sports
WNBA to Play 50 Regular-Season Games Starting in 2027 After New Labor Deal
The league will add six games to its schedule starting in 2027, following a new collective bargaining agreement that raised the salary cap and introduced the first $1 million player contracts.
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The WNBA will increase its regular-season schedule from 44 games to 50 games beginning in 2027, the league announced Wednesday. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the change reflects rising demand. “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,” she stated in a press release.
Engelbert added that the move would give fans more chances to see top players. “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,” she said.
It raised the total to 40 games for the 2023 and 2024 seasons and to 44 games in 2025. The schedule increase follows a new collective bargaining agreement reached with players almost three months earlier. 5 million in 2025, with annual increases scheduled thereafter.
The pact also guarantees housing for players during the first three years and expands benefits. It sets a deadline of November 21 for the end of the 2027 season and includes an option to reach 52 games by 2029. Three expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia are scheduled to join the league by 2030.
