WNBA Announces Historic Expansion of Regular Season Schedule Beginning in 2027

The WNBA announced it's expanding the regular season to 50 games starting in 2027.

"Demand for the WNBA has never been greater, and expanding to a 50-game regular season reflects the extraordinary momentum we are seeing across the league," commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. "This move reflects our commitment to growing the game and creating more opportunities for fans to watch the best players in the world and experience the extraordinary talent and competition that define the WNBA."

The season currently stretches to 44 games, a format that was adopted in 2025. The collective bargaining agreement opened the door for a 50-game season in 2027 and 2028 and then a move to 52 games beginning in 2029.

The possible benefits of expanding the regular-season slate are obvious. More games equals more revenue and more inventory for media partners.

Viewership for the 2025 season set a record for ESPN, and the early signs for the WNBA's new media rights deal are at least encouraging. As Engelbert said in her statement, the demand is there.

The risk is that the WNBA could water down the regular season at the same time the talent distribution is going to be more diluted. The W is adding expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia in successive years starting with 2028, and any league growing at that rate risks making the on-court product a little worse.

And the NBA is a prime example of how difficult it is to shorten the regular season.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported in April that some league officials "won't argue against the merits of a shorter season." Each game will feel a little more important, and players might have less risk of suffering an injury while not managing their workloads as cautiously.

However, there's the short-term blow of having to renegotiate existing media deals and making a little less money. Neither players nor team owners are often in the habit of willingly seeing their earnings go down.

It's safe to assume the WNBA will exercise its option down the road on 52 games. Whether that's ultimately to the league's advantage is more uncertain.