LOS ANGELES -- The WNBA and its players still haven't gotten the Collective Bargaining Agreement finished yet but the league has released its 2026 regular season schedule.
The key notes from Alexa Philippou from ESPN:
What to know about the WNBA's 2026 season:
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 21, 2026
-regular season scheduled to run May 8-Sept. 24; playoffs to start Sept. 27
-44 regular season games per team (same as '25)
-break for World Cup to run Aug. 31-Sept. 16 (WC runs Sept. 4-13)
Some other notes:
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 21, 2026
-The Commissioner’s Cup will run from June 1-17, with the title game played on June 30
-The Sparks will host the Liberty on June 21 in a rematch of WNBA’s inaugural game, on the anniversary of the original matchup
-All-Star Weekend will be July 24-25 https://t.co/oE2TkXEtrZ
As mentioned, there will be a World Cup break that will take place in Germany near the end of the regular season. After that is finished, the WNBA regular season will resume and play out the last week of the campaign.
Of course, this will all take place should the CBA be taken care of and that there is no work stoppage.
There will be a breakdown of the schedule for both the Sparks and the Aces when the regular season gets closer (and of course, the conditions mentioned in the previous paragraph happen). But for now, here are the links to the schedules of both teams.
The WNBA will also be expanding to 15 teams as the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo join the league in this upcoming season.
The league also commented about releasing the schedule. From ESPN's Philippou again:
Via WNBA spox: “Releasing the 2026 schedule is a key step as we prepare for the WNBA’s 30th season and allows teams, partners, broadcasters and fans to begin the essential planning for the year ahead.”
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 21, 2026
We'll see if the CBA gets wrapped up in time for the season to start. In the meantime, not only do they have to worry about that but they also have to take care of the expansion draft, free agency, and the regular college draft.
The league and its players have some work to do.