• by Tanya Gazdik , June 30, 2025

The WNBA is expanding to 18 teams over the next five years.

Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia the season after, assuming they get approval from the NBA and WNBA Board of Governors. Toronto and Portland will enter the league next year.

“All three new teams announced Monday have NBA ownership groups,” according to The Associated Press. “Each paid a $250 million expansion fee, which is about five times as much as Golden State dished out for a team a few years ago. All three teams will also be investing more money through building practice facilities and other such amenities.”

Both Cleveland and Detroit had WNBA teams in the past, and Philadelphia was the home for an ABL team.

“The yet-to-be-named team will revive a legacy started by the Detroit Shock, which won three championships as one of the WNBA’s initial expansion franchises from 1999-2008,” according to the Detroit Free Press. “Pistons owner Tom Gores, backed by a large team of high-profile investors, submitted a formal bid for Detroit to receive a new franchise in January.”

A trademark for Detroit Shock, which had expired after the team moved, was registered to the WNBA on February 4. 

The past few years have seen dramatic growth for the WNBA.

“Building on the rise of the women's college game, an ever-expanding worldwide talent pool, and a breakout star of global popularity in Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, the WNBA has increased its footprint in the sports world,” according to ESPN.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert says that she sees this as "far more than expansion of the WNBA, it's an evolution" and a "transformational investment in the future of women's sports.”

The WNBA announced in a news release that it selected this trio based on an "analysis of market viability, committed long-term ownership groups, potential for significant local fan, corporate, media, and city and state support, arena and practice facilities, and community commitment to advancing the sport, among other factors,” according to NPR.