The WNBA officially announced on Wednesday that the regular season schedule is being expanded from 44 games to 50 games, starting in the 2027 season.
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The WNBA announced today that the league will expand its regular season schedule to 50 games in 2027. pic.twitter.com/5JvUQYFWpM
— WNBA Communications (@WNBAComms) June 17, 2026
“Demand for the WNBA has never been greater, and expanding to a 50-game regular season reflects the extraordinary momentum we are seeing across the league,” league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
“This move reflects our commitment to growing the game and creating more opportunities for fans to watch the best players in the world and experience the extraordinary talent and competition that define the WNBA.”
The schedule expansion is part of the guidelines agreed upon in the new collective bargaining agreement, which push the schedule up to 50 games for 2027 and 2028.
This expansion is far from the first, as the league jumped up to 36 games for the 2022 campaign and 40 games for 2023 and 2024.
In 2025, that number was pushed to 44 and will now increase again starting next season.
Wednesday’s news comes in the midst of the WNBA’s 30th season and during a period of rapid growth. The league has set a number of viewership records over the last two seasons and that trend is only expected to continue.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
