Minnesota is breaking new ground, as the Lynx prepare to face Nigeria in a preseason game on Monday, April 27th — becoming the first-ever WNBA franchise to tip off against an African national team.
That said, preseason clashes against national teams have become increasingly popular in the WNBA, with the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever both facing off against Brazil ahead of the 2025 season.
“The matchup against the Nigeria Women’s National Team adds a compelling international element to the exhibition schedule,” the Lynx said in a Tuesday statement, with the squads hitting the road to tip off inside Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center.
The news arrives alongside two other preseason announcements out of Minnesota, with the Lynx set to take on the Washington Mystics in DC on Saturday, April 25th, before returning home from their Kansas City friendly to play 2026 expansion side Toronto Tempo on Friday, May 1st.
“The game against the Toronto Tempo, one of the WNBA’s newest franchises, is sure to draw plenty of interest as the young organization continues to find its footing in the league,” Minnesota said in a statement last week.
Notably, teams are moving ahead with preseason scheduling under the caveat that plans could change, with the WNBA recently giving the players union a hard March 10th deadline to agree on a new CBA before negotiations delay the 2026 season.