It can be argued that the WNBA has never been as popular as it is right now. With an influx of stars from the college game led by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, women’s basketball is gaining popularity at a rapid pace.
As a result, we are seeing the WNBA expand with the luxuries they provide their players, but in league size as well. On Friday morning, it was reported that the league will be expanding outside of the United States for the first time.
As shared by ESPN, multiple reports are saying that Toronto will receive an expansion team in 2026. That will be the 14th franchise in the WNBA, as a team will be joining the league in Golden State in 2025.
The Toronto franchise will be owned by Kilmer Sports Inc., which is led by Toronto billionaire Larry Tanenbaum. Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, where Tanenbaum holds the title of chairman and is a minority owner, also owns several teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL and Toronto Raptors in the NBA.
An official announcement about the plans to expand to Toronto is expected in about two weeks. Until then, everyone is keeping hush-hush about it, as a WNBA spokesperson said there was no news to confirm at this time.
“We continue to engage in productive conversations with interested ownership groups in a number of markets but have no news to report at this time.” A Kilmer Sports spokesperson offered the same sentiment of no update at this time.
According to WNBA commission Cathy Engelbert, the league has set a goal of having 16 teams by 2028. Several cities are being considered for expansion, and Toronto was one of them she mentioned in April.
The Toronto team will reportedly call the Coca-Cola Colesium home. It is an 8,000-seat arena that is currently home to the AHL’s Marlies and PWHL Toronto franchise. If the WNBA preseason games held in Canada are an indication of what is to come, the Toronto franchise should be welcomed with open arms.
Both games held in the country drew very well. According to ESPN, the matchup between the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx had a soldout crowd of 19,800 at Nova Scotia Arena in Toronto last year. Last week, the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm had a capacity crowd of 16,655 at Roger’s Place in Edmonton.
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