As it enjoys a TV ratings resurgence, the WNBA is expanding to 18 teams, adding franchises in Philadelphia, Cleveland and Detroit.
The league’s 15 existing clubs include the Golden State Valkyries, which played their first games in May 2025, as well as teams starting up next year in Toronto and Portland, OR. The Cleveland team will begin play in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030.
Caitlin Clark’s recent injury caused a significant drop in WNBA TV ratings, but her return has seen viewership surge back toward peak levels. A contest last week between Clark’s Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces averaged 1.7 million viewers on ESPN, the network’s fifth-biggest regular-season game.
“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.”
Cleveland’s new team will be the city’s second WNBA franchise. The Cleveland Rockers were in the league from 1997 to 2003. The forthcoming club will be will be owned and operated by Rock Entertainment Group, the umbrella for REG Chairman Dan Gilbert’s sports and entertainment properties. Gilbert also owns the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers.
Detroit is also making a return to the WNBA, with the new squad succeeding the Shock, which played from 1998 to 2009. The new team’s ownership group is led by Tom Gores, his wife Holly, and other investors from the realms of sports, business, entertainment, media, and finance.
The Philadelphia WNBA Team will be owned and operated by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment
