WNBA Reveals Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia Expansion Teams by 2030 Season

The WNBA announced the eventual arrival of three new expansion franchises Monday.

The league intends to put new teams in Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030), bringing its total number to 18.

"The demand for women's basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in the announcement. "This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league's extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women's professional basketball.

"I am deeply grateful for our new owners and ownership groups—Dan Gilbert in Cleveland, Tom Gores in Detroit, and Josh Harris, David Blitzer, David Adelman, and Brian Roberts in Philadelphia—for their belief in the WNBA's future and their commitment to building thriving teams that will energize and inspire their communities. We are excited for what these cities will bring to the league—and are confident that these new teams will reshape the landscape of women's basketball."

For a long time, the WNBA adopted a slow, deliberate approach toward expansion. The floodgates have since opened.

Seventeen years passed between the Atlanta Dream's inaugural season in 2008 and the Golden State Valkyries taking the court this season. Now, five more teams will be joining the fold within the next five years. The Toronto Tempo will debut in 2026, as will an expansion franchise in Portland, Oregon.

As Engelbert said, this is evidence of the WNBA's growth. For years, the league was seeing increases in attendance and television viewership, and those trends spiked in 2024 thanks in part to a rookie class that included Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

A new media rights deal, which was part of a joint agreement with the NBA, was not only a tangible sign of the WNBA's strengthened position, but it also allowed the league to achieve big-picture objectives such as expansion.

This is a lot of new teams in a short amount of time, and longtime WNBA fans will recall the numerous relocations and defunct franchises across the league's history. However, the W's finances and overall outlook have never been more robust.

Engelbert clearly believes a more aggressive plan of attack on expansion is sustainable.