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Daily Vector
Daily Vector
WNBA expands regular season to 50 games starting in 2027, the longest schedule in league history
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If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I simply cannot get enough WNBA,” it’s your lucky day.
The WNBA announced Wednesday it will expand its regular-season schedule from 44 games to 50 beginning in 2027, marking the longest season in league history.
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“Demand for the WNBA has never been greater, and expanding to a 50-game regular season reflects the extraordinary momentum we are seeing across the league,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
“This move reflects our commitment to growing the game and creating more opportunities for fans to watch the best players in the world and experience the extraordinary talent and competition that define the WNBA.”
The move was made possible by the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, which allows for up to 50 regular-season games in 2027 and 2028 before potentially increasing again to 52 games beginning in 2029.
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The WNBA has steadily expanded its schedule since launching in 1997. During the league’s inaugural season, teams played just 28 games. That number eventually grew to 34 games, then 40 and finally 44 beginning with the 2025 season. The only exception came during the COVID years, when the schedule was temporarily reduced.
The announcement comes as the league continues an aggressive expansion push.
The league added the Toronto Tempo and Portland this season, bringing its total to 15 franchises. More growth is on the way, with expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia scheduled to begin play in 2028, 2029 and 2030, respectively.
The longer schedule also provides more inventory for the WNBA’s growing list of media partners, which now includes ESPN, CBS, NBC, Amazon, ION and USA Sports.
Whether fans wanted six more games is another conversation entirely. But with a media rights deal worth more than $3 billion, the WNBA isn’t in the business of putting fewer games on television.
