WNBA Expansion Teams in 2026: Meet the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire

The 2025-2026 WNBA offseason was one of the most historic we’ve seen in professional women’s basketball. A new collective bargaining agreement signed between the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association will drastically increase player salaries and benefits, as well as redefine the league’s media rights with a surge in popularity and viewership. The deal also saw increases to roster size and minimum salaries.

If that weren’t enough, there’s more than 100 restricted and unrestricted free agents available, including MVPs A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.

And if that wasn’t enough, there are two new WNBA franchises entering their rookie season: the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire. Both of these teams finalized their rosters the first week of April and are now preparing for their inaugural season.

Here’s all the information you need to know about the WNBA’s expansion franchises and how to catch all the action live.

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2026 WNBA Expansion Teams

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert orchestrated a massive offseason for the league. First was the new collective bargaining agreement is in place, then the expansion draft for two new WNBA franchises.

The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire each begin their organizations with veteran leadership in the front office and the sidelines to go along with basketball-tested market viability. Here’s an overview of them both.

Toronto Tempo

The Toronto Tempo become Canada’s first professional women’s basketball team.

In the 2023 preseason, the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky played an exhibition game in Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Raptors. The game sold out with raucous enthusiasm.

A devoted sports town, Toronto was approved unanimously by the WNBA Board of Governors to become another team in the league.

Monica Wright Rogers became the first general manager. Shea Ralph, two-time WNBA champion and defensive player of the year, was tasked with building a complete roster in the offseason.

Sandy Brondello, who recently won the WNBA Finals as coach of the New York Liberty and is a former WNBA All-Star herself, will be the organization’s first head coach, instantly bringing championship and Olympic level experience to a new franchise.

Toronto Tempo Roster 2026

Portland Fire

The Portland Fire will bring a women’s team to pair with the Portland Trail Blazers in Oregon. They will play their home games at the Moda Center, which they’ll share with the women’s professional soccer league team, the Portland Thorns.

Vanya Cernibich, who successfully ushered in the Golden State Valkyries expansion, was tapped to be the first general manager for the Fire.

Alex Sarama, who has served as an assistant coach and player development director for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was named the first head coach for Portland.

Brittney Donaldson, previously an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors will serve as both an assistant coach and an assistant general manager.

Sylvia Fowles, the future WNBA Hall of Famer, two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP and eight-time All-Star, will also serve as an assistant coach. Fowles is one of the most decorated women’s basketball players in history and will bring her experience and knowledge to the rookie squad.

Portland Fire Roster 2026

Houston Comets

While not technically an expansion, after a back-and-forth sales process, the Connecticut Sun franchise has changed hands to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. The team will be renamed to the Comets, revitalizing one of the original WNBA teams and the league’s first champion.

The franchise will play one final season in Connecticut in 2026 and begin play in Houston in time for the 2027 season.

Future Expansion Teams

The WNBA is set for significant growth this decade, with plans to expand to 18 teams by 2030. New franchises are slated to debut in Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030), though none of the teams have been officially named yet.

Cleveland’s team will be owned by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, bringing the league back to a city that previously hosted the Cleveland Rockers from 1997 to 2003. The new franchise will share Rocket Arena with the Cavaliers, reestablishing a WNBA presence in a familiar basketball market.

Detroit is also welcoming the league back. The city was once home to the Detroit Shock—now the Dallas Wings. The new Detroit team will play at Little Caesars Arena, alongside the Pistons, signaling a return to a city with a strong WNBA legacy.

Philadelphia, meanwhile, will host a WNBA team for the first time. The franchise will be owned by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the group led by Josh Harris and David Blitzer that also owns the Philadelphia 76ers.

Previous Expansion Team: The Golden State Valkyries

What gave so much confidence to the league to keep expanding beyond the increased popularity was how successful the Golden State Valkyries were in their first season. They finished fourth in the Western Conference, making the playoffs in their first season.

Pairing with an NBA team with an established fan base created a format for Toronto and Portland who are following suit.

The expansion rules will shift slightly with 2 new teams and some tinkering after Golden State was able to create a playoff team instantly. But Golden State was exactly the kind of momentum the league was looking for to keep expanding.

Watch the 2026 WNBA Season Live on DIRECTV

Keep up with the Tempo, Fire and all the other WNBA teams during the 2026 season with DIRECTV. The league’s 2026 schedule has been released, and fans can catch games live on the following channels: ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, ION, NBC and USA Network. Plus, select games will be available to stream on Prime Video, Peacock and ESPN Unlimited.

Do it all on DIRECTV.