WNBA teams are gearing up for the season, with the Las Vegas Aces, Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, and New York Liberty identified as top contenders. Other teams like the Dallas Wings and Golden State Valkyries are expected to compete for playoff spots.
Key points
WNBA training camps are underway
Las Vegas Aces are the reigning champions
Indiana Fever have added new talent
Golden State Valkyries reached playoffs in first year
Los Angeles Sparks made significant offseason moves
Las Vegas AcesIndiana FeverAtlanta DreamNew York Liberty
Aliyah Boston. | NBAE via Getty ImagesAliyah Boston. | NBAE via Getty Images
WNBA training camps are underway and everything seems rosy. Players are all smiles, every new acquisition seems to be a perfect fit and everyone is ready for the best year ever.
However, thatās not going to happen.
Some teams will overperform, others will underwhelm and only one will be crowned champion.
Before preseason action even takes place, letās take a look around the league at the current state of each team to determine who are the contenders, the wannabe contenders and the pretenders who are just playing so they donāt get fined. In the comments, be sure to share your agreements and disagreements, as well as your ranking of all 15 teams.
**The true contenders**
These are the teams that can win it all. They enter the season a step above the rest of the league. Not only is a championship a possibility, but competing for one is the expectation. If they donāt end up having a long postseason, this year will be looked at as a disappointment.
The Aces are the cream of the crop in the WNBA, so obviously, they are at the top of this tier and any rankings one can concoct. Las Vegas won it all last year and is in the middle of a dynasty, having won three of the last four championships.
Theyāve run it back, securing Aāja Wilson, signing to a new contract and bringing in new talent to their roster with guard Chennedy Carter. With head coach Becky Hammon in charge, the Aces will be primed to go back-to-back yet again and add some more hardware to their trophy room.
Q&A
Which WNBA teams are considered title contenders for the upcoming season?
The Las Vegas Aces, Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, and New York Liberty are identified as the top title contenders.
What improvements have the Indiana Fever made for the new WNBA season?
The Indiana Fever have improved by bringing back a healthy Caitlin Clark and adding new talent like Monique Billings.
How did the Golden State Valkyries perform in their first WNBA season?
The Golden State Valkyries reached the playoffs in their inaugural season, setting a high standard for expansion teams.
What are the expectations for the Los Angeles Sparks this WNBA season?
The Los Angeles Sparks made several win-now moves and are expected to compete strongly after re-signing key players and trading for veterans.
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Last year, the Fever were a tough team to beat in the playoffs. This season, they will be an absolute nightmare. Theyāve automatically gotten better just by getting a healthy Caitlin Clark back into the fold.
Indiana also added new talent like Monique Billings, so expect them to be a title favorite for many WNBA fans.
A franchise doesnāt add Angel Reese unless they are serious about winning games. Reese is a double-double machine and one of the best rebounders in the WNBA. Her in the frontcourt and Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray in the backcourt give the Dream an incredibly balanced roster. Donāt expect them to lose again in the first round.
The Liberty have all the star power one could ask for with Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Satou Sabally. They won it all back in 2024 and have remained a title-contending team over the past two seasons. The only question is the new head coach. Can Chris DeMarco lead them back to glory?
Playoff-bound squads
While not yet title contenders, these teams will be playing in the postseason. If things break right, they *might* even be a top-four team. However, they have some things to prove before they reach that level of expectation.
Paige Bueckers put up a generational rookie season. Another season as a WNBA player means she will only get better. That should frighten the league, as they already had so much trouble guarding her last year. The Wings also added Azzi Fudd to the backcourt, reuniting the UConn Huskies at the professional level.
They still have some defensive challenges, and itās tough to be led by younger players, but Dallas will be a fun team to watch and a tough team to beat.
The Valkyries raised the standard of what expansion teams can accomplish. They reached the playoffs in their first year of operation and will aim to do so again in 2026. Gabby Williams has joined Golden State to help them accomplish that goal, and under head coach Natalie Nakaseās system, donāt be surprised if the forward has a career year.
LA made a ton of win-now moves this offseason. They brought back Kelsey Plum for less than the supermax, which allowed the organization to re-sign Dearica Hamby and welcome the return of Nneka Ogwumike.
The Sparks also traded away Rickea Jackson and brought in veteran player Ariel Atkins. They wouldnāt have made these moves if they didnāt think they had a playoff-bound team. While it mightāve been better in the long term to lean into a youth movement, for this season, these decisions will pay off, and Los Angeles will be playing playoff basketball for the first time since 2020.
On the postseason bubble
Only one of these teams will make the postseason, with the others *just* missing out on the playoffs. They arenāt bad, but they are also not good enough to win consistently.
With Napheesa Collier recovering from double-ankle surgeries, she is expected to be out to start the season. Thatās going to have the Lynx behind to start the year. She should be back in time to make them a potentially dangerous playoff team, but theyāll likely lose games and be a road team in the postseason due to her missing games early on.
Seattle lost most of their starting lineup in free agency and is leaning into their youth with Dominique Malonga, Awa Fam and FlauāJae Johnson. That makes them a fun League Pass team, but not a roster that will win enough games.
Washington drafted Lauren Betts and will begin developing around their new big. However, this projects to be the fourth-consecutive season where DC will be a sub-.500 team.
**Pretenders** (or