Las Vegas Aces Look to Maintain WNBA Dominance; Lynx and Fever Challenge
The Las Vegas Aces, led by A’ja Wilson, solidified their legacy by winning their third WNBA title in four seasons, culminating in a sweep over the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 Finals. However, the bookmakers are already anticipating the 2026 season and favor an emerging team with a potential different MVP. The Minnesota Lynx are positioned as the favorites to win the WNBA title in 2026, with initial odds of +225. Other betting houses also favor the team led by Napheesa Collier, although with higher odds, reaching up to +350. Not all major sportsbooks see Minnesota, which fell to Phoenix in the 2025 semifinals, snatching the crown from Las Vegas next season. BetMGM has the Aces as favorites for the 2026 title with odds of +300, while the Lynx have the third-best chance with +400. Las Vegas, at least, is tied for second place in all other sportsbooks. In most odds lists, the Indiana Fever stand out, tied with the Aces for the second-best odds (+250). Indiana had an unexpected run to the WNBA semifinals, almost eliminating Las Vegas in five games despite key injuries to Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham, among others. The Fever are consistently one of the most popular future bets among the betting public and represent a great liability for bookmakers. The New York Liberty, winners of the WNBA title in 2024, are also in the mix of favorites, but the odds vary greatly from one sportsbook to another, ranging from +330 to +700 in the market. This season’s runners-up, the Mercury, are just behind the Liberty in most odds lists, but similarly have a wide range of odds, between +700 and +1100.The highest odds on the table correspond to the expansion teams Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, both with odds of 250-1 for the 2026 title. While expecting a championship from either of those franchises in their first WNBA seasons might be a stretch, 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 before the midpoint of their inaugural season and made the playoffs despite preseason odds of +1300.
