The WNBA continues to grow.
Citing demand that has never been greater, the WNBA plans to expand its regular season from 44 to 50 games next year.
“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,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Wednesday in an announcement.
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It’s set to be the longest schedule in the 30-year history of the WNBA, which featured 28 regular-season games during its inaugural season in 1997.
The schedule expanded from 40 to 44 games two years ago.
The latest expansion comes under the groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last month. Terms of the CBA permit the WNBA schedule to feature up to 50 games in the next two seasons, and then increase to 52 in 2029.
Under the new CBA, the salary cap increased to $7 million (from about $1.5 million), while the average player salary jumped from $120,000 to $600,000.
Wednesday’s announcement marks the newest change to a league that is constantly evolving.
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The WNBA added its 15th team this season with the Toronto Tempo, and it is set to add three more between 2028 and 2030.
Last year, the WNBA Finals expanded from five games to seven. The Liberty are the last team to win a championship under the previous format, going all five games against the Minnesota Lynx in the 2024 Finals to earn the first title in franchise history.
In recent years, broadcasters including NBC and Amazon have joined ESPN and CBS Sports to carry WNBA games. Young stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers have helped to grow the game.
“Expanding to a 50-game regular season reflects the extraordinary momentum we are seeing across the league,” Engelbert said in her statement.
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This season is about a third of the way through, with the Liberty entering Wednesday with a 10-4 record and in first place in the Eastern Conference. The regular season is set to end in late September, with the WNBA Finals scheduled to run as late as Oct. 31.
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