Sky Announce Two Preseason Games Ahead of 2026 Campaign

The Chicago Sky announced two preseason games, one against the Phoenix Mercury and another against the Atlanta Dream, just a short while before the regular season is scheduled to kick off in May.

The Sky will take on the Mercury in what will be the first WNBA game ever played in South Dakota, the release read. The two squads will face off in the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, home of the NBA G League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce, on April 25 at 3 p.m. CST. The Sky fell in all four regular-season games against the Mercury during their 2025 campaign, including in an August loss that saw former Sky guard Kahleah Copper shred her former squad with a game-leading 28 points.

The Great Plains counterpart has served as the proving ground for a few WNBA names, including Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts. A native of Sioux Falls, Tibbetts worked as the head coach of the Skyforce from 2007-09 after assistant stints in his home state and as a guard at the University of South Dakota, according to a release from the Phoenix Mercury. Kasib Powell, now an assistant coach with the Golden State Valkyries, earned the G-League’s MVP in 2008 before becoming the Skyforce’s head coach himself from 2021-24.

The Sky will move on to face the Dream in Wintrust Arena on April 29th at 6 p.m. CST. Atlanta swept Chicago during last year’s regular-season schedule, which included an 88-70 Commissioner’s Cup game loss behind a 36-point performance from guard Rhyne Howard. The 3-time All-Star joined Copper and Sky forward Angel Reese on the 2026 Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament roster, where Reese shined with a double-double in a win over Puerto Rico. Reese would join the two, along with a few of her Chicago teammates, as a late addition to Unrivaled for her second go-around in the 3-on-3 league.

The Sky announced their 2026 schedule a few weeks after the start of the new year. They’ll kick things off against the PortlandFire, one of the league’s newest additions alongside the Toronto Tempo, in a road bout on May 9. A long stretch of road matchups will lead Chicago back to a 4-game home stand at Wintrust Arena, where they’ll take on the Minnesota Lynx twice to pair with games against the Tempo and Dallas Wings. The Sky finished the 2025 preseason with a 2-1 record as they split two matchups with the Lynx, but fell to 10-34 in the regular season following one of their more turbulent campaigns in recent memory.

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