On October 10, 2024, No. 24 Nafeesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx scores the winning goal in Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Nathaniel S. Butler | National Basketball Association | Getty Images
Basketball fans will have even more chances to watch their favorite stars play in the Women’s National Basketball Association during the 2025 season.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league will expand the regular season from 40 to 44 games and the Finals Series from five to seven games starting next year. The final round will be played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format with home games, with the higher seeds hosting first.
The three first-round games of the playoffs will be held on an alternating basis, rather than the higher seed hosting the first two games before the switch, as was the case this season.
Engelbert said the league has been considering changes to the playoffs since the COVID-19 pandemic, but the growing popularity and introduction of charter flights for teams is the final push needed to implement a new playoff format. He said it was a powerful thing.
“Due to the league’s growth and increased demand for WNBA basketball, we are expanding our schedule and extending the Finals to give our fans the opportunity to watch the world’s best players compete at the highest level,” Engelbert said in a Thursday press conference. “This is an ideal time to increase.” .
The schedule isn’t the only thing that will expand next season. The Golden State Valkyries will debut as the league’s 13th team in 2025. Two more expansion teams have been announced, one in Toronto and one in Portland, and talks are underway to anchor a 16th team in the city, Engelbert said Thursday. The unnamed teams, Toronto and Portland, are scheduled to begin play in 2026.
The addition comes amid the WNBA’s rapidly growing popularity, resulting in the league’s latest media rights deal being worth $2.2 billion over 11 seasons, CNBC previously reported. The league’s media contracts are negotiated within the National Basketball Association’s contract.
Viewership, attendance, and engagement for the 2024 season all increased and in some cases set new records. The influx of exciting rookies like Kaitlin Clark and Angel Reese, combined with established stars like Brianna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, the 2023 and 2024 MVPs, respectively, contributed to the surge.
As the league’s popularity grew, more players said they had experienced racism and online harassment. Engelbert drew criticism for not fully condemning the issue when asked about it during an appearance on CNBC last month. Engelbert later clarified and condemned “hatred and racism.”
The WNBA isn’t the only women’s sports league that’s growing in popularity, with media executives and investors paying attention. Redbird IMI’s Jeff Zucker and Endeavor Executive Chairman Patrick Whitesell spoke to CNBC about the exciting opportunities across women’s sports.
This year’s finals are currently being played between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty. The Lynx won Thursday night’s thriller overtime game and lead 1-0 in the best-of-five series.