The league hopes to reach its number by 2028, Cathy Engelbert said.
NEW YORK — The is looking to continue growing in the next few years. The league intends to reach 16 teams by 2028, commissioner Cathy Engelbert said before the draft, confirming The league announced earlier this year that the Bay Area would receive an expansion team for a 13th league franchise, which is expected to start playing the 2025 season. The WNBA is looking at the 2026 season for its 14th team, Engelbert said. She named Philadelphia; Toronto; Portland, Ore.; Denver; Nashville, Tenn.
The next few years will be momentous for the league. Its current TV deals with ESPN, CBS, Amazon and Ion run out after the 2025 season, and the WNBA is already drawing interest in its next media rights deal. Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns TNT Sports, has shown interest in acquiring WNBA rights, according to a person with knowledge of the talks. The timing of the next team has added importance because expansion and the next media deal are intertwined.
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