Women's Pro Hoopers are Back

The wait is over. Caitlin Clark, Aja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Paige Bueckers are back. The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) started its 2026 season this week with 15 teams each playing 44 games through September 24, 2026. The league had 13 teams last season but added the new Toronto Tempo to the Eastern Conference that now has 7 teams and the new Portland (OR) Fire to the Western Conference that now has 8 teams.

Included in the 44-game schedule will be the 6 or 7 games each team will play in the Commissioner's Cup in-season tournament (June 1-17) with those games counting in the standings. The WNBA will also take a break (September 4-13) for the FIBA Women's World Cup basketball tournament. 

Click here to read ESPN’s indepth season preview:  https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/48657250/2026-wnba-season-preview-preseason-power-rankings-predictions-bpi-opening-day-odds-playoffs

The defending champion Las Vegas Aces will attempt to repeat as WNBA champions.  They defeated the Phoenix Mercury in last year’s final.

The WNBA plans to grow to 18 teams with the addition of Cleveland in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030.

2026 WNBA Alignment

Eastern Conference

Atlanta Dream

Chicago Sky

Connecticut Sun

Indiana Fever

New York Liberty

Toronto Tempo

Washington Mystics

Western Conference

Dallas Wings

Golden State Valkyries

Las Vegas Aces

Los Angeles Sparks

Minnesota Lynx

Phoenix Mercury

Portland Fire

Seattle Storm

For more information on the WNBA:  https://www.wnba.com/