WNBA Announces Full 2020 Schedule, Rules for Commissioner's Cup Tournament

On the heels of announcing a new collective bargaining agreement Tuesday, the WNBA rolled out the 2020 regular-season schedule Thursday. 

The season will expand from 34 games to 36 and tip off May 15 with three games.

The upcoming campaign will also be the inaugural year for the Commissioner's Cup, an in-season tournament that overlaps with the regular season. The event is made up of 10 games, with the top teams from each conference facing off in the championship game Aug. 14.

Unlike in-season knockout tournaments in European soccer, the Commissioner's Cup will count regular-season games toward the standings. The matchups "will be the first home game and first road game each team plays against its five conference rivals."

Beyond providing a different challenge for teams throughout the year, the Commissioner's Cup is one way to preserve heated conference duels after the league eliminated playoff seeding by conference.

The WNBA will take an extended break to accommodate the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The hiatus will begin following a six-game slate July 10 and pick back up with six games Aug. 16.

The Washington Mystics enter 2020 as the reigning champions after defeating the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA Finals. Elena Delle Donne made history as the league's first 50-40-90 player en route to her second MVP.

Repeating as champion is difficult since finishing out of the top two seeds means at least one single-elimination game in the playoffs.

The Mystics will also have to contend with a number of stars who are returning to the league. The Seattle Storm will have Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird back. Angel McCoughtry, one of the best free agents this offseason, was cleared for a return in November. Maya Moore's status remains up in the air after she voluntarily sat out 2019.