The 2026 WNBA schedule has arrived, as the league released key dates on Wednesday despite ongoing CBA talks that threaten to delay the start of the upcoming season.
Opening day will be Friday, May 8th, when the WNBA tips off with a tripleheader featuring incoming expansion side Toronto Tempo against the Washington Mystics, the New York Liberty hosting the Connecticut Sun, and the Golden State Valkyries visiting the Seattle Storm.
Fellow 2026 addition Portland Fire will debut on Saturday, May 9th, hosting the Chicago Sky to close out another tripleheader that includes a 2025 WNBA Finals rematch between the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury, as well as a Rookie of the Year showdown between the Paige Bueckers-led Dallas Wings and Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever.
Other 2026 season highlights include the return of the annual WNBA Commissioner's Cup in June and the Chicago Sky-hosted All-Star Weekend in late July, with the league set to pause for a two-week break in early September to allow its stars to compete in the FIBA World Cup.
After the regular-season closes on Thursday, September 24th, the 2026 WNBA Playoffs will tip off on Sunday, September 27th, with a repeat of last year's best-of-three first round, best-of-five semifinals round, and best-of-seven Finals.
Notably, the 2026 WNBA schedule drop falls within the current status quo period, which allows the league to conduct certain aspects of its business as usual under the old CBA while continuing to negotiate new terms with the players union.
"I'm just starting to see [the light at the end of the tunnel]," New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart told Front Office Sports this week, hinting at a bargaining resolution while an official work stoppage remains on the table.
Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is back in action, joining her fellow WNBA standouts at last weekend's USA Basketball training camp at Duke University in North Carolina.
Sidelined since July 15th with a groin strain, Clark told assembled media that she's feeling "100% healthy" as she tackles her first senior national team camp.
"I've been working out and playing pickup and stuff like that, but to be in an environment like this, it's really fun," she said. "Obviously, [I] need to knock off a little bit of rust and get my lungs back, but my body feels really good."
"I was a little nervous, not because anything [health-wise], but just because I haven't been out here in a while, so certainly fun to lace them up and be in a competitive practice," the 23-year-old added.
One of several uncapped hopefuls called up to the 18-athlete December camp, Clark looked to impress Team USA head coach Kara Lawson as she starts honing the player pool for next September's 2026 FIBA World Cup.
Notably, "the way [Clark] stayed engaged" throughout her recovery impressed new USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird.
"I think that really shows her maturity," noted the five-time Olympic gold medalist.
USA Basketball dropped its 18-player December roster on Monday, selecting both standout vets and fresh faces for the national team's final training camp of 2025.
Taking place at Duke University from December 12th until the 14th, five 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalists — Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young — will anchor the Team USA lineup.
Notably, a full 10 players will join the senior team for the first time next month, as young WNBA superstars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Cameron Brink earn their first call-ups.
A pair of NCAA stars will also attend the December camp, with the national governing body tapping both UCLA senior center Lauren Betts and USC junior guard JuJu Watkins on the roster — though Watkins will not participate in on-court activities as she continues to rehab an ACL tear.
Along with the full camp roster, USA Basketball also dropped its December sideline leaders, with current WNBA head coaches Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever) comprising the assistant coaching staff for the previously announced senior national team head coach Kara Lawson.
December's camp is the team's first step toward the World Cup qualifiers in March, when the US will compete despite having already qualified for the 2026 FIBA World Cup by winning the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in July.
Overall, the clock starts now for USA women's basketball managing director Sue Bird, who is in charge of cultivating the best team for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The USA Basketball December Training Camp Roster
- Lauren Betts (UCLA)
- Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever)
- Cameron Brink (LA Sparks)
- Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings)
- Veronica Burton (Golden State Valkyries)
- Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics)
- Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever)
- Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury)
- Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces)
- Brittney Griner (Atlanta Dream)
- Dearica Hamby (LA Sparks)
- Kiki Iriafen (Washington Mystics)
- Rickea Jackson (LA Sparks)
- Brionna Jones (Atlanta Dream)
- Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks)
- Angel Reese (Chicago Sky)
- JuJu Watkins (USC)
- Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)
USA Basketball extended the tenure of head coach Kara Lawson on Monday, tapping the current Duke head coach to continue guiding the 5×5 team through the 2028 LA Olympics.
Lawson will helm the US at next year's FIBA World Cup as well as all training camps, exhibitions, and competitions in the lead-up to the 2028 LA Games.
"I will work tirelessly to uphold the standards of this storied program. There is no greater honor in our sport than to be chosen to lead the US women in world competition," Lawson said in a statement. "There is nothing more important than pushing this group to reach its potential."
