January 21, 2026
WNBA releases full 2026 schedule without a new CBA or team rosters
A WNBA spokesperson tells The IX Sports, "releasing the 2026 schedule is a key step as we prepare for the WNBA’s thirtieth season"
The WNBA released the 2026 season schedule Wednesday, an effort that was coordinated across the social media channels for every team in the league. Notably, the news was shared without a new CBA, ahead of expansion drafts for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, and without post-free agency rosters in place.
Continue reading with a subscription to The Next
Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.
Already a member?
Login
The regular season is set to begin Friday, May 8, when the New York Liberty host the Connecticut Sun; the Washington Mystics travel to meet the brand-new Tempo in their debut game, and WNBA sophomores the Golden State Valkyries head north up to play the Seattle Storm.
The schedule is packed with several games of note — and 44 games in total, just like the 2025 season. The Portland Fire, the second newcomer to the league this year, will host the Chicago Sky on Saturday, May 9 — the same day the Phoenix Mercury will return to Sin City to challenge 2025 Champions, the Las Vegas Aces. On top of that, the Indiana Fever (presumably led by a healed-up Caitlin Clark) will host the Dallas Wings at home in Indianapolis.
Other first day back games include May 10, when the Los Angeles Sparks host the Aces, and the Minnesota Lynx host the Atlanta Dream.
The Tempo and Fire meet for the first time on May 23 in Toronto. Both expansion teams will host major challenges throughout the season; the Aces travel to Toronto for the first time July 20, and the Tempo will play last year’s expansion team the Valkyries for the first time August 2. The Fire will play back-to-back games against the Liberty on May 12 and 14 before traveling to Indiana on May 20; they’ll turn around and host the Fever on May 30, and their first test against the Aces will be on June 11.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
While the release of the schedule is an exciting time in the preseason, especially for fans, this year’s update came with plenty of questions. A league spokesperson told The IX Sports, “releasing the 2026 schedule is a key step as we prepare for the WNBA’s thirtieth season and allows teams, partners, broadcasters and fans to begin the essential planning for the year ahead.”
The WNBA and the WNBPA have yet to sign a new CBA and are in a period of status quo. On top of that, the parties have agreed to a moratorium on league business, and it’s understood that the WNBA would have been required to present a draft schedule to the WNBPA before releasing it widely to the public.
The 2020 CBA states that the league is required to “provide the Players Association with an initial draft of such schedule (no later than the date that such draft is provided to all WNBA teams), and the Players Association shall have an opportunity to provide the WNBA with comments (within at least as many days as WNBA teams are given by the WNBA to provide such comments)” before sharing a schedule with the public.
The CBA further states: “The WNBA shall consider, but shall have no obligation to make any changes in respect of, the Players Association’s comments. The Players Association shall keep the draft schedule confidential, including by maintaining the confidentiality of any differences between the final schedule publicly announced by the WNBA and the draft schedule previously received by the Players Association.”
The WNBA and WNBPA have not responded to request for comment from The IX Sports.
The CBA also includes an agreement on the number of games that can be played in a season. The IX Sports understands the WNBA does not have plans to expand that number beyond 44-games-per-team in 2026 due to the expected impact of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Much like the Olympics, the World Cup will prompt an 18-day break during the regular season that will begin on Aug. 30 and end on Sept. 17. The final regular season games will be played on Sept. 24.
Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. “Rare Gems” follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy Megdal’s coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout to save 30%!
