The Las Vegas Aces Seek Their Fourth Title, While the Minnesota Lynx Emerge as Favorites for 2026
The Las Vegas Aces, led by A’ja Wilson, solidified their dominance by securing their third WNBA championship in four seasons, culminating in a sweep over the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 WNBA Finals. However, sportsbooks are already focused on the 2026 season, anticipating a shift in the league’s landscape. The Minnesota Lynx are shaping up to be the main contenders for the WNBA title in 2026. ESPN BET gives them odds of +225, while other bookmakers also favor the team led by Napheesa Collier, although with slightly higher odds. FanDuel, for example, offers +350. Not all major sportsbooks see Minnesota, which fell to Phoenix in the 2025 semifinals, as the next champion. BetMGM places the Aces as favorites for the 2026 title with odds of +300, while the Lynx are positioned in third place with +400. The Aces, at least, share second place in other sportsbooks. The Indiana Fever are also on the list of favorites, tied with the Aces in second place with odds of +250 on ESPN BET. Despite key injuries to Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, among others, Indiana had an outstanding performance, reaching the WNBA semifinals and competing in five games against Las Vegas. The New York Liberty, WNBA champions in 2024, are also in contention, although the odds vary considerably between different bookmakers, ranging from +330 to +700. This season’s runner-up, the Mercury, is just behind the Liberty in most odds lists, with odds ranging from +700 to +1100.The highest odds correspond to the expansion teams Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, both with odds of 250-1 for the 2026 title on ESPN BET. Although predicting a championship for either of these franchises in their first WNBA seasons could be a challenge, the Golden State Valkyries (+6000) proved that there is value in betting on expansion teams. The Valkyries surpassed their preseason win total of 8.5 midway through their inaugural season and made the playoffs, despite having odds of +1300 to achieve it before the season.
