The WNBA won’t announce an expansion city by the end of 2022, breaking from the league’s previously anticipated timeline.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said earlier this year that the WNBA aimed to announce locations for up to two expansion teams, which could then join the league as soon as 2024. But she walked back those plans in an interview with The Athletic.

“We’re now engaged in the hard work of looking at the cities that we’ve kind of narrowed to at this point,” Engelbert told The Athletic earlier this week.

In June, Engelbert said up to 12 cities remained on the short list, though she did not identify the cities. This week, she revealed that 10 interested ownership groups remain in consideration, with the goal of adding at least one new franchise.

The WNBA will not meet their year-end timeline of naming a new expansion team, per @MikeVorkunov.

WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert said it is unlikely for the new team to begin play until 2025 at the earliest. pic.twitter.com/HBl8MkAWJC

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) December 14, 2022

Engelbert identified several questions that need to be answered before picking a location: Where would the team play and practice? How would the ownership group approach corporate sponsorships?

The WNBA currently has 12 teams, and wants to add at least one more. The last expansion team was the Atlanta Dream, which joined the league in 2008. Atlanta, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, Indiana, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minnesota, New York, Phoenix, Seattle and Washington, D.C., all have franchises. 

Several cities have been brought up as possibilities, including Portland, Oakland, Nashville and Toronto.

“Good news is, we have a ton of interest from a lot of cities,” she told The Athletic. “I didn’t think we would have that much interest. And now that we have so much interest, we really want to be thoughtful in how we look at where we’re going to be for the next — because this is a long-term commitment from that ownership group and the league.”

The expansion team likely would join the league in 2025, Engelbert said.

The world's top tennis stars are rolling in Melbourne, as the first round of the 2026 Australian Open wrapped early Tuesday morning with only a few ranked seeds suffering early defeats.

World No. 15 Emma Navarro was the highest-ranked US player to fall in the first round, with the 24-year-old exiting the season's first Grand Slam in a 6-3, 3-6, 3-6 loss to Poland's No. 50 Magda Linette on Sunday.

No. 11 Ekaterina Alexandrova also stumbled in the first round, with her Melbourne run ending in a three-set loss to Turkey's No. 112 Zeynep Sönmez on Saturday before No. 68 Peyton Stearns ousted fellow US star and 2020 Australian Open champion No. 30 Sofia Kenin in straight sets on Sunday.

Many contenders still remain in the hunt, however, as the entire WTA Top 10 cruised through their opening matchups to advance to the Slam's second round.

That said, fans will miss out on one highly anticipated showdown, as wild card entry Venus Williams's first-round loss ended the 45-year-old tennis icon's path to a second-round clash with US favorite No. 3 Coco Gauff.

How to watch the second round of the 2026 Australian Open

The 2026 Australian Open continues when the Slam's second round kicks off with a Tuesday night slate that features stars like No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 3 Coco Gauff, and No. 7 Jasmine Paolini.

Tuesday's action begins at 7 PM ET, with all Melbourne matches airing live across ESPN platforms.

The ongoing dominance of UConn basketball has started to break records, as the top-ranked Huskies humbled unranked Notre Dame 85-47 on Monday — keeping their perfect 2025/26 NCAA season intact.

Monday's 38-point margin of victory marked the largest in the teams' 20-year rivalry, with the win also snapping the Huskies' three-game head-to-head losing streak against the Fighting Irish.

"UConn showed why they're the best team in the country," Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said postgame.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Even more, UConn sophomore forward Sarah Strong added her own individual history to Monday's tally, becoming the third-fastest Husky to reach 1,000 career points, with the 19-year-old trailing only program legends Maya Moore and Paige Bueckers — who each did so in 55 games to Strong's 59 — in the race to reach that stat.

"I would love to see if anybody has scored 1,000 points by taking less shots than she's taking," said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma. "She's so efficient."

"It means a lot to me I guess, but I wouldn't be able to do it without my teammates," Strong said after leading the Huskies with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double on Monday night.

How to watch UConn basketball this week

UConn now returns to Big East play, with the No. 1 Huskies taking on unranked Georgetown at 7:30 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on TNT.

This week's AP Poll update saw little fireworks, as the NCAA women's basketball elite continue to find their form deep into 2025/26 conference play.

The six highest-ranked programs held their ground, with No. 1 UConn and No. 5 Vanderbilt still standing tall as the season's only undefeated Division I teams.

No. 11 Kentucky saw the steepest fall, dropping four spots after Sunday's 71-59 loss to unranked Mississippi State — the Wildcats' second defeat in four games.

Elsewhere, No. 10 Iowa had cause to celebrate, as the Hawkeyes broke into the Top 10 for the first time since superstar guard Caitlin Clark graduated in 2024.

The ranking comes on the back of Sunday's 75-68 win over No. 13 Michigan State, pulling Iowa to 16-2 on the season.

The Hawkeyes now have their work cut out for them, with games against No. 15 Maryland, No. 12 Ohio State, and No. 3 UCLA slated for the next two weeks.

How to watch Iowa basketball this week

The No. 10 Hawkeyes will next take on the No. 15 Terrapins at 6 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on Peacock.

2025/26 AP Top 25 Women's College Basketball Poll: Week 11

1. UConn (19-0, Big East)
2. South Carolina (19-1, SEC)
3. UCLA (17-1, Big Ten)
4. Texas (19-2, SEC)
5. Vanderbilt (19-0, SEC)
6. LSU (17-2, SEC)
7. Michigan (15-3, Big Ten)
8. Louisville (18-3, ACC)
9. TCU (18-2, Big 12)
10. Iowa (16-2, Big Ten)
11. Kentucky (17-3, SEC)
12. Ohio State (17-2, Big Ten)
13. Michigan State (17-2, Big Ten)
14. Baylor (17-3, Big 12)
15. Maryland (17-3, Big Ten)
16. Oklahoma (14-4, SEC)
17. Tennessee (13-3, SEC)
18. Ole Miss (16-4, SEC)
19. Texas Tech (19-1, Big 12)
20. Princeton (16-1, Ivy)
21. Duke (13-6, ACC)
22. West Virginia (15-4, Big 12)
23. Alabama (17-3, SEC)
24. Nebraska (14-4, Big Ten)
25. Washington (14-4, Big Ten)

Nike is sending Team USA to Italy in style, with the sportswear giant's ACG (All Conditions Gear) brand releasing the designs for a special 2026 Winter Olympics collection this week.

Branded with Nike ACG badges alongside Team USA patches, this year's collection builds off a traditional red, white, and navy color scheme to outfit the country's Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as fans, ahead of the 2026 Games' February 6th opening ceremony in Milan.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

The designs include a long-sleeved T-shirt displaying an animated, winter sports-bound bald eagle and a zipped fleece sherpa and Therma-Fit skirt, both emblazoned with a bald eagle soaring over mountains.

Additionally, the collection boasts multiple T-shirts, long-sleeved sweat-wicking shirts, Polartec® jackets, and accessories including a baseball cap and winter beanie.

Nike is just one of many major brands outfitting Team USA for this year's competition, with the athletic corporation joining J.Crew in inviting fans to gear up for the Games after the fashion retailer dropped its own Winter Olympics capsule collection earlier this month.

How to purchase items from the Nike ACG x Team USA collection

The Nike ACG x Team USA line will hit shelves on Friday, January 23rd, with fans able to snag pieces prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The collection will be available for purchase via nike.com.