Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx against the New York Liberty during Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center on October 10, 2024 in Brooklyn, New York scored the winning shot in the game.
Nathaniel S. Butler | Nathaniel S. Butler National Basketball Association | Getty Images
Basketball fans will have even more opportunities to see their favorite stars compete in the Women’s NBA during the 2025 season.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league will expand the regular season from 40 to 44 games starting next year and expand the Finals series from five to seven games. The finals will adopt a 2-2-1-1-1 home game format, with the higher-ranked seeded team hosting first.
The three games in the first round of the playoffs will be hosted on a rotating basis, rather than having the higher-seeded team host the first two games and then rotate again, as has been the case this season.
Engelbert said the league has considered postseason changes since the pandemic began, but its surge in popularity and the introduction of team charter flights was the final push needed to implement the new postseason format.
“The growth of the league and the increased demand for WNBA basketball makes it a great time to expand the schedule, extend the Finals and provide fans with more opportunities to watch the best players in the world compete at the highest level,” Engelbert said in a news conference Thursday. An ideal time to compete at the level.
The schedule isn’t the only thing expanding for next year’s season. The Golden State Valkyrie will debut in 2025 as the league’s 13th team. Engelbert said Thursday that two other teams have been announced, one in Toronto and one in Portland, and discussions are underway to lock down a city for a 16th team. Toronto and Portland, both unnamed, will start play in 2026.
According to previous reports from CNBC, the WNBA’s popularity is growing rapidly, with the league’s recent 11-season media rights agreement worth $2.2 billion. The league’s media contracts are negotiated within the National Basketball Association Agreement.
The 2024 season saw increases in ratings, attendance and participation, and in some cases set new records. An influx of exciting rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, plus 2023 and 2024 MVPs Breanna Stewart and Aja The surge has been fueled by the influx of established stars such as A’ja Wilson.
As the league grows in popularity, more players say they have experienced racism or online harassment. When Engelbert appeared on CNBC last month, she drew criticism by not directly condemning the issue when asked about it. later Engelbert clarified and condemned “hatred or racism.”
The WNBA isn’t the only women’s sports league growing in popularity, and media executives and investors are starting to take notice. Redbird IMI’s Jeff Zucker and Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell both spoke to CNBC about the attractive opportunities in women’s sports.
This year’s finals are currently being played between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty. The Bobcats took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series after winning a thrilling overtime game on Thursday night.
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