Storm, Dream to Play in Vancouver; WNBA's 1st Regular-season Game Outside of USA

The WNBA announced Monday that the Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream will face off on Aug. 15 in Vancouver, British Columbia, the first regular-season game the league has staged outside of the United States.

"The WNBA Canada Game has been a tremendous opportunity to grow our league's footprint, and we look forward to hosting the first-ever international regular season game with the Seattle Storm's return to Canada to face the Atlanta Dream," commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.

"As we prepare to establish permanent roots in Canada with a Toronto franchise, this game and our year-round engagement efforts are a nod to the incredible momentum around women's basketball in Canada."

The WNBA held its first Canada Game in Toronto in 2023 and followed with another in Edmonton, Alberta earlier this year.

Beyond widening its presence north of the border, the league was clearly gauging the demand in Canadian markets. An expansion franchise was awarded to Toronto this past May.

The newly christened Toronto Tempo will join the WNBA in 2026. And while Toronto will be the Tempo's home base, team owner Larry Tanenbaum described them as "Canada's team," one that will play one-off games in Vancouver and Montréal.

In July, the WNBA struck a media rights deal worth a reported $200 million annually. Not only did that stabilize the league financially, but it also opened the door to more aggressively pursue new endeavors.

For example, Engelbert has long stated a goal of raising global awareness toward the WNBA. Taking the regular season to Vancouver in 2025 is undoubtedly part of that effort, and the Canada Game could foreshadow similar events in new markets for the league.