The WNBA is coming to Philly. Here’s everything you need to know about the league and expansion.
It’s been a long time coming, but the WNBA will arrive here in 2030.
It’s official, Philly. The WNBA will finally be establishing a franchise in South Philly, making it the city’s only major women’s professional sports franchise.
There are still a few years to go before Philly’s newest team hits the court, but if you want to start reading up about the league and the expansion process, here’s some information to get you started ...
When will Philly be getting a team — and what major milestones should we expect along the way?
Philly’s team will begin playing in 2030. That’s a much longer lead time than the more recent expansion franchises, like the Golden State Valkyries, who began play this season.
Before the team launches, the franchise will reveal the name, the logo, the color scheme, the head coach and general manager, and have the expansion draft. But don’t expect to find out right away.
When could we find out a team name and uniform?
The WNBA announced a Golden State expansion team about two years before the Valkyries started play, in 2025. The team name and logo were revealed on May 14, 2024.
The Toronto Tempo, who will begin play in 2026, announced their logo and team name in December 2024, after both accidentally surfaced on the WNBA website. The new Portland franchise, also set to begin play in 2026, has not revealed its logo or team name.
Where will Philly’s team play?
While the team will begin play in 2030, the new arena at the South Philadelphia sports complex is not slated to open until 2031. It’s possible that the team will play its inaugural season at what’s now known as the Wells Fargo Center (which will become Xfinity Mobile Arena in September) if the construction timeline can’t be moved up.
How many teams are in the WNBA now?
The WNBA has 13 teams playing in the 2025 season, with two more expected to launch in 2026 — Toronto and Portland, bringing the league’s total to 15.
The league also announced expansion teams in Cleveland (2028) and Detroit (2029), bringing the total number of franchises to 18 by the time the Philly franchise debuts in 2030.
Which teams are the best right now?
The New York Liberty won the 2024 WNBA championship over the Minnesota Lynx in seven games, and both teams are in top form again in 2025. The Las Vegas Aces won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.
Of course, by the time 2030 comes around, all that is likely to change.
What does the expansion process look like?
It’s not 100% certain what it will look like for the Philly team, since the expansion process may change by the time its turn comes around, especially with two more teams set to join the league in 2026. But for the most recent expansion franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, the team’s expansion draft was Dec. 6, 2024.
For the draft, each team could protect up to six players from being taken by Golden State. Unlike in recent NHL expansion drafts, the protected player lists were kept private, so fans were in the dark on whom their team might lose. The Valkyries picked one player from each team and were allowed to pick one pending unrestricted free agent as part of their 12 selections. Golden State also was allowed to make trades with other franchises to agree to take a specific player, or to stay away from a specific player, but it did not do so.
Who are some of the best players in the league?
The Aces’ A’ja Wilson (coached by Philly legend Dawn Staley in college at South Carolina) is the reigning 2024 MVP. Lynx forward Napheesa Collier was the MVP of winter league Unrivaled, and is one of the MVP favorites in 2025, alongside Liberty forward Breanna Stewart. Fever guard Caitlin Clark has taken the league by storm since breaking the NCAA scoring record at Iowa, and is the reigning rookie of the year.
Who could play for the Philly team?
It’s way too early to tell who might be eligible for expansion ahead of the 2030 season, but there are a lot of exciting local names the franchise might hope to bring into the fold. The Phoenix Mercury’s Kahleah Copper and the New York Liberty’s Natasha Cloud are Philly-area natives, but both standouts are in their 30s and could be retired by the time the franchise comes around.
Younger faces to look out for from the area are Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo (Paul VI), Mystics guard Lucy Olsen (Spring-Ford, Villanova), and Wings forward Maddy Siegrist (Villanova).
Should I start watching the WNBA now to get ready?
Of course! So much about the league is going to change between 2025 and the Philly franchise’s first game in 2030. There are going to be a number of new teams. The next generation of college stars will be in the league.
But they’re playing some great hoops, so get invested early before the team officially starts playing in Philly.