The WNBA set an attendance record. What new heights can the league reach?

Experts say the WNBA could play more games in larger venues as it surges in popularity, thanks to the rise of star players, new teams and a wave of interest in women's sports more broadly.

Experts say league could play more games in larger venues as it surges in popularity

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The latest season of the WNBA set a new attendance record and experts say the rise of star players, new teams and a wave of interest in women's sports more broadly are fuelling the league's growing popularity.

Some 3.79 million fans attended WNBA games in 2026, according to a Sports Business Journal analysis this week. That's a 20 per cent increase from the previous year, driven by the 25 games that were relocated to larger arenas to meet higher demand.

Average capacity was at 90 per cent or higher for eight of the league's 15 teams over the past season, the analysis also showed. Overall, the league average was 83 per cent.

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"If you look at the numbers, nobody's really surprised," said Cheri Bradish, an associate professor and director of the Future of Sport Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University.

"We know that the WNBA has [more than] 25 years behind it, and so the growth of the league is very much following the hockey-stick curve that folks expected."

2020 'Wubble' season

Ann Pegoraro, the Lang chair in sport management at the University of Guelph, says a "pivotal moment" in the league's ascent was the 2020 season, when the WNBA — like the NBA — played without crowds in a COVID-19 pandemic isolation zone called the "Wubble."

"People were in their homes and had a chance to watch, and they saw how good the women's game is," Pegoraro told CBC News.

Around the same time, women's college basketball surged in popularity, propelled by stars such as Caitlin Clark, who brought a huge following with her to the WNBA.

That has translated into greater sponsorship revenue, expansion teams and now attendance records, Pegoraro said.

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Larger arenas draw record crowds

The Toronto Tempo is one of those expansion teams, and became the first WNBA team in Canada this year.

While the Tempo finished 11-33 and didn't make the playoffs, the team drew 20,996 fans to the Bell Centre in Montreal for a July game against the Dallas Wings — the biggest crowd for a regular-season game in WNBA history.

Pegoraro said there has been some hesitancy in the past to play games in larger venues amid fears that empty seats would fuel detractors who have argued no one cares about women's sports.

But "every time a team plays in a larger venue, they dispel that myth quite quickly," she said, pointing to the Tempo game in Montreal as a recent example.

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) set attendance records in 2024, when Montreal took on Toronto at the Bell Centre.

According to Pegoraro, women's leagues need to strike a "fine balance" between keeping interest up and ensuring that fans have access to games.

"I think we're going to start to see them move into the larger arenas on a more regular basis," she said of the WNBA.

Already, at least one WNBA team has announced plans to permanently move into a bigger arena.

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese sets up for a foul shot against the New York Liberty in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinals on Wednesday. (Daniel Varnado/The Associated Press)

The Atlanta Dream, who are looking to sweep their semifinals series against the New York Liberty on Thursday, said this week that they'll play all their 2027 home games at State Farm Arena, the 16,888-seat home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.

The Dream said it has seen more than 400 per cent growth in season ticket members over the past five years.

"State Farm Arena gives us the opportunity to welcome thousands of additional fans while creating an even bigger stage for women's basketball in Atlanta," said Morgan Shaw Parker, the team's president, in a written statement.

New commissioner

As the WNBA's popularity has grown, it has also became a focus in heated debates around social issues, from women's rights to racism and the inclusion of transgender women in sports.

This season, Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham's comments about trans athletes drew protests and widespread media attention. The WNBA, whose fanbase includes many members of the 2SLGTBQ+ community, does not have any openly transgender players.

Two ex-NBA players announced plans to join the 2027 WNBA draft in what critics said was a "bad-faith" stunt that denigrated the league.

Both Pegoraro and Bradish say that negative attention won't stop WNBA players from speaking out — nor will it significantly distract the league "from the growth and development of the game," Bradish told CBC News.

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She noted that the WNBA will soon choose a commissioner to succeed Cathy Engelbert, who is stepping down at the end of the year.

"Then from there, how do they strategically grow?" said Bradish. She said playing in larger venues and possibly adding new expansion teams will be part of that discussion.

Pegoraro said the league could also consider expanding its playoff model to give fans more games to watch. Currently, the WNBA playoffs feature four best-of-three first-round matchups, two best-of-five semifinals and a best-of-seven final.

"Two games and [teams] are done, is not enough in playoffs," she said of the first round. "They need to give these women more games in the playoffs to play."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jillian Kestler-D'Amours is a senior writer at CBC based in Montreal. You can reach her at jillian.kestler-d.amours@cbc.ca.