Assuming there isn\u2019t a lockout this year, the 2026 WNBA season is scheduled to begin with a three-game slate on Friday, May 8.<\/p>\n
The New York Liberty will host the Connecticut Sun in the first game of the night. At the same time, the Toronto Tempo will be kicking off the first year in franchise history by hosting the Washington Mystics. The nightcap is a battle between the Golden State Valkyries (last year\u2019s expansion team) and the Seattle Storm.<\/p>\n
The defending champions will be in action on Saturday, as the Las Vegas Aces raise another banner before hosting the Phoenix Mercury in a rematch of last year\u2019s WNBA Finals. All 15 teams, including two expansion franchises (Tempo and Portland Fire), will be in action during the opening week of the WNBA\u2019s 30th season.<\/p>\n
Of course, the schedule release doesn\u2019t guarantee that games will be played in early May, or even at all.<\/p>\n
The WNBA and Women\u2019s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) still have to agree on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) before anything else. Until a new CBA is in place, the Tempo and Fire can\u2019t conduct their expansion drafts, free agency can\u2019t begin, and there won\u2019t be a rookie draft.<\/p>\n
Basically, a lot has to happen before regular-season games can get underway in May.<\/p>\n
WNBA Opening Weekend Schedule 2026<\/p>\n
DateTime (ET)HostVisitorMay 87:30 p.m.New York LibertyConnecticut SunMay 87:30 p.m.Toronto TempoWashington MysticsMay 810 p.m.Seattle StormGolden State ValkyriesMay 91 p.m.Indiana FeverDallas WingsMay 93:30 p.m.Las Vegas AcesPhoenix MercuryMay 99 p.m.Portland FireChicago SkyMay 101 p.m.SunStormMay 103 p.m.MysticsLibertyMay 107 p.m.Los Angeles SparksAcesMay 107 p.m.Minnesota LynxAtlanta DreamMay 108:30 p.m.ValkyriesMercury <\/p>\n
Visit the online sportsbook<\/a> for WNBA betting opportunities throughout the year. With prop bets, parlays, futures, and more, there\u2019s something for every basketball fan.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have a BetMGM account, check your eligibility for a sportsbook welcome offer<\/a>, one of many sportsbook promos<\/a> for new and existing customers.<\/p>\n The content provided in this blog is intended for entertainment purposes only. All views and opinions expressed are the authors and reflect their individual perspectives on sports, betting, and related topics. This content should not be considered professional betting advice or the official views of BetMGM LLC. Please gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know is experiencing issues related to gambling, seek help from a licensed health professional. This blog is not liable for any losses, damages, or consequences resulting from betting activities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Assuming there isn\u2019t a lockout this year, the 2026 WNBA season is scheduled to begin with a three-game…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429099,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,82,630],"class_list":["post-429098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429098"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429098\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}