Toronto getting WNBA team, date and home arena set: report
After years of speculation, it seems the WNBA is finally heading to Toronto — for good.
As per CBC’s Shireen Ahmed, the WNBA will expand to Toronto with a new team in the coming years, with an official announcement expected later this month.
“An announcement is expected May 23 in Toronto, with the team to begin play in May 2026,” as per the CBC report.
The WNBA has yet to comment on the report.
The ownership group is expected to be Kilmer Sports, which MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum heads up.
Ahmed also added that the team is expected to play out of Coca-Cola Coliseum, located on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds in the west end of the city. It’d be the fourth major sports team to call the area home, with Toronto FC and the Toronto Argonauts playing next door at BMO Field, while the AHL’s Toronto Marlies currently play at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
The PWHL Toronto franchise has also been playing their playoff games out of the arena this year, with talks about using the Coliseum as its full-time home rink moving forward.
The WNBA has played preseason games in Canada each of the past two seasons, first at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena in 2023 before heading to Edmonton’s Rogers Place this year.
The league is currently composed of 12 teams, all in American markets, with a San Francisco-based team announced to join for 2025.
The league was founded in 1997, with its schedule running from May through the playoffs concluding in September, running almost entirely opposite to the NBA schedule.
With an increased interest in both the collegiate and professional levels of women’s basketball over the past few seasons, the new WNBA franchise represents a great opportunity for Canada’s largest city.
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