The WNBA expansion draft is here, as the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo begin building out their inaugural rosters ahead of their 2026 franchise debuts.
The Fire won the coin toss and will pick first in Friday's two-round draft. Each expansion team can make up to six selections from a designated pool of unprotected current players sourced from the WNBA's existing franchises.
Only Chicago's roster remains off limits. The Sky secured immunity after trading away its 2026 second-round college picks in exchange for protection from the expansion draft.
How the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft Works
The WNBA expansion draft follows strict parameters designed to protect existing teams while giving the new franchises a competitive edge. Each of the league's 13 teams submitted roster lists covering every player they hold rights to, including active, suspended, draft list/reserved, cored and retired athletes.
Teams can then protect up to five players from those lists, as long as they remain under active contracts, hold reserved rights, or enter restricted or core-able free agency. All other players are subsequently available for expansion team selection.
Once Portland or Toronto selects an unprotected player in the first round, neither expansion franchise can draft another player from that team until the second round. This rule prevents any one team from immediately losing multiple players.
No existing team can lose more than two unprotected players total, with each expansion team allowed to draft only one unrestricted free agent throughout the process.
The expansion draft represents just the first roster construction step for both incoming franchises. After today, the Fire and Tempo will participate in free agency before the 2026 WNBA Draft kicks off on April 13th.
How to Watch Portland and Toronto in the WNBA Expansion Draft
The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will tip off the 2026 expansion draft Friday at 3:30 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN.
