Where to watch WNBA expansion draft: Time, TV channel, live stream for Toronto Tempo, Portland Fire rosters originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Another year, another expansion draft for the ever-growing WNBA.
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Following the introduction of the Golden State Valkyries just last year, the W is set to add two more franchises to the league in 2026 — the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has also announced her intention to continue expansion to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia in the coming years.
As it happened last year, the Tempo and Fire will get to draft from a designated pool of players across the other 13 WNBA teams. Each franchise is allowed to protect five players on their squad who cannot be selected by the newcomers.
The Tempo and Fire will continue to build out their rosters throughout free agency and during the 2026 WNBA draft, as well.
Here’s everything you need to know about the latest WNBA expansion draft, including TV channel and streaming options for the highly-anticipated event.
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Where to watch WNBA expansion draft: TV channel, live stream
The 2026 WNBA expansion draft will air live on TSN1/3/4/5 and can be streamed via TSN.ca. Tune in to follow along as the Tempo and Fire begin the process of constructing their rosters for their inaugural seasons.
WNBA expansion draft 2026 start time
The 2026 WNBA expansion draft will start at 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, April 3. As the result of a coin toss, Portland will select first.
MORE: Sporting News 2026 WNBA mock draft
WNBA expansion draft 2026 format
Portland will have the first pick and the teams will alternate through a total of 12 picks for Round 1. In Round 2, Toronto will pick first in the same format, for a maximum of 24 possible picks overall.
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Top projected available players
While the WNBA will not be revealing each franchise’s protected players list, here is a handful of strong athletes that could be available during the expansion draft.
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Arike Ogunbowale* (Dallas)
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Marina Mabrey* (Connecticut)
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Kayla Thornton* (Golden State)
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Iliana Rupert (Golden State)
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Aari McDonald* (Indiana)
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Kierstan Bell (Las Vegas)
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Azura Stevens* (Los Angeles)
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DiJonai Carrington* (Minnesota)
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Jonquel Jones* (New York)
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Brittney Sykes* (Seattle)
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Jade Melbourne* (Washington)
*Unrestricted Free Agent
