberg, Doug (October 16, 2025). "WNBA All-Star Game returns to Chicago in 2026 at United Center". AP News.
  4. ^ a b Ariail, Cat (October 21, 2024). "WNBPA chooses to opt out of 2020 CBA, leaving one year to negotiate new agreement". Swish Appeal.
  5. ^ Kenney, Madeline (April 14, 2025). "WNBA commissioner reveals status of negotiations on 'transformational' new CBA". New York Post.
  6. ^ Tennery, Amy (July 18, 2025). "WNBA has failed to meet players' priorities in CBA talks, union says". Reuters.
  7. ^ "WNBA commissioner Engelbert vows to 'do better' after Collier criticism". Reuters. October 3, 2025.
  8. ^ Costabile, Annie (October 31, 2025). "WNBA and Players Union Agree to 30-Day Extension for CBA Negotiations". Front Office Sports.
  9. ^ Pickman, Ben (November 30, 2025). "WNBA, players union agree to 6-week extension as CBA negotiations continue". The Athletic.
  10. ^ Maloney, Jack (December 18, 2025). "WNBA players vote to authorize a strike if 'necessary': What it means as CBA negotiations continue". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  11. ^ Philippou, Alexa (February 23, 2026). "Sources: WNBA sets CBA target date to keep '26 schedule intact". ESPN. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  12. ^ a b Philippou, Alexa (March 18, 2026). "WNBA, players' union reach verbal agreement on new CBA terms". ESPN. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  13. ^ "WNBA Draft Lottery 2026 To Take Place Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPN". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. November 7, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  14. ^ "Dallas Wings Win Top Pick in 2026 WNBA Draft". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. November 23, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  15. ^ "Dallas Wings Part Ways With Head Coach Chris Koclanes". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. September 30, 2025.
  16. ^ "Jose Fernandez Named Head Coach". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 28, 2025.
  17. ^ "New York Liberty Coaching Update". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. September 23, 2025.
  18. ^ "Four-Time NBA Champion Chris Demarco Named New York Liberty". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  19. ^ "Portland Fire Names Alex Sarama As Head Coach". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 17, 2025.
  20. ^ "Seattle Storm Announce Head Coaching Change". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. September 21, 2025.
  21. ^ "Seattle Storm Name Sonia Raman as Head Coach". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. October 28, 2025.
  22. ^ "Toronto Tempo Name Sandy Brondello as Inaugural Head Coach". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. November 4, 2025. Retrieved January 3, 2026.
  23. ^ a b c "WNBA Secures Landmark Media Rights Deals with the Walt Disney Company, Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal". WNBA. July 24, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "VERSANT Announces Media Rights Agreement to Broadcast WNBA Games". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. September 30, 2025.
  25. ^ Feinberg, Doug (July 25, 2024). "WNBA announces landmark 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC". APNews.
  26. ^ Lewis, Jon (March 25, 2026). "CBS returns to an expanding WNBA with biggest broadcast TV slate yet". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  27. ^ Lewis, Jon (June 13, 2025). "News: Scripps-WNBA, Brian Rolapp, Grand Slam Track, Anthony Slater". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
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