Now that a new collective bargaining agreement has been ratified, the WNBA is taking care of another piece of business before the 2026 season opens.
The expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire will take place on April 3, the WNBA announced on Wednesday.
The two franchises will flip a coin on March 27 with the winner deciding whether to take the first pick in the expansion draft or the sixth — rather than seventh — pick in the WNBA Draft on April 13.
The expansion draft will consist of two rounds wherein the Tempo and the Fire can choose from a pool of players made available by existing teams.
All 13 WNBA teams must submit their list of five protected players to the league by March 29. Per the league, the Tempo and Fire will be allowed to make two types of trades with existing teams between the finalization of roster lists and the expansion draft: to agree to selected an unprotected player and trade her to a team other than her existing team, or to agree to select or abstain from selecting an unprotected player.
During the annual draft on April 13, the Tempo and Fire will alternate between the sixth and seventh picks of each round.
The Tempo is set to be Canada’s first WNBA team.