The Toronto WNBA team is a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The team is scheduled to begin play in 2026 as a member of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). They will play in the Coca-Cola Coliseum starting in 2026. It will be the first WNBA team located outside of the U.S.

History

In May 2023, the WNBA held a preseason exhibition game between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto; the sellout crowd and accompanying enthusiasm led to speculation on whether the city could host a women's team alongside the existing men's Toronto Raptors.[1]

On May 10, 2024, reports emerged WNBA and Kilmer Group were negotiating for a Toronto-based expansion franchise.[2][3] The WNBA officially announced the creation of the franchise on May 23.[4][5][6] The team will become the 14th in the WNBA and the first to be based outside the United States. The team will be owned by Kilmer Sports Inc., which is led by Toronto-based billionaire Larry Tanenbaum. He is a minority owner and chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which owns fellow professional Toronto sports teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors.[3] Tanenbaum originally pursued the WNBA venture through MLSE, though other members of the board turned it down.[2] CBC.ca reported a source stating the WNBA expansion franchise is expected to play at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, an 8,500-seat arena at Exhibition Place that has hosted most Toronto Marlies AHL games since 2005.[2][7][8][9]

References

  1. ^ Dichter, Myles (May 13, 2023). "'Toronto wants WNBA': First-ever game in Canada shows viability of expansion to Toronto". CBC Sports. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Ahmed, Shireen (10 May 2024). "Toronto awarded WNBA expansion team to begin play in 2026". CBC.ca. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Toronto expansion team to join WNBA in 2026, per reports". ESPN. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Toronto awarded WNBA's 1st team outside U.S., to play in '26". www.espn.com. ESPN.
  5. ^ "WNBA Expands to Canada with Toronto Selected as the League's 14th Team". WNBA.com. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  6. ^ "The WNBA is coming to Toronto". WNBA.com. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  7. ^ "Promoter Guide" (PDF). coca-colacoliseum.com. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  8. ^ "WNBA Expands to Canada with Toronto Selected as the League's 14th Team". WNBA.com. May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "The WNBA is coming to Toronto". WNBA.com. Retrieved May 23, 2024.