NEW YORK — The WNBA announced its official expansion to Toronto on Thursday morning.
The league’s first team outside of the United States will begin play in 2026 as the league’s 14th franchise. Kilmer Sports Venture will own and operate the team.
“Bringing a WNBA team to Toronto represents an important milestone for our league as we continue to expand both domestically and outside the United States,” commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement.
Kilmer Sports Venture, led by CEO Larry Tanenbaum, paid $115 million for the team, according to reports. The team does not have a name yet, but will play at Coca-Cola Coliseum which has a max capacity of 8,700.
During the announcement of the Toronto team, Tanenbaum and team president Teresa Resch said they are committed to building a standalone practice facility. Attendees at the Toronto announcement included Drake, Kyle Lowry and Raptors president Masai Ujiri.
The Golden State Valkryries, the WNBA’s 13th expansion team, will begin play next year. Engelbert told the media in April at the WNBA Draft that the league plans to be at 16 teams “in the next few years.”
Details regarding an expansion draft will be released later this year, but Engelbert said it will likely take place in December. Other markets Engelbert said the WNBA is in active discussions with include Philadelphia, Portland, Denver, Nashville and South Florida.
The Sky were part of the WNBA’s first game in Canada when they beat the Lynx 82-74 in front of a sell out crowd during the preseason last year in Toronto. This year, the Sparks and Storm were featured in the league’s preseason game in Canada at Rogers Place in Edmonton which was also a sellout with 16,655 in attendance.
