WNBA Expansion: Where New WNBA Teams are Landing

The popularity of the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBA) has surged over the last few years, thanks in no small part to the arrival of NCAA standouts like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese and UConn’s Paige Bruecker.

In fact, average viewership for WNBA games increased from 440,000 to 1.4 million, according to ESPN and the Associated Press. This trend isn’t unique to the WNBA — the growth of women’s sports across the board is on an upswing the last few years — but it certainly has the league in expansion mode.

That’s why they’re moving quickly to add a new generation of WNBA expansion teams into the mix. The first of those teams, the Golden State Valkyries, started play this season, but there’s a few more confirmed teams and a few rumored expansions on the horizon, too!

Here’s a look at where the next new WNBA teams will be located and where future franchises could end up calling home.

Don’t forget: You can watch WNBA games every day, all season long, on DIRECTV! Don’t have DIRECTV yet? Sign up today!

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How Many WNBA Teams Are There Right Now?

Right now, there are 13 active WNBA teams. The highest number of teams the league has ever had at once has been 16, and with the new expansion teams, it’ll be up to 18 by 2030.

Is the WNBA Adding More Teams? 

With the WNBA gaining so much traction, everyone seems to want in on the game. Here’s a look at where new WNBA teams could be located, including which cities have already been awarded teams.

Cities That Are Getting WNBA Expansion Teams

So far, six cities have been awarded WNBA expansion teams: San Francisco, Toronto, Portland, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. Each of those cities also have an existing NBA team: the Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers.

Let’s take a look at the details of each of these new teams:

Golden State Valkyries

Home Arena: Chase Center, San Francisco, California

Ownership: Joe Lacob, Peter Guber, Golden State Warriors

Announced: 2023

Started Play: 2025

The Golden State Valkyries are the newest WNBA franchise, hitting the court for the first time this season. Their roster was built out through the expansion draft held in December 2024, which allowed them to select players from the other 12 WNBA teams, with the exception of players those teams were able to designate as protected. They also got to pick one unrestricted free agent.

Here’s the roster they ended up with:

Player	Former Team	Position
Iliana Rupert	Atlanta Dream	Center/Forward
Maria Conde	Chicago Sky	Forward
Veronica Burton	Connecticut Sun	Guard
Carla Leite	Dallas Wings	Guard
Temi Fagbenle	Indiana Fever	Center
Kate Martin	Las Vegas Aces	Guard
Stephanie Talbot	Los Angeles Sparks	Forward
Cecilia Zandalasini	Minnesota Lynx	Forward
Kayla Thornton	New York Liberty	Forward
Monique Billings	Phoenix Mercury	Forward
Julie Vanloo	Washington Mystics	Guard

Toronto Tempo

Home Arena: Coca-Cola Coliseum

Ownership: Kilmer Sports Ventures, Serena Williams

Announced: 2024

Starting Play: 2026

The Toronto Tempo will be the first WNBA team to be located outside of the United States, joining the Raptors as the only major North American basketball teams to have that distinction. It will be joint owned by tennis legend Serena Williams and Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures.

Portland, Oregon – Name TBD

Home Arena: Moda Center

Ownership: Alex Bhathal & Lisa Bhathal Merage

Announced: 2024

Starting Play: 2026

Portland’s expansion team will be the city’s second WNBA franchise in the league’s history. The first, the Portland Fire, shut down in 2002. The Bhathal siblings, who will own the team, also own the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

The franchise has not settled on a name yet, but the frontrunners are a revival of the Portland Fire or the Portland Archers, Portland Roses or Portland Swifts.

Cleveland, Ohio – Name TBD (Possibly Rockers)

Home Arena: Rocket Arena

Ownership: Rock Entertainment Group, Dan Gilbert (Chairman)

Announced: 2025

Starting Play: 2028

Cleveland, home to the NBA’s Cavaliers, the NFL’s Browns and the MLB’s Guardians, has been selected as the location for the WNBA’s 16th franchise.

The team paid a record-shattering $250 million expansion fee to host the team, which is widely expected to be named the Cleveland Rockers, after the city’s now-defunct former WNBA franchise. The team will be owned by the Rock Entertainment Group, which is led by Rocket Mortgage CEO Dan Gilbert.

Detroit, Michigan – Name TBD (Possibly Shock)

Home Arena: Little Caesers Arena

Ownership: Tom Gores

Announced: 2025

Starting Play: 2029

Detroit also had a WNBA home team in the past, the Detroit Shock (now the Dallas Wings), so it makes sense that they won the second expansion team. Still, many held Nashville and Houston higher on their lists of potential expansion markets, making the Motor City’s selection was a bit of a surprise.

The team’s name is still to be determined but there’s a chance the Shock, which won three WNBA titles in its first incarnation, may make a comeback. Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores will be the team’s controlling owner, and the ownership group includes Detroit sports legends Grant Hill, Chris Webber and Jared Goff.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Name TBD

Home Arena: Wells Fargo Center/New South Philadelphia Arena

Ownership: Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

Announced: 2025

Starting Play: 2030

Philadelphia won the third expansion bid, adding a WNBA team to the city for the first time alongside the Eagles, Flyers and 76ers. The team’s name will be decided by a fanbase vote and it is expected to begin play in 2030.

Cities That Have Put in Bids for WNBA Expansion Teams

With the WNBA rapidly expanding, plenty of other cities are in the running for an expansion team to call their own if more franchises are added. Here’s a look at which cities have thrown their hat in the ring so far.

Cities with former WNBA teams and existing NBA teams:

• Houston, Texas (Houston Comets, Houston Rockets)
• Miami, Florida (Miami Sol, Miami Heat)
• Charlotte, North Carolina (Charlotte Sting, Charlotte Hornets)

Cities with existing NBA teams:

• Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Milwaukee Bucks)
• Denver, Colorado (Denver Nuggets)

Cities with no NBA team and no former WNBA ties:

• Austin, Texas
• Nashville, Tennessee
• Kansas City, Missouri
• St. Louis, Missouri

History of WNBA Expansion

The WNBA was founded in 1996 with eight teams and started play in 1997. Of those original eight teams, only three are still active: the Los Angeles Sparks, the New York Liberty and the Phoenix Mercury. One of the original eight, the Utah Starzz, relocated to San Antonio to become the Silver Stars, then relocated again in 2017 to become the Las Vegas Aces.

Between 1998 and 2000, the league added another eight teams. Currently, only the Washington Mystics, Minnesota Lynx, Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm are still active in their original form. Two others relocated and are still active: the Orlando Miracle became the Connecticut Sun, and the Detroit Shock moved to Tulsa, where it became the Tulsa Shock, then to Dallas in 2015 to become the present-day Dallas Wings.

The Chicago Sky joined the league in 2006, followed by the Atlanta Dream in 2008.

The WNBA has had its current 12-team format since 2010.

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