HENDERSON, Nev. -- Whether or not there will be a season, as negotiations continue between the WNBA and the WNBPA, the 2026 schedule has been released and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces are scheduled to open the league's 30th season at home against the Phoenix Mercury in a 2025 Finals rematch.
The game, scheduled for T-Mobile Arena, will take place on May 9, barring any work stoppage.
Following its season opener, Las Vegas will hit the road for four games before welcoming the Los Angeles Sparks to Michelob ULTRA Arena on May 21 in what should be the Aces' 50th consecutive sellout at home.
The Aces have sold out their regular-season ticket memberships for the third straight year.
The two newest teams in the league will each travel to Las Vegas once. On July 28, the Aces will host the Portland Fire, which will relaunch after their original three-year stint in the league from 2000-2002. The expansion Toronto Tempo will visit on Aug. 28.
The annual in-season Commissioner’s Cup will pit the Aces against every team in the Western Conference, once apiece, between June 2-17. The top teams from each conference via Cup games will meet for the championship on June 30.
Three of the Aces' 22 home games are scheduled to be held at T-Mobile Arena. In addition to their home opener, the Aces will also play at T-Mobile against Chicago on July 3 and Indiana on July 5.
Las Vegas will face border rivals Los Angeles and Phoenix four times each and will play all remaining WNBA teams three times apiece.
Each team in the league will play in Las Vegas at least once, while Golden State, Indiana, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York, Phoenix, Seattle and Washington will visit the Strip twice each.
The Aces are scheduled for three back-to-back nights this season, including one after opening night.
Following its May 9 opener, the Aces will travel to play in Los Angeles on May 10. The other back-to-backs feature home games against Phoenix (July 11) and Indiana (July 12), and road battles against powerhouses Minnesota (Aug. 8) and New York (Aug. 9).
The league will have two breaks this season, one for the annual WNBA All-Star Game, which is being hosted in Chicago on July 25, and a second for the FIBA World Cup, which will be Sept. 4-13 in Berlin.
SCHEDULE NUGGETS
- The team's longest homestand is five games, from Aug. 11-20, which will be preceded by the longest road trip, also five games, from Aug. 1-9.
- Breaking down their schedule by month, the Aces will play eight games in May (two in Las Vegas), 11 in June (six), nine in July (six), 12 in August (six), and four in September (two).
- The Aces will break out their passports twice this season, as they'll visit Canada twice to play the Tempo. Toronto will host Las Vegas on July 20, and the two will play in Vancouver, British Columbia on Aug. 23.
- The Aces will play double-dips against the same team on five occasions. The defending champs will play the Sun in Connecticut on May 13 and 15; they'll play in Chicago on June 28 before hosting the Sky on July 3; they'll host the Washington Mystics on Aug. 11 and 13; after the trip to Vancouver on Aug. 23, they'll host the Tempo on Aug. 28; and finally, they'll play a home-and-home with the Seattle Storm, there on Sept. 17 and in Las Vegas on Sept. 20.