How to start preparing for Toronto Tempo tip-off

The Toronto Tempo are officially one year away from entering the WNBA as a team, and you should already be preparing.

Last May, it was announced that Toronto would be launching the WNBA’s 14th team, tipping off in 2026. Since then, we have learned that the team will be named the Toronto Tempo, have been able to buy merch, and events have already started in anticipation. Yet, if you’re thinking about the on-court product (same), you should be tapping into the WNBA NOW to see potential future Tempo players.

The league's 29th season tipped off on May 16, and it only speeds up from here. A 44-game season from May until September, with playoffs into October. There are currently 156 roster spots in the league, but not all of them are being used. An ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiation that has the potential to boost the WNBA into the modern era. A tightly contested race for a championship in what will likely be the last season these teams look the way they currently do. A LOT is going on in the WNBA this season.

Free agency pandemonium welcomes the Tempo to the league

For us here in Toronto, we’ve been watching from the inside looking out, not able to fully participate in the action. Now, in 2025, it feels like we are standing in the doorway observing the chaos from afar, about to dive in. Due to the expiring CBA, many players were able to work out their contracts so that they end after the 2025 season, allowing them to renegotiate their deals under the new league standards. That means that two-thirds of the league will be free agents next January. There are pros and cons to this, of course, the biggest probably being pro: the Tempo will have a ton of free agents to pursue ahead of their first season, and con: their expansion draft may be a little dull.

As the Golden State Valkyries experienced last year, an expansion draft will likely take place around December 2025. Different to the Valkyries’ experience though, Toronto will share this draft with Portland’s expansion team, also tipping off in 2026. The other major difference will be the fact that there will be so many free agents, the pickings may be a little slim for Toronto and Portland.

One interesting rule of expansion in the WNBA, though, is that each team can draft one unrestricted free agent. They can then “core” that player, holding their negotiating rights and paying them the league’s max salary. We don’t know if those rules will stand after the new CBA is signed, but if it does stay, the Tempo have a great pool of players to choose from.

While all of these certainties are up in the air, there are a few things Tempo fans can expect in the next 12 months. First, expect the team to hire their head coach by October-ish, if not before. This gives the coach ample time to hire staff and prepare for the expansion draft and free agency. Next, the expansion draft would likely happen in December, with free agency following in January as it has for many years past. Another thing that happens in December is the WNBA Draft Lottery. If the same rules hold up, Toronto will not be able to receive a lottery pick in their first season and will likely pick around the No. 6 spot in the 2026 draft. Given that Georgia Amoore was drafted No. 6 this season, there is still a ton of talent to be picked up at that spot, so don’t be too stressed.

Get to know the WNBA now

While many Toronto Tempo fans have been following the WNBA for years, others have not, and that’s okay! Welcome! The first thing to know about the WNBA is that it is VERY different from the NBA. Different style of play, different rules, different culture.

Let’s start with the different styles of play. The WNBA tends to lean more classic in basketball style than the NBA, which has shifted into a three-point shooting favoured system in recent years. Shooting is a priority in the W, but all players also need to be proficient at defence, operating close to the basket, and at least have a decent handle to make it in this highly competitive league. With only 11-12 roster spots per team, and currently only 13 teams, only the best of the best players make it. The result is that players are extremely skilled in the fundamentals, are versatile players, and play all year-round in the WNBA as well as overseas leagues or American offseason leagues to boost their stock as players.

As for rules, the general rules of basketball are pretty similar in the WNBA and NBA, especially as of the past few seasons. The WNBA has added the coach’s challenge, done away with the possession arrow (thank goodness), and has expanded its playoffs to be more similar to how the NBA does it. Yet, things like conferences don’t matter as much in the WNBA. With 13 teams and an uneven number of teams in each conference, it can’t matter too much. The biggest difference is team make-up, given there is currently a 12-player roster limit, and the league’s hard salary cap makes it so that many teams will only carry 11 players to give them more flexibility.

The culture of the WNBA is where things get very different from the NBA. A smaller league means a smaller community of players, coaches, and media. It’s not uncommon for media to have higher levels of access to players in the WNBA than the NBA, and that relationship is a little different. For so long, WNBA players essentially had to be their brand-builders, and that meant getting their messages out to the media a bit more. Up until recent years, WNBA stars hadn’t transcended into popular culture yet, so there was also a similar level of just basic human experience — WNBA players have the same struggles, challenges, and experiences as the average person watching at home. They have kids to raise, bills to pay, and they weren’t the mega-stars the NBA players are. Now, that’s evolved quite a bit in recent years as the sport has exploded into pop culture, but it’s still the same in many ways.

The other big cultural difference in the WNBA is the inclusion and activism aspect. These players are huge advocates for themselves and their communities, and not just in a performative way. They protest, they speak up, and they take action. In turn, they foster a pretty inclusive environment for fans and spectators (mostly, the past few years have been slightly different). The WNBA has become a home for fans of all different races, communities, and identities, because the players reflect those aspects of their fans as well. Sure, we poke fun at the fact that the players date/marry each other, but in turn, that makes the league a welcoming place for fans who don’t feel included in other sports leagues.

How Toronto can get involved NOW

Well, the first thing is just watching the games, even before Toronto starts playing. WNBA League Pass is pretty affordable and is accessible in Canada. It plays every single game, and you can watch games on demand once they finish. The only games that will be blacked out on League Pass are ones being shown on Canadian broadcast networks like TSN or Sportsnet. That way, you start to become familiar with the other teams in the league, the big names on the court and off the court, and how the games look. When Toronto signs some of these players next year, you already know their style and history.

There is also a WNBA game happening in Canada for the third year in a row, but this year it is a regular season game instead of a preseason game. The Seattle Storm and Atlanta Dream will be playing on August 15 in Vancouver, BC after the WNBA held games in Toronto and Edmonton in past years. West Coast fans can go get a taste of what the atmosphere will be like next season.

The Toronto Tempo have also started to put on events to build hype as the countdown to tip-off dips below one year. They held watch parties for the NCAA Championship Game in Toronto and Vancouver in April, and will hold another event in Toronto this coming weekend. Tempo Live, as they are calling it, will be a two-day street festival-type event with a ton going on. Happening at Stackt Market on May 24-25, the Tempo will be hosting panels on every intersection of women’s basketball, from fashion to music and more. Along with that, there will be merchandise for sale (no shipping fees!) as well as some on-court fan activities and activations. It’s a great way to meet other fans, get a sense of the community, and start celebrating the WNBA’s first international franchise.

If you’re not already tapped into the WNBA... you’re late! Come join us!