The 2026 WNBA season will feature a record number of national broadcasts on ABC, NBC, and Prime Video. Key players and teams are set to make headlines as the league celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Key points
2026 WNBA season marks the league's 30th anniversary.
Record number of national broadcasts on ABC, NBC, and Prime Video.
Las Vegas Aces are the reigning champions.
New franchises include Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo.
Key players like A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark are returning.
Keeping track of all the game telecasts can get overwhelming, though. Regional dates are complicated by blackout rules and TV carriage. National partners range from over-the-air networks to cable and streaming exclusives. Consider this your consolidated guide for the entire regular-season schedule. And don’t forget to follow The Athletic’s WNBA coverage and the “No Offseason” podcast.
All times listed below are ET. All prices are updated as of May 2026.
You can watch in-market and nationally televised WNBA games on Fubo (Stream Free Now). Out-of-market viewers can stream regional games with WNBA League Pass.
National vs. regional games
For the games on national TV
The WNBA has a growing set of national TV partners. These games are available to fans anywhere in the U.S., without restrictions.
It’s not absolute, but weekly lineups will tend to look like this throughout the season:
Sunday — ABC, CBS, ESPN, NBA TV or NBC
Monday — NBCSN/Peacock or USA
Tuesday — ESPN
Wednesday — USA
Thursday — NBA TV or Prime Video
Friday — ION
Saturday — ABC, CBS or NBCSN/Peacock
Indiana’s entire 44-game schedule lands on national television. Dallas is second in the league with 36 national TV games, followed by New York at 35 and Las Vegas at 33.
National matchups are mostly accessible through a pay TV service — cable, satellite, Fubo, YouTube TV, Sling, etc. — though some providers require an expanded package. Assuming your TV plan carries the in-market team and the nationwide sports channels, everything on the W schedule is covered except for out-of-market games and Prime Video broadcasts.
Average monthly cost for pay TV: $85-$100, depending on the provider.
For the games on regional TV
All games outside of the national TV schedule fall to a franchise’s local broadcast partner. For some teams, that’s an over-the-air channel, available for free to in-market viewers with an antenna. For others, it’s a regional sports network included with most pay TV services, or a direct-to-consumer streamer that requires a subscription.
Out-of-market fans need WNBA League Pass to watch their preferred team’s regional games. League Pass does not get the national slate, and local blackouts apply. For example, those in the Las Vegas TV territory can’t use the app to stream the Aces live. Blacked-out games are available on League Pass at 6 a.m. the following day.
Average monthly cost for WNBA League Pass: $14.99, but it also goes for a discounted annual rate of $39.99.
ABC and ESPN
Games: 30 (13 on ABC, 17 on ESPN)
These two channels are both operated by the Walt Disney Company, so they are available with a Disney+ and Hulu bundle as well. ESPN Deportes has Spanish-language coverage of the network’s slate.
This summer, ESPN will debut a “Women’s Sports Sundays” block with W action as its centerpiece. Later this fall, the Disney networks will have two first-round playoff series, plus one of the two semifinal matchups. Expect to hear Ryan Ruocco and his famous “you bet!” call in clutch moments.
ABC and ESPN are home to All-Star weekend festivities, to be held at the United Center in Chicago for the first time ever. They’ll also broadcast the “WNBA Court Origins” 30th anniversary celebration, which features original franchises and throwback jerseys.
ABC key dates
May 9 (opening weekend): Dallas Wings at Indiana Fever, 1 p.m.
May 9 (opening weekend): Phoenix Mercury at Las Vegas Aces, 3:30 p.m.
July 25 (All-Star Weekend): WNBA All-Star Game
Aug. 1 (Court Origins): New York Liberty at Phoenix Mercury, 3 p.m.
Aug. 9 (Court Origins): Las Vegas Aces at New York Liberty, 12:30 p.m.
July 24 (All-Star Weekend): Skills challenge and 3-point contest
Sept. 22 (Court Origins): Los Angeles Sparks at Las Vegas Aces, 10 p.m.
CBS/Paramount+
Games: 20
Last season, CBS aired the WNBA’s first primetime regular-season games on broadcast television. This year, the network returns for a full 20 telecasts, which can also be streamed on Paramount+.
CBS Sports’ main announcing team has Jordan Kent handling play-by-play duties, Isis “Ice” Young on commentary and Tiffany Blackmon as the sideline reporter. Jenny Dell hosts the lead pregame show, with Lisa Leslie and Renee Montgomery in the studio.
One of this season’s highlights is a weeklong, 24-game WNBA Pride campaign. The title sponsor, Coach, is set to donate $100 per made free throw (up to $200,000) during these Pride contests, several of which will air on CBS. The network will also usher in Rivals Week, which pairs teams with playoff history or longstanding beef.
CBS key dates
June 20 (Pride Games): Chicago Sky at Dallas Wings, 8 p.m.
June 27 (Pride Games): Phoenix Mercury at Toronto Tempo, 2 p.m.
June 27 (Pride Games): Los Angeles Sparks at Indiana Fever, 8 p.m.
Aug. 8 (Rivals Week): Las Vegas Aces at Minnesota Lynx, 1 p.m.
ION
Games: 50
ION tops all national partners with 50 regular-season dates. Its “WNBA Friday Night Spotlight” returns with a doubleheader format each week. ION, and its Friday lineup, can be accessed with a basic broadcast antenna.
The network gets going with the inaugural regular-season Tempo game on Friday, May 8.
