No, the WNBA and WNBPA have not agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
But, the league does have a 2026 schedule. The 30th WNBA season will tip off on Friday, May 8, with all of the league’s 15 teams, including newcomers Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, playing 44 games. (A longer schedule would require approval via a new CBA.)
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In concert with the schedule announcement, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said:
As we prepare to tip off the WNBA’s historic 30th season, this schedule reflects both how far the league has come and the momentum that continues to drive us forward.
From welcoming two new organizations in Toronto and Portland, to honoring our history with marquee matchups that connect the league’s first game to today’s stars, the 2026 season will celebrate the WNBA’s past, present, and future. With a record number of games, growing global reach, and unprecedented momentum, this milestone season will help define the next chapter of the WNBA.
Notable details from the schedule include:
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Training camps will open on April 19, which will be six days after the college draft.
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The Commissioner’s Cup returns for a sixth season, beginning June 1 and running through June 17. Teams will play one Cup game against every in-conference opponent. The Eastern and Western Conference teams with the best Cup records will meet in the Championship on June 30.
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As previously announced, the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will be in Chicago, held on July 24 and 25.
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In early September, the league will take an approximately two-week hiatus for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, which begins in Berlin, Germany on Sept. 4 and extends through Sept. 13.
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After the resumption of the season following the World Cup on Sept. 17, there will be one, final week of regular-season games, with the regular season concluding on Sept. 24.
Every team will play opening weekend, with the season officially tipping off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, May 8 when the New York Liberty host the Connecticut Sun and the Washington Mystics make a first-ever trip to Toronto to play the Tempo. At 10 p.m. ET, the Golden State Valkyries will play the Seattle Storm.
On Saturday, May 9, the Las Vegas Aces will raise the franchise’s third championship banner before beginning their title defense against the team they swept in the 2025 WNBA Finals, the Phoenix Mercury, at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Aces also will be aiming to extend their 16-game regular-season winning streak, needing three wins to surpass the 18-game record of the 2001 Los Angeles Sparks. Before that, the Dallas Wings visit the Indiana Fever at 1 p.m. ET, while the Chicago Sky will be the first opponent to play in Portland, taking on the Fire at 9 p.m. ET.
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The defending champs are at it again on Sunday, May 10, beginning their season on a back-to-back with a trip to LA to play the Sparks at 6 p.m. ET. This five-game Sunday will also feature the first game of the season for the Atlanta Dream and Minnesota Lynx, with the two teams tipping off at 7 p.m. ET in Minneapolis.
Over the course of the season, each team will play in-conference opponents three or four times, with three games against cross-conference opponents.
Still, this schedule is contingent on the league and players union actually agreeing to a new CBA, although the release of the schedule can be interpreted as an optimistic sign. A WNBA spokesperson also noted that, “Releasing the 2026 schedule is a key step as we prepare for the WNBA’s 30th season and allows teams, partners, broadcasters, and fans to begin the essential planning for the year ahead.”
So while your favorite team has very few, if any players, on roster, they at least have a schedule you can get excited about it. Check out your team’s schedule below.
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