WNBA preparing to push season schedule into November as league expands

Earlier this week, the WNBA announced its next three expansion cities as Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia will soon join the league. 

“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,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said at the announcement event Monday. “We are excited for what these cities will bring to the league — and are confident that these new teams will reshape the landscape of women’s basketball.”

However, there are several questions that must be answered as the league embarks on its largest expansion, including where does the WNBA fit on the sports calendar? 

WNBA expansion: Seven lingering questions as the league adds teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia

Jack Maloney

In a conversation with Engelbert on Monday, CBS Sports women’s basketball analyst Terrika Foster-Brasby got insight into what the future may hold.

“I even heard from the commissioner that the season may be extending well into the in the coming years because of the breaks that they have to take because of international play,” Foster-Brasby said on Thursday’s episode of “We Need To Talk NOW” on CBS Sports Network. 

Foster-Brasby’s comments were part of a segment discussing the upside and potential pitfalls of the recent WNBA expansion announcement. Currently, the WNBA runs from May through October. However, as the league expands via more teams, a 44-game season and a best-of-seven WNBA Finals staring in 2025, is this a viable schedule?

First, Engelbert and her team have to work in standing International competitions — the FIBA World Cup and Olympic Games — every two years. “We’re going to push later into November,” Engelbert told CBS Sports. The move would be the first time the league runs that deep into the calendar. 

Last year, the New York Liberty won the the fifth and deciding game on Oct. 20. In 2025, the league has announced the last possible date for the championship series is Oct.19. That already takes the WNBA seven weeks into the NFL regular-season schedule, often believed to be the primary destination for sports fans. 

“There’s this thought that we shouldn’t be playing on NFL Sundays. We actually do better … because people are sitting home watching sports,” Engelbert said. “We’re not scared of going further in (to the fall).” 

The good news for the league is that after Germany hosts the 2026 FIBA World Cup, the tournament will move to late November. However, that still leaves the Olympics to consider. 

Engelbert confirmed the WNBA will continue to support its players competing in the midsummer competition that will take place on U.S. soil in 2028 and Australia in 2032. She also suggested any future or permanent changes to the schedule will be on the backend, though the ultimate goal is to have as much routine as possible. 

“Every year is different, but what we want is a consistent start and a relatively consistent ending so that our fans know we start in May, we’re done in October,” Engelbert said. “Again, next year we may push it a little into November.” 

Terrika Foster-Brasby contributed to the reporting of this story.