The WNBA is going global, expanding to Toronto in 2026. What will the expansion draft look like? Where might the league expand next?

Toronto has been awarded the WNBA’s first franchise outside the United States, with the expansion team set to begin play in 2026.

On Thursday, an exciting press conference was held to announce Toronto's new WNBA expansion team, and it was a star-studded event. Former Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry graced the occasion and shared his thoughts on the upcoming team.

On Thursday, the association announced that Toronto will be awarded its own franchise. This will be the WNBA's first franchise outside the United States, the first in Canada and the 14th WNBA franchise after the Golden State Valkyries, who will have their inaugural season next year.

Toronto's franchise will technically be based in the Coca-Cola Coliseum, which is the arena where the AHL's Toronto Marlies play. But it will also be able to play occasional games at the larger Scotiabank Arena, and in a unique twist, will also play some games in other cities like Montreal and Vancouver.

The WNBA is officially expanding outside the United States.

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has awarded its latest expansion franchise spot to Toronto. Toronto becomes the WNBA’s 14 th franchise and the league’s first outside of the US

The WNBA could be gaining another expansion franchise, this time in Canada. In October 2023, the WNBA announced its first expansion team since 2008, when the Golden State Warriors were awarded a franchise to begin play in 2025.

As CBC Sports senior contributor Shireen Ahmed writes, there are still a lot of questions to be answered about the Toronto WNBA franchise, but it assures the opportunity for young fans and players, alike,

Canadian public broadcaster CBC has reported that the country’s largest city, Toronto, has been awarded expansion franchise rights for a new team to compete in North American women’s basketball’s elite-tier WNBA competition.