Portland Fire expansion draft set for April 3. Here’s what to know

PORTLAND, Ore. — The details of the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft — including when, how, and where it will take place — have been released, giving the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo their first opportunity to begin building their rosters.

This marks the first time in the WNBA’s new expansion era that two teams will participate in the draft, leaving much of the process unclear until a new collective bargaining agreement could be reached.

The 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Friday, April 3, and will air on ESPN.

A coin toss between Portland and Toronto on Friday will determine who will pick first in the draft or have the higher first-round pick in this year’s college draft. In other words, the winner can opt to pick first in the expansion draft or select sixth instead of seventh in the first round of the college draft, set for April 13.

Regardless of the coin toss outcome, Portland and Toronto will alternate positions in each round of the college draft. For example, if Portland wins the toss and selects first in the expansion draft, Toronto would receive the No. 6 pick in the college draft while Portland picks No. 7. In the second round, the order would flip, with Portland picking sixth and Toronto seventh, and so on in alternating fashion.

The 2026 Expansion Draft will consist of two rounds. Portland and Toronto will select players from a pool made available by the league’s 13 existing teams. Those teams must submit protected player lists to the league office by Sunday, at which point the expansion teams will know which players are available.

Each existing team may protect up to five players — one fewer than in last year’s expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries, when six players could be protected.

Portland and Toronto may select from any unprotected players, including those whose rights were held as of the final day of the 2025 regular season. This includes players who are active, suspended, on reserved lists or retired.

Other important rules to the draft: 

Each expansion team may select only one player designated as a “Potential Unrestricted Free Agent.” According to the league, this designation applies to any player who has completed her contract and has five or more years of service at the end of the 2025 season. These players may still be selected even if they are no longer eligible to be designated as a “core player,” meaning the selecting team would hold exclusive rights to negotiate a supermax contract.Expansion teams may also make trades with existing teams after protected lists are submitted and up until the start of the draft. These deals can include agreements to select — or avoid selecting — specific players, or to draft a player and immediately trade her to another team.

During the draft, Portland and Toronto will use a “snake” format. The team that picks first in the opening round will pick second in the second round, with the order alternating throughout.

When a player is selected in the expansion draft, Portland or Toronto will acquire that player’s contract or the negotiating rights to that player. 

If a selected player is not under contract for the 2026 season, the expansion team assumes the same rights the original team would have held had the player not been selected, according to the league.