WNBA heads back to Portland

Portland, Oregon, is set to become the newest home to a WNBA team. The league announced that an expansion franchise will begin playing in the 2026 season, bringing the total number of teams to 15.

Portland’s second attempt

The owners of the Portland Thorns, Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal, have purchased the new WNBA team for $125 million. This marks Portland’s second attempt at a WNBA franchise, as the previous team, the Fire, folded in 2002.

“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans. Pairing this energy with the Bhathal family’s vision of leading top-flight professional sports teams will ensure that we deliver a premier WNBA team to the greater Portland area.”

WNBA at the Moda Center

The new Portland WNBA team will play at the Moda Center, the same arena that hosts the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bhathals plan to build a dedicated practice facility for the team as well.

The city of Portland has a strong history of supporting women’s sports, with the Portland Thorns drawing large crowds and the Sports Bra, a bar exclusively for women’s sports, thriving in the community.

WNBA’s most-watched regular season ever

The announcement comes on the heels of the WNBA’s most-watched regular season ever, averaging 1.2 million viewers per game, according to Nielsen. It represents a 170% increase compared to the previous year.

And expectations are high for the playoffs! As new stars like Caitlin Clark prepare to make their postseason debuts, it’s likely that viewership will continue to rise for what could also be the most-watched WNBA postseason in history.

This significant increase in viewership solidifies the league’s growing presence in the sports world, proving that women’s basketball is attracting a larger and more dedicated audience.