There will be three new WNBA teams in the next two years. It is also the first time where the WNBA returned to a city where it left.
On Wednesday the WNBA announced that there will be a new franchise in Portland, Ore. starting in the 2026 season. This will increase the number of WNBA teams from 12 to 15. In 2025, the Golden State Valkyries will begin play and in 2026, two new teams in Toronto and now Portland will begin play.
The move is a reflection of the WNBA’s growth after a long period of relative stability since 2009 when the league was at 12 teams. The new 15-team WNBA will also begin play right as a new Collective Bargaining Agreement begins to take shape. It will also likely affect how the Washington Mystics and other teams decide to build competitive rosters. For most of the league’s history, championship teams were built on a foundation of multiple top lottery picks. But with most WNBA stars entering free agency for 2026, it is feasible to see the expansion teams start off on the right foot based on their wins and losses.
The WNBA’s expansion into Portland also marks a major point in WNBA history. This is the first city where the WNBA will return to a city where it previously left. The first WNBA franchise for Portland was the Fire, who played from 2000-02. That’s why I put the pic of Mystics legend Chamique Holdsclaw squaring off against the Fire.
The Fire folded after the 2002 season when then-Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen didn’t want to buy the team when WNBA teams were to be handed off to NBA team owners or other buyers, and other attempts to sell the franchise failed.
However, Portland has since become a popular city for women’s sports, most notably with the Portland Thorns NWSL team. In fact, the owners of the new Portland team are Alex Bhathal and Lisa Bhathal Merage, who already own the Thorns.
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