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Women’s hoops returns this week—we're just days away from seeing what Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, A'ja Wilson can pull off this WNBA season.
The preseason is firing up this weekend already, and we've got questions: Will the Las Vegas Aces win again, or will the Phoenix Mercury rise again? Or will another team take the lead? The excitement is palpable, but tracking down where the games are airing is tricky. Fortunately, there are ways to make sure you don’t miss the biggest games.
We’re breaking down what you need to know for the 2026 WNBA season right here, so you get in on all the action.
The 2026 WNBA season start date
The WNBA preseason opens this week on April 25, and the regular season tips off on May 8.
The 2026 WNBA game schedule
You can see every game on the WNBA website, where you can sort the schedule by team and month. You can also find ticket links there if you’d rather attend a game in person.
Pre-season games include:
- Indiana Fever at New York Liberty on April 25
- Japan National Team at Las Vegas Aces on April 26
- Nigeria National Team at Minnesota Lynx on April 27
- Atlanta Dream at Chicago Sky on April 29
- Dallas Wings at Indiana Fever on April 30
- Toronto Tempo at Minnesota Lynx on May 1
- Nigeria National Team at Indiana Fever on May 2
- New York Liberty at Connecticut Sun on May 3
Where to watch WNBA games
Because not all games are nationally televised, some games are purposely reserved for local/regional broadcast partners. Luckily, all non-nationally broadcast or streamed games are available on WNBA League Pass. The pass is $39.99 per year and is the most reliable way to catch a game because it streams live out-of-market games, every game on demand, plus hundreds of games from the archives. There are some blackout dates, of course. You can put in your zip code to find out which games you’ll be blocked from seeing on the app (which ones will be streamed nationally/on broadcast). For my zip code in NYC, I won’t be able to see live Liberty games or nationally broadcast games on ABC, ESPN, CBS, NBC, Peacock, USA Network and Amazon Prime Video on a League Pass. Locally blacked-out games are available immediately after the game concludes, though, while nationally broadcast games will be available after 6am EST the next day. This is the best option if you don’t mind catching up on games rather than watching live.
Since the full TV schedule for the season hasn’t been announced yet, it’s unclear which will be aired where. But NBC says you can catch more than 50 regular-season and first-round playoff games, along with some WNBA Finals games and WNBA Semi-Finals games on broadcast and Peacock, which just secured a license to air WNBA games for the next 11 years. It’s the first time NBC has broadcast the WNBA games since 2002.
ESPN, which is now owned and streamed by Disney+, will also air games. Last year, ESPN had its most-watched WNBA season with an average of 1.3 million viewers, up 6% year-over-year, which goes to show how popular women’s hoops is becoming.
Amazon Prime Video shows Thursday night games, ION airs Friday night games, Paramount+ shows CBS games, and live TV services like YouTube TV, FuboTV, and DirecTV Stream also carry national broadcasts.
How to keep up with the WNBA games:
Of course, you can keep up on ESPN and other news outlets, but the WNBA just announced that it has reimagined its app to serve as a centralized hub for WNBA fans. It now combines live-streamed games, real-time content, and exclusive access using a free WNBA ID across the app (available on iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku) and website. The free program allows you to select your favorite team, follow players and get tailored content and updates. You can also get VIP access to special league experiences, for example, in the preseason and for All-Star weekend in Chicago in July.
One of the first benefits runs from April 25 through May 3, when WNBA ID members will get a free preseason preview of WNBA League Pass. You can stream all preseason games directly within the app with no subscription or credit card required (subject to local blackouts). You can also get 25% off WNBAStore.com merch throughout the preseason.
Peacock also has features that will help you keep up, including Courtside Live, an interactive, mobile-first viewing experience with new camera feeds and immersive perspectives that bring you to center court; Peacock Performance View for dynamic overlays showing playing insights, heat maps and scoring probabilities; swipeable Can’t Miss Highlights; the Peacock ScoreCard that allows you to see how your predictions play out; and more.