Aug. 14 (Rivals Week): Dallas Wings at Indiana Fever, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 14 (Rivals Week): Portland Fire at Seattle Storm, 10 p.m.
NBA TV
Games: 15
These national NBA TV telecasts are not available live on WNBA League Pass, even though NBA TV is owned and operated by the NBA, a direct WNBA stakeholder. Seven of the network’s 15 games feature one of the new expansion clubs — five for Portland and two for Toronto. Portland’s official regular-season introduction lands here on Saturday, May 9.
The Commissioner’s Cup, the league’s in-season tournament with cash prizes on the line, is back for the sixth go-around. A couple of its games will air on NBA TV.
NBA TV key dates
May 9 (opening weekend): Chicago Sky at Portland Fire, 9 p.m.
June 7 (Commissioner’s Cup): Portland Fire at Los Angeles Sparks, 7 p.m.
June 14 (Commissioner’s Cup): Washington Mystics at New York Liberty, 3 p.m.
Sept. 24 (regular-season finale): Toronto Tempo at Connecticut Sun, 7 p.m.
What you’ll need to watch these games: NBA TV is included with most pay TV providers, though some require an added sports package. It also streams with an NBA League Pass subscription (starting at $16.99/month).
NBC and NBCSN/Peacock
Games: 22 (seven on NBC, 15 on NBCSN and Peacock)
NBC broadcast the first-ever WNBA game back in 1997. It then left the rotation for more than two decades, and now returns amid the league’s surging popularity. That means more “Roundball Rock” throughout 2026.
The primetime “Sunday Night Basketball” spot debuts with Fever-Aces in July, then Fever-Sky in August. Other NBC matchups are branded as “WNBA Gametime.” Games with Peacock as the primary broadcaster have a linear TV equivalent on the NBCSN channel.
The studio team includes Sue Bird and Cheryl Miller. Play-by-play is handled by Zora Stephenson, Noah Eagle and Michael Grady.
NBC will have one of the two semifinal playoff series, plus part of the WNBA Finals. Games 1 and 4 will be on NBC, and every game will be available on the Peacock app.
NBC key dates
May 17 (NBC season debut): Las Vegas Aces vs. Atlanta Dream, 1:30 p.m.
July 12 (“Sunday Night Basketball” debut): Indiana Fever at Las Vegas Aces, 9 p.m.
Aug. 12 (Rivals Week): Indiana Fever at Chicago Sky, 9 p.m.
Peacock/NBCSN key dates
May 17 (first Peacock/NBCSN matchup): Seattle Storm vs. Indiana Fever, 6 p.m.
June 1 (Commissioner’s Cup): Minnesota Lynx at Phoenix Mercury, 10 p.m.
June 13 (Commissioner’s Cup): Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun, 6 p.m.
What you’ll need to watch these games: NBC is free over the air. NBCSN comes with certain pay TV sports packages. Peacock subscriptions that include live sports start at $10.99/month with ads.
Prime Video
Games: 30
For the sixth straight year, Prime has exclusive rights to the Commissioner’s Cup championship game. But new this season, it also gets a first-round playoff series.
Accordingly, the streaming behemoth has upped investment in its WNBA coverage. Retired greats Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon are new additions to the Prime roster. They join fellow Hall of Famers Swin Cash and Candace Parker, who are among the analysts. Grady, pulling double duty with his NBC role, headlines the play-by-play talent. Allie Clifton anchors pregame, halftime and postgame programming.
Prime is scheduled for three Thursday doubleheaders in May and a few Saturday dates late in the season.
Prime Video key dates
June 4 (Commissioner’s Cup): Atlanta Dream at Indiana Fever, 7 p.m.
June 11 (Commissioner’s Cup): Phoenix Mercury at Dallas Wings, 9 p.m.
June 30 (Commissioner’s Cup): WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final
Aug. 13 (Rivals Week): Los Angeles Sparks at New York Liberty, 8 p.m.
USA Network
Games: 48
Of USA’s 48 regular-season games, 28 fall on Wednesday night. The Wednesday slate is set off with three consecutive doubleheaders in May.
Kate Scott takes play-by-play for the network. Sarah Kustok and Tamika Catchings are game analysts. USA has also landed in-season appearances from Fever guard Sophie Cunningham.
USA will get Games 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 of the WNBA Finals.
USA Network key dates
May 10 (opening weekend): Las Vegas Aces at Los Angeles Sparks, 6 p.m.
June 1 (Commissioner’s Cup): Seattle Storm at Dallas Wings, 8 p.m.
Sept. 24 (regular-season finale): Las Vegas Aces at Phoenix Mercury, 10 p.m.
What you’ll need to watch these games: USA Network comes with most pay TV plans.
We’ve finally made it through to the other side. Now, here’s the cumulative price tag:
Through a pay TV plan, it costs $85 to $100 per month for in-market dates and all the non-Prime national telecasts. Add another $9 per monthfor the Prime Video exclusives. If you buy WNBA League Pass at the annual rate of $39.99, that comes out to a bit more than $3 per monthfor the out-of-market schedule. Altogether, you’re looking at around $97 to $112 monthly to access every WNBA game.
Of course, there are cheaper options for cord-cutters willing to sacrifice some games. ABC, CBS and NBC are all free with a broadcast antenna. A hypothetical combination of subscriptions for ESPN, League Pass and Peacock starts around $44/month. It all depends on the budget and bandwidth of each fan.
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