Advertisement

WNBA expansion teams: Toronto joins field as league continues growth

joe rivera, usa today
·3 min read

The W is going global.

On May 23, news of a WNBA franchise based in Toronto was made official, with the 14th WNBA franchise set to take the court in 2026.

The press conference was a star-studded affair, with Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, rapper and entertainer Drake and members of the Toronto Raptors all making an appearance at the event.

The forthcoming Toronto franchise is one of four new teams expected to join the league in the coming years. In May, the Golden State Valkyries officially joined the fray, with their colors and logo unveiled. Their first game is scheduled to be played in 2025. That leaves two more spots for expansion by 2028, if the arrow continues to point up for the W.

Here's what to know about the continued WNBA expansion, including the latest addition to the league, the Toronto squad:

Toronto WNBA team

The Toronto WNBA team (yet to be named) is expected to play its first game in the 2026 season. They will play at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto. The arena seats 8,500.

Beyond that, details surrounding the team are murky. For those planning to buy Toronto WNBA team merchandise, you may have to keep the cash in your wallets and bank accounts: There's no team name or team colors yet for the Toronto WNBA expansion franchise.

On May 23, team president Teresa Resch said the Toronto braintrust will field suggestions from fans in the future as they begin to form their identity. One thing is certain, though, and that's that the team will aim to represent the Great White North:

"We want to keep Canada at the forefront, we something that really represents Canada, to make sure it represents Canada," Resch said at the press conference. "We also want to make sure that it represents women strongly, and we want to make sure it's like, really, really, cool."

Resch alluded to the fact that there may be a contest for suggested entries from the public for the WNBA team name and more in the near future.

WNBA expansion teams

With 12 teams currently playing, there are two more teams forthcoming in the next two seasons: The Golden State Valkyries will play their first game in 2025, with the Toronto WNBA franchise expected to play their first game in 2026.

Outside of those teams, two more are expected to join the field in the future. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said there are several factors that go into determining a viable city to house a WNBA franchise, including having a supportive fanbase, strong corporate partnerships and a healthy media market.

Some other cities that are in the running for WNBA expansion teams include South Florida, Nashville and Philadelphia.

How many WNBA teams are there?

In total, there are 12 teams currently playing in the WNBA. They are:

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA in Toronto: Team name, colors and more to know for expansion team