Top WNBA matchups to watch during 2026 regular season

After months of uncertainty, the countdown to the 2026 WNBA regular season can finally begin.

The action is slated to start on May 8 when the Toronto Tempo host the Washington Mystics for their inaugural game at Coca-Cola Coliseum on opening day. From there, the league is off for its 30th season.

The new CBA — which has yet to be agreed on — postponed the release of the 2026 regular season schedule. Last year, it was shared in December. However, the announcement, which came Wednesday, is a good sign that things are moving in the right direction. The league is currently operating in a status quo period of negotiations that recognizes the new deal is still undecided, but allows normal business operations to be conducted.

And for Toronto, the schedule release is the first step of many to come in the months ahead. Next, Canada’s team will move into a period of free agency, participate in the expansion draft, have its first-ever entry draft selection, and then, eventually, suit up to make history.

The Tempo will play a total of 22 games at home in their first season, including 15 at Coca-Cola Coliseum, three at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, two at the Bell Centre in Montreal and two at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Assuming the new CBA will be decided in time, here’s a look at the most exciting matchups awaiting fans this summer — with a special focus on the Toronto Tempo’s schedule, of course.

May 8: Washington Mystics vs. Toronto Tempo

The Tempo will kick off their inaugural season and the 2026 slate, with a game against the Mystics on opening weekend.

With all of the season ticket packages already sold out, and extensive excitement mounting on socials and across the city, the Tempo are already brewing the perfect environment for making history. Add in what the Mystics bring to the table with the return of Georgia Amoore, who missed her entire first season with an ACL injury, alongside one of the best rookies from last season, Sonia Citron, and the North is all set for a monumental first matchup.

May 9: Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever

The WNBA isn’t going to make fans wait any longer than they need to for one of the most anticipated matchups.

Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark will meet on opening weekend with a matinee contest on Saturday. Clark missed most of last season with a groin injury, and in her time away, a bright new young star moved into centre stage. Bueckers, now with her own Rookie of the Year award and numerous accolades, including a record-breaking 44-point game, will take on the face of the league for the first time since July 13, 2025.

May 9: Phoenix Mercury vs. Las Vegas Aces

It’s hard to predict if this rematch will be as one-sided as the 2025 Finals because the majority of all veteran players in the league still remain unsigned for the next season, but regardless of who ends up where, this one will be appointment viewing.

The Mercury have a lot to fight for after being swept in the first-ever best-of-seven finals, and with their rematch coming as early as May 9, they have to enter the season swinging to get one against the Aces.

June 3: Toronto Tempo vs. New York Liberty

Put a big star next to this one.

Not only is it part of Commissioner’s Cup play, but it’s also head coach Sandy Brondello’s first return to her former team.

Brondello parted ways with the Liberty at the end of last season, just one year after taking the team to its first-ever championship. After leaving New York, Brondello had many suitors, including the Dallas Wings and Seattle Storm, but she decided on Toronto.

“In the end, I was really intrigued about starting from the beginning and building something with really good people,” Brondello said after she was announced as the Tempo head coach in November.

When the Australian native who boasts 27 years of WNBA playing and coaching experience makes her return to New York, she’ll be the boss of the other bench, and all eyes will be on what she’s been able to build out of this fresh start.  

June 21: New York Liberty vs. Los Angeles Sparks

With two new expansion teams, the first time the WNBA has added a franchise outside the U.S., and a historic CBA pending, the 30th season of the WNBA features a lot worth celebrating.

And though the league will no doubt find ways to celebrate the occasion throughout the summer, the matchup on June 21, on the anniversary of the league’s first-ever game in 1997, will help cement the last three decades of women’s basketball legacy.

The first game ever played happened in Los Angeles between the Sparks and Liberty and drew a crowd of 14 284 fans. At the time, it was an eight-team league, but the only other franchise to have survived entirely intact since then is the Phoenix Mercury. This game will be a beautiful homage to the success of the W plus; it will give the Sparks a shot at redemption. They lost that first game 67-57.

July 10: Dallas Wings vs. Toronto Tempo at the Bell Centre in Montreal

When Bueckers comes to town, it’s already set to be a showstopper. Add her dominance to a Montreal crowd seeing their first WNBA game at home, and that’s a game destined to reach another level.

Basketball hasn’t infiltrated the Bell Centre since Oct. 6, 2024, when the Raptors played the Wizards in Canada Series pre-season action, but now, the city will get two regular-season games this summer.

Aug. 18: Indiana Fever vs. Toronto Tempo at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto

Clark is coming to Canada.

The Scotiabank Arena game will be one of two the Fever are set to play in Toronto this year. Throughout the first two seasons of her career, the fame that follows Clark has demanded arena upgrades in almost every city she’s visited, and Toronto is no different.

At this point, it’s a rite of passage to have Clark drain a signature logo three on your home court. And when it happens, it is sure to be a ‘welcome to the league’ moment for the Tempo

Aug. 21: Portland Fire vs. Toronto Tempo at Rogers Arena in Vancouver

As the end of the regular season nears, the Tempo and Fire will stand off in an ultimate matchup of ‘who built it better.’

There’s still so much uncertainty shrouding who will take the floor as we await the expansion draft, but come August, both squads will have completed more than half of their season and developed the first semblance of an identity. It will be a true test of who has pulled off the best first season.

To make it even better, the game will be held in Vancouver as the second of two home games at Rogers Arena. Given the way the sold-out crowd behaved there last August when the Seattle Storm took on the Atlanta Dream, the fans will be sure to bring it for this all-important end of the season contest.