After serving as an assistant coach during Team USA's eighth straight gold-medal run at the 2024 Paris Games, Lawson took over sideline duties for the national squad at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup, leading a roster stocked with NCAA players back to the top of the international tournament's podium this summer.
The 13-season veteran athlete of the WNBA first won Olympic gold with the US as a player in 2008, then head coached the 3×3 team to gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before joining previous 5x5 head coach Cheryl Reeve's staff ahead of the 2024 Games.
Lawson is first choice of new Team USA director Sue Bird
While a committee tapped Lawson for her initial 5x5 head coaching stint this summer, Monday's multi-year extension decision comes straight from USA Basketball's new women's national team managing director Sue Bird, who played with Lawson on the 2008 Olympic team.
Hired last May, Bird now oversees all processes for player and coach selections, with the new term for Lawson marking the first head coaching decision by the Hall of Famer — though the USA Basketball Board of Directors later added their stamp of approval to Bird's call.
"Having shared the court with her, I know firsthand the leadership, competitive spirit, and basketball IQ that she brings," Bird said of Lawson. "Kara has always had the respect of her teammates and her players, something she has earned and demonstrated over decades."
USA Basketball lifted the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup trophy on Sunday, taking down defending champions Brazil 92-84 to top the tournament's podium for the fifth time.
Pitting a roster of NCAA talent against Brazil pros like Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, Team USA battled back from a seven-point third-quarter deficit, then dominated the fourth quarter to send Brazil home with silver medals.
"What a performance by our team," said USA head coach Kara Lawson following the title win. "We knew it was going to be just a tough, physical game."
With 27 points in Sunday's championship game, guard Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt) set a USA AmeriCup scoring record en route to earning tournament MVP honors.
"This is my first time playing with USA Basketball, and to be able to cap it off with a win, a gold medal, and to play alongside such great players and great coaches, I couldn't ask for anything better," said Blakes.
After adding 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals in her 21 minutes off the bench on Sunday, guard Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) joined Blakes in representing the USA on the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup All-Star roster.
Booking a spot on the tournament's All-Star second team was US guard Olivia Miles (TCU), whose 50 assists throughout the competition shattered the modern era's previous single-event record of 46.
Along with their gold medals, Sunday's win also gives the US automatic entry into the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Germany, where they'll look to snag a 12th overall and fifth consecutive world championship.
The FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025 has arrived, with the 16-team regional tournament tipping off its group stage on Wednesday before the knockout stages begin on June 24th.
Hosted across the continent with games in Czechia, Germany, Italy, and Greece, the 40th edition of the annual competition carries the additional weight of serving as a qualifying event for the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournaments.
As a result, the top five teams in this month's EuroBasket contest will earn automatic spots in one of the March 2026 qualifiers.
Leading the charge to this year's trophy are 2023 winners Belgium, who enter the EuroBasket tournament as reigning champions.
However, 2024 Olympic silver medalists France have since stepped into the spotlight, with the always-dangerous Spain also threatening a podium finish.
Familiar faces to WNBA fans will feature on the 2025 EuroBasket courts this month, as several WNBA players have temporarily departed their US clubs to join their national teams in Europe, including Belgium guard Julie Allemand (LA Sparks), Great Britain center Temi Fagbenle (Golden State Valkyries), and Germany forward Leonie Fiebich (New York Liberty).
As a major international tournament, the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket is exempt from the WNBA's prioritization rule, meaning eligible players can miss regular-season league play to compete in the overseas contest without being in violation of WNBA protocols.
How to watch FIBA Women's EuroBasket in the US
The EuroBasket group-stage action tipped off on Wednesday morning, with all games streaming live on Courtside 1891.
Five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird is taking over as managing director for the USA women's basketball team, per multiple reports on Tuesday.
Bird will move into the key leadership position with Team USA in the lead-up to the 2028 LA Olympics, where the women's side will shoot for a record-ninth consecutive gold medal.
The legendary point guard's hiring is a significant departure for USA Basketball, with the 44-year-old now responsible for selecting the team's players and coaches.
Until now, Team USA relied on an Olympic committee to oversee roster decisions and build national team camps. The decision to institute a managing director, however, will shift the women's program to mirror the leadership structure that the men's side first implemented in 2005.
Bird's first major test at the helm will be next year's FIBA World Cup, which tips off in Germany in September 2026.
That said, the work toward that international title will begin with World Cup qualifying this coming November, when national teams will hit the court immediately after the WNBA wraps up its 2025 postseason play.
The selection and evaluation committee for USA Basketball never shied away from difficult decisions, but this week's switch to a single-entity structure will put Bird directly on the hook for the program's success — with an Olympic record streak on the line.