WNBA opens 30th season with expansion teams and Aces favored to repeat

The WNBA opened its 30th season on Friday with a three-game tip-off slate, a milestone that arrives with more evidence of growth than any point in the league’s history. Two expansion franchises, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, are joining a 44-game regular season that runs through Sept. 24, while more than 200 of the season’s 330 games are expected to air on national broadcast and streaming partners.

That combination of new teams, more inventory and wider distribution is the clearest sign yet that the league’s momentum is becoming structural, not just cultural. The 2026 calendar is packed: the WNBA Draft was held April 13, training camp opened April 19, preseason games began April 24, final roster cuts came May 7 at 5 p.m. ET, the Commissioner’s Cup runs June 1-17, the championship is set for June 30, All-Star Weekend peaks with the All-Star Game on July 25, and the trade deadline falls Aug. 2 at 3 p.m. ET.

The league is also entering the season with its competitive hierarchy still centered on Las Vegas. In the 2026 general managers’ survey, A’ja Wilson was picked as the leading Kia WNBA MVP candidate and the Las Vegas Aces were chosen to win the WNBA Finals, a strong signal that the reigning standard remains intact even as the league broadens around it. Wilson and the Aces are again the benchmark, and every contender now has to measure itself against them.

The business picture is moving just as fast. The WNBA and the WNBPA reached a tentative new collective bargaining agreement on March 20, and the Board of Governors later ratified it. The league said the deal will deliver more than $1 billion in player salaries and benefits over its life, while lifting the salary cap to $7.0 million in 2026 from $1.5 million in 2025. That jump gives the season a labor-market significance that extends well beyond the box score.

Internationally, the league is also widening its footprint. A new Canadian media-rights agreement with Bell Media begins with the 2026 season, opening more pathways for the Toronto Tempo, which will become the WNBA’s first team outside the United States. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the 30th season is meant to honor the league’s past, present and future, and the schedule reflects that balance: legacy celebrations, a deeper national television footprint and fresh markets that can turn curiosity into sustained revenue.

The real test of Season 30 is whether the WNBA can convert its attention economy into durable business growth. The answer will be measured in sellouts, ratings, and whether new stars and new cities can join Wilson, the Aces and the league’s established rivals at the center of a stronger, more credible product.