The WNBA announces three new expansion teams

The W is coming to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia

Early on Monday, the WNBA announced that they would be bringing the league to three new cities within the next five years. The WNBA will introduce a team in Cleveland in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030.

Following nine years without an expansion, following the Dallas Wings’ addition in 2016, the Golden State Valkyries were announced in 2024, and debuted in 2025. They currently have a 9-7 record, so their debut appears to be going well. The controversially-named Toronto Tempo and an unnamed Portland WNBA team will be debuting in 2026. The Portland team may be a re-introduction of the defunct Portland Fire, but remains unnamed as of right now. There will be more expansion drafts and more players drafted and signed in the league in general going forward, so it will be interesting to see how the Valkyries protect their star players and shape their team for an ever-changing league.