Story perspectives

WNBA Secures $3B TV Deal, 50-Game Season, 18 Teams

6/18/2026

Summary

Engelbert Announces 50-Game Season

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced a 50-game WNBA season for 2027.
A seven-year CBA ratified March 2026 allows 50 games in 2027-28 and 52 from 2029.
A media rights deal over $3 billion with ESPN, CBS, NBC, Amazon, ION and USA Sports funds the schedule.
The league will add Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030), raising teams to 18 and making the Toronto Tempo (2026) the first non-U.S. franchise.

Summary

WNBA Extends Season

The new collective bargaining agreement dramatically raises player salaries across the league.
The 2027 regular season will run until November 21 and the 2028 season until November 30, extending the calendar by a month beyond the October 31 deadline.
At 50 games, the 2027 season will be the longest regular season in WNBA history, surpassing the 44-game schedule used in 2025.
The 2027 schedule will feature games in November for the first time in history.

History

Historical Context

Approved by the NBA Board on April 24 1996, the WNBA launched in 1997 with eight franchises; its inaugural game attracted 14,284 fans. After a 2020 CBA raised salaries, the league signed a new collective bargaining agreement in 2027 that expands the schedule to 50 games and adds three U.S. teams under a fresh media rights pact.

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Engelbert Announces 50-Game Season

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced a 50-game WNBA season for 2027.
A seven-year CBA ratified March 2026 allows 50 games in 2027-28 and 52 from 2029.
A media rights deal over $3 billion with ESPN, CBS, NBC, Amazon, ION and USA Sports funds the schedule.
The league will add Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030), raising teams to 18 and making the Toronto Tempo (2026) the first non-U.S. franchise.

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