Plan Of Attract: WNBA Ramping Up To 50-Game Season Beginning In 2027
Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at 06:05PM By Barry Janoff
June 17, 2026: With the WNBA continuing to expand its national footprint over the few seasons, the league is also expanding its schedule.
The WNBA said today it would build its regular season schedule from a record 44 games this year to a new record 50 games beginning with the 2027 season, “marking another significant milestone in the league’s continued growth and expansion.”
The move will extend the WNBA season to “no later than Nov. 21 in 2027 and Nov. 30 starting in 2028.”
That would be almost a month beyond the current limit of Oct. 31.
The league also said it has the option to expand to 52 regular-season games beginning in 2029.
The moves come under guidelines in the recently approved CBA between the WNBA and the WNBA Players Assn.
“Demand for the WNBA has never been greater, and expanding to a 50-game regular season reflects the extraordinary momentum we are seeing across the league,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said via the league.
“This move reflects our commitment to growing the game and creating more opportunities for fans to watch the best players in the world and experience the extraordinary talent and competition that define the WNBA.”
The league expanded to 13 teams in 2025 with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries and to 15 teams with the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo for the current season.
This past April, the WNBA and NBA Board of Governors formally approved WNBA expansion teams in Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030).
The WNBA also approved relocating the Connecticut Sun to Houston as the Comets, scheduled to begin play in Toyota Center for the start of the 2027 season.
Also today, CNBC parent Versant said the business news network will simulcast 11 WNBA games this season that will also air on Versant’s USA Network.
“This move reflects our commitment to growing the game and creating more opportunities for fans to watch the best players in the world."
Last September, Versant and the WNBA signed an 11-year media rights agreement that includes both regular-season and postseason games. As part of that deal, USA Network will air at least 50 games annually.
Coverage on CNBC begins tonight with the defending champion Las Vegas Aces vs. Phoenix Mercury.
“It’s really a promise that we make to not only the WNBA, but all our league partners that we’ll look for new audiences for them,” USA Sports President Matt Hong said via CNBC.
WNBA games air on ESPN, CBS and NBC as well as ION, USA Sports and Amazon's Prime Video.
The WNBA had a 28-game regular season schedule during its premiere 1997 season, added two games in 1998 and another two more games in 1999.
From 2003 through 2019, the league played a 34-game season, but In 2020 played just 20 games due Covid-19. The season expanded to 36 games in 2021-22, 40 games in 2023-24 and 44 games in 2025-26.
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