‘Significant milestone’: Toronto getting first WNBA team outside US
Al Jazeera
Canada’s largest city is getting expansion team that will begin playing in Women’s National Basketball Association in 2026.
Toronto has been awarded the first Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) franchise outside the United States, with the expansion team to begin playing in 2026.
At a news conference on Thursday, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said there is a “rich history” of women’s basketball both in Canada and in Toronto, the country’s largest city.
“We know Toronto is a basketball city,” Engelbert said. “We’ve seen time and time again that Toronto is home to dedicated and enthusiastic basketball fans.”
The announcement comes as the popularity of women’s basketball – as well as women’s sports in general – has surged in recent years in North America.
The recent WNBA draft drew record-high viewership as 2.45 million people tuned in to watch US college basketball superstar Caitlin Clark be selected first pick by the Indiana Fever.
