The WNBA is set to go from 13 to 18 teams by 2030 as three new expansion teams have been awarded coming off the back of agreeing a new collective bargaining agreement.
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is set to expand from 13 to 18 teams by 2030 following the approval of three new expansion teams.
The WNBA and NBA Board of Governors confirmed on 9 April that a Cleveland franchise will play in 2028, followed by a Detroit franchise in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030.
This follows recent teams being awarded to Portland (Portland Fire) and Toronto (Toronto Tempo). Both franchises are set to compete in their inaugural seasons for the 2026 campaign.
The Cleveland WNBA team will be owned by the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. The Detroit franchise is owned by a consortium of investors led by Tom and Holly Gores, with Tom Gores the owner of the Detroit Pistons.
The new Philadelphia team will be owned by Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment. Josh Harris, will act as governor and will own a share in the team alongside other stakeholders, which includes David Blitzer.
It has not been confirmed by the league the expansion fee paid for each of the Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia franchises. However, reports from Yahoo Sports suggest that bidders for each of the three new expansion teams agreed to pay $250m each per team.
This figure is connected to a recent controversy over the sale of the Connecticut Sun, after Houston Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta bought the WNBA team for a record $300m.
Steve Pagliucca, minority owner of the Boston Celtics, reportedly offered $325m for Connecticut and US Senator Richard Blumenthal has called for the Department of Justice to conduct an antitrust investigation into the sale after he believed the WNBA was “rigging the process”.
A $250m expansion fee is a significant increase on the last fees paid for new WNBA franchises.
The expansion fee paid for the Portland Fire in 2024 was $125m, whilst the Toronto Tempo was bought for $50m the same year.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert spoke in June 2025 on her satisfaction with the growth of the league to allow more expansion teams to enter the league.
“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” said Engelbert.
“This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.”
Added money post-new CBA agreement
The expansion fees paid out for five new teams from 2026 to 2030 also mean team owners will receive significantly more money in the coming years.
Expansion fees paid for new franchises are split equally between all WNBA team owners. If the $250m figure for each of Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia is confirmed, this means that the current 13 owners will receive over $71m each.
This added money will also complement the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was agreed between the league and the WNBA player’s union in March 2026.
The new agreement will see a record team salary cap of $7m, with a supermax contract salary slot available to eligible players to start at $1.4m. The average contracted salary is also set to increase to an estimated $600,000, while the minimum salary will exceed $300,000.
The proposed agreement also includes an average revenue share of nearly 20% across the duration of the deal, which is set to expire in 2032.
