The WNBA is set for its longest season yet, assuming it is played as scheduled.
The WNBA released the schedule for its 2026 regular season on Wednesday, with the newly-expanded 15-team league set to play 330 games (44 per team) from Friday, May 8 to Thursday, September 24 — the latest finish in league history. Previously, the latest end to a season was September 23 in 2012.
The 139-day schedule, which includes a two-week break for the FIBA World Cup, is the longest in WNBA history. But the league could have an even longer schedule in future years, as it is reportedly seeking to start training camps as early as March and conclude its Finals as late as November in its ongoing collective bargaining talks.
As might go without saying, the schedule is contingent on the league and players union agreeing to a new CBA in time to avoid any delays or cancellations. No WNBA games have ever been lost due to a collective bargaining dispute. It is far from unusual for leagues to release schedules during a CBA negotiation; the NBA released full 82-game schedules in 1998 and 2011 during the owner-imposed lockouts that eventually resulted in the shortening of both ensuing seasons.
The WNBA did not announce any television selections for the new season, though that is not unusual. Under the new NBA media rights deal that began this past fall, WNBA games will now air on Comcast-owned NBCUniversal and Versant-owned USA Network in addition to the returning ESPN/ABC, Amazon Prime Video and Scripps-owned ION.
The NBCU, ESPN and Amazon deals are all part of the broader NBA media rights deal. USA acquired its WNBA package through NBCUniversal, but due to its spinoff from Comcast had to negotiate a separate contract with the WNBA. The Scripps deal was always separate from the NBA agreement, as the WNBA has the right to negotiate its own independent media rights deals.
There is no word on whether WNBA games will continue to air on CBS, which has carried games since the 2019 season on its broadcast network and CBS Sports Network. That deal was also separate from the NBA agreement.
ION will continue to air all Friday night WNBA games under its media rights extension, meaning it will have the full Opening Night slate — including the debut of the new Toronto Tempo, who will host the Mystics in their inaugural game. Also scheduled that night are Sun-Liberty and Valkyries-Storm.
One can assume ABC will have a Saturday afternoon doubleheader on May 9, when the league has Wings-Fever set for 1 PM ET — which would be Caitlin Clark’s first game since last July — and a Mercury-Aces WNBA Finals rematch set for 3:30. (The returning Portland Fire will make their debut later that night in a game that may or may not air on national TV.)
Newcomer USA will carry Wednesday night games. Its first night of coverage would presumably be May 13, when Fever-Sparks headlines a four-game slate.
There are no other nights earmarked for a specific network, but there are some game selections that seem fairly likely. The league has set a Liberty-Sparks game on June 21, the anniversary of its inaugural 1997 game between the same two teams. With a start time of 8 PM ET on a Sunday night, that would seem like an obvious choice for ESPN, which will have Sundays open after losing “Sunday Night Baseball” in its recent MLB rights deal.
Clark faces her main rival Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky only three times, down from four the past two seasons. The first is set for Thursday, June 11 at 7 PM ET, presumably on ESPN or Prime. The second is Saturday, August 8 at 3 PM ET, which would seem to be a lock for ABC. But the final meeting is notably scheduled for Sunday, August 23, at 7 PM ET — one of just two Sunday nights in the summer when NBC does not have “Sunday Night Baseball” scheduled (ESPN has the Little League Classic that night). NBC has touted a year-round sports slate, and the highest-profile WNBA matchup would certainly be one way to fill a rare off week.
