Valkyries, Liberty, Fever Top Sportico's WNBA Franchise Valuations Ahead of 2026 Season

WNBA team values are climbing ahead of the $2.2 billion media rights deal set to kick in ahead of the 2026 season.

Teams are worth an average of $427 million this season, marking a 59 percent jump from the 2025 campaign, according to a new report from Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen.

The Golden State Valkyries earned Sportico's top valuation at $850 million after just one season in the league, according to Badenhausen.

The New York Liberty were valued at $600 million, while the Indiana Fever ranked third with a $560 million valuation.

The WNBA also ranked above any other major sports league when comparing average revenue to franchise value.

The average WNBA team brings in $31.5 million in revenue, which marks a higher percentage of the average franchise value than the NBA's average revenue of $408 million, per Sportico.

The 2026 WNBA season is set to tip off with an opening night triple-header on Friday, May 8.

The WNBA generated an estimated total of $410 million in revenue during the 2025 season, per Badenhausen.

Each team received at least $3 million from the WNBA's media and sponsorship deal. Clubs are expected to see that number rise to at least $6 million this season, Badenhausen reported.

The rise in valuations this season comes after players and the league agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement that increased teams' salary cap from $1.5 million to $7 million.

According to Badenhausen, "multiple WNBA teams were profitable last year under the lower cap."

That number of profitable teams is set to increase despite that potential $5.5 million jump in player salaries in part thanks to the media deal, Badenhausen noted.

The average valuation of WNBA franchises has risen 345 percent between 2024 and 2026, per Badenhausen.

Those number could potentially climb further in the future as the WNBA looks at adding additional games to the league's schedule.

WNBA players are playing 44 regular-season games in 2026, but the new CBA will allow that number to rise to up to 50 games in 2027, per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

The league could play as many as 52 games per season from 2029 through 2032, per Philippou.

This rise in the value of WNBA franchises has accompanied a historic wave of expansion for the league.

After welcoming the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire this season, the WNBA is set to add franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia and become an 18-team league by 2030.