This was the last Canada game before the expansion Toronto Tempo join the WNBA in 2026. It almost felt like a passing of the torch from one chapter to the next, as the league goes from one-off games to Canada having its own team in the mix.
Like Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike told the crowd before tipoff, “What better way to celebrate the WNBA expanding into Canada?”
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Fans were treated to a competitive game with serious playoff implications. Seattle entered the game on a six-game losing streak that threatened its playoff spot, and the Atlanta Dream were battling for second place. The play was gritty, physical and fast; bodies were flying, people were yelling. The fans were cheering loudly, swag surfing (or at least trying to) and reacting to every whistle.
Though it was designated an Atlanta home game for scheduling purposes, the crowd skewed heavily toward the Storm. Given the short drive from Seattle to Vancouver and the likely strong Storm presence in Vancouver, this was not shocking to anyone.
“It was electric out there,” Seattle guard Skylar Diggins told reporters after her team got the 80-78 win. “We definitely felt [the fans] rally behind this. This was a great opportunity for us to be here and continue to show the WNBA’s international reach. They love it out here. They showed us a lot of love.”
All of the in-game entertainment was provided by the Dream, but that did not stop the West Coast crowd. When the in-game hosts tried to get “Defense!” chants going, fans often drowned them out with “Offense!” chants instead. Especially as the game got close in the fourth quarter, fans were on the edge of their seats for every moment.
The Dream, who managed to come back from a 15-point deficit and make the game close, felt that energy as well.
“The atmosphere felt like a Seattle home game,” Dream guard Rhyne Howard told reporters afterward. “To play in front of [15,000] fans isn’t foreign to us, but to do it in this historic moment, it felt good.” Howard went on to say that she made an effort to interact with as many fans as possible, knowing it was likely their first WNBA game. She wanted to give back to them for showing out.
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Despite the show on the court, most of the story around the game was happening off the court. With over 15,000 fans in attendance, there were jerseys from just about every WNBA team in the crowd. Seattle and Atlanta, lots of Caitlin Clark, some New York Liberty, and of course, the Tempo were heavily represented.
For many of the players, it was their first time visiting Canada. Unfortunately, due to the heavy rain and short turnaround between games, they did not get much of a chance to explore the city.
For both head coaches, this was a return visit. The Storm’s Noelle Quinn is extremely familiar with Canada, given her previous role as an assistant coach for the Canadian national team.
“I think there’s a care and a pride that they have, not only for [their] country, but for how they represent themselves within the league,” Quinn told reporters about the unique qualities of Canadian players in the WNBA. “The players that I’ve experienced have been just super hardworking, focused, driven and really concentrated on their craft.”
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Some of the biggest news of the night came from the Tempo, as president Teresa Resch and general manager Monica Wright Rogers announced at center court that they will play two regular-season games in Vancouver in 2026. That is the first official announcement from the Tempo of games being played outside Toronto, as part of their initiative to bring basketball across Canada. While Vancouver doesn’t have its own franchise, it’s on track to become an unofficial WNBA hub.
This chapter of Canada games has come during a special phase for women’s basketball. When this series started, there was no talk of Toronto getting its own franchise or the WNBA expanding. Since then, six expansion teams have been announced or have debuted: Golden State, Toronto, Portland, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.
The success of the WNBA’s games in Canada in 2023, 2024 and 2025 has been a testament to the strong basketball community in Canada. The community shows up, as proven by three full crowds in three cities.
International regular-season games will be the norm in 2026, and there will be more chances for players to see what this community is all about.
And the next time the WNBA plays in Canada, it will be to welcome Canada’s very own team.