PHOENIX — The WNBA is considering expanding the 2025 regular season to 44 games, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Saturday before the league’s all-star game.
“We’re looking at what our footprint will be next year,” Engelbert said. “Next year we won’t have international competitions like the FIBA World Cup or the Olympics, so we’ll be able to look at our footprint without the interruptions and hiatuses that we had this year.”
The current collective bargaining agreement allows for a maximum of 44 games per team, but Engelbert has spoken of the long-term vision of extending the season even further. The total number of games is expected to increase over the next two seasons as expansion franchises in Golden State (2025) and Toronto (2026) begin play.
Currently, the regular season is 40 games per team.
The WNBA is in the midst of its most memorable season in 26 years, seeing its largest attendance, new ratings records, skyrocketing merchandise sales and increased fan engagement.
“This time last year, when I stood in front of you, I felt like we were on the cusp of doing big things. We were preparing to do big things,” Engelbert said, “but I’m so excited about what we’ve accomplished this past year.”
Much of that growth has been driven by the current rookie class, led by former college stars who have turned pro. Caitlin Clark and Angel ReeseBoth of them came here as All-Stars.
“I’m very happy for Kaitlyn and all of our rookies,” Engelbert said. “The amount of new fans we’ve been able to bring into this league has been far more than I ever expected.”
“I think this rookie class is really bringing a lot of attention and elevating our game and all of our players.”
Engelbart touched on a variety of other topics during his media appearances.
• Engelbert said she couldn’t comment on the details of the league’s reported upcoming media deal, which is estimated at $2.2 billion over 11 years and has yet to be finalized. But Engelbert said: “We’re going to do something historic. Once we finalize the media deal, everyone will understand that this is a historic time for women’s sports and the WNBA is at the forefront of it. Our next media deal will allow us to continue the transformation of the league.”
• The league continues to work on ironing out kinks in the new charter program introduced at the start of this season. “We continue to work on improving the experience for our players,” Engelbert said. “I think by the time the Olympic break is over, we’ll see more of the program get back on track and see improvements.”
• League research Las Vegas Aces Engelbert said an investigation is underway into sponsorship deals the league’s players made with the city’s tourism bureau, and the league has hired an outside lawyer to handle the investigation.
• To further globalize the game, the WNBA is considering hosting games around the world. Engelbert cited Europe, Asia, Mexico City and the Middle East. The league has played exhibition games in Canada so far and is also considering hosting games at neutral sites in the U.S. to test out expansion markets.
