The WNBA season is scheduled to start on May 8, as long as the league and the players’ union reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The teams will play 44 games over a five-month period, with a 17-day break for the FIBA World Cup in early September.
The publication of the calendar allows teams to start selling ticket packages, book away game trips, including charter flights, and secure dates at the stadiums. Almost all teams, except two, will have at least one set of consecutive games. Overall, the average of games on consecutive nights has decreased from 2.4 per team in 2025 to 1.6 this year. The WNBA hopes to increase the number of games teams play in the coming years, but that will depend on a new CBA. The training camp is scheduled to begin on April 19, six days after the college draft. The league will have its sixth annual Commissioner’s Cup games in June, with the championship game scheduled for June 30. The All-Star Game is scheduled for Chicago on July 25, and games will resume three days later. The WNBA will take a break from August 31 to September 16 for the World Cup, which will be played in Berlin this year. Teams will have some games after that tournament ends, and the playoffs will begin on September 27. All of this is still subject to the league and the union reaching an agreement on a new CBA. The last CBA was announced in mid-January 2020, a month after it was agreed upon. It could easily be two months from when a new CBA is reached until the start of free agency. The two sides agreed to a moratorium on free agency, which was supposed to begin earlier this month. The moratorium was necessary after a new extension was not reached on January 9 to negotiate a new CBA. The WNBA and the union are now in a “status quo” period where the old CBA is still in effect and the two sides are negotiating in good faith. In addition to free agency, the WNBA also has to hold an expansion draft for Portland and Toronto. Other calendar highlights include:As we prepare for the start of the historic 30th season of the WNBA, this schedule reflects both the league’s progress and the momentum that continues to drive us forward.
Cathy Engelbert, WNBA Commissioner
- All 15 teams will play on opening weekend, highlighting a WNBA Finals rematch between Las Vegas and Phoenix, as well as a matchup of the last two number 1 picks, with Paige Bueckers and Dallas visiting Indiana and Caitlin Clark.
- Los Angeles hosting New York on June 21st on the anniversary of the original matchup between the teams that was the first game in league history.
- Toronto will play two games in Montreal and Vancouver.
- Connecticut will have two games in Hartford and one in Boston.
