WNBA Announces Three New Expansion Teams—Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia!

Three sports cities are getting new basketball teams. First thing Monday morning the WNBA announced that three new expansion teams would soon be joining the league. Several towns submitted bids and proposals for a franchise and the “W” has now approved a trio. Detroit, Philadelphia and Cleveland.

The new organizations will be added in the coming years. With Cleveland getting its start in 2028. And Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) following closely behind.

Since the 2024 season the WNBA has absolutely exploded with success. Seeing a stark rise in merch sales, in-person attendance and at-home as well as streaming viewership. Thanks to the addition of players like Caitlin Clark; the league’s excitement only continues to increase and grow.

For instance, look at the Golden State Valkyries. A new WNBA expansion team already now valued at half a billion dollars. Making them the most valuable team in the league and the first women’s professional sports team to reach that valuation. Also, GSV sold merch in all 50 states and in over 70+ countries. Not bad for an inaugural season.

Furthermore, if anyone wondered if basketball fans would continue to enjoy and watch the WNBA and to see the likes of Stewie, A’ja, Angel, Sabrina and Naphessa in 2025; well the answer is clear… YES. Opening Weekend on ESPN grabbed over 3 million viewers. Liberty vs Fever nabbed 2.2 million on a random Saturday. And just about a week ago, Fever vs. Aces drew the 5th-Largest TV Audience of the 2025 WNBA Season. The game garnered 1.7 million viewers on a chill Sunday afternoon on ESPN.

For reference, if want to compare the W’s numbers to the men. Baseball would be a decent comp, not exact, but decent. Fox is averaging 1.84 million viewers per game, a 10% increase compared to last year, according to SportsPro. ESPN’s viewership is up 22%, with an average of 1.74 million viewers per game, according to MLB.com. This is great for baseball as they are also seeing increased attendance at games as well.

Additionally, over in the NHL the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on TNT/truTV averaged 2.5 million viewers in the U.S. But if you just want to compare the regular season numbers, the combined average viewership across ABC, ESPN, TNT, and truTV was 440,000 viewers, the lowest since the 2020-21 season. With a couple bright spot games getting 900K and 1.57 viewers.

So then, the WNBA is right in the thick of it. Still a ways to go in matching ticket sales pricing and social media reach. But the league is still clearly headed in the right direction.

WNBA Announces Three New Expansion Teams—Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia!

Nevertheless, the Women’s National Basketball Association excitedly announced news regarding its expansion decisions stating, “The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) today announced a major expansion to 18 teams, with new teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. This expansion – subject to WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors approval – marks a significant milestone in the WNBA’s commitment to growing the game, increasing opportunities for players, and bringing professional women’s basketball to new and passionate fanbases in more cities.”

Cathy Engelbert, the commissioner of the WNBA added,

“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family. 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. I am deeply grateful for our new owners and ownership groups – Dan Gilbert in Cleveland, Tom Gores in Detroit, and Josh Harris, David Blitzer, David Adelman, and Brian Roberts in Philadelphia – for their belief in the WNBA’s future and their commitment to building thriving teams that will energize and inspire their communities. 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.”

As one can see, the league’s trajectory is definitely going up and up. And even the business realm is taking note. The league was ranked by Morning Consult as the fastest-growing brand in 2024, and No. 4 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025.

So then, congratulations to Detroit, Cleveland and Philly. Look forward to seeing these cities develop their WNBA franchises. And seeing the league reach new levels of success.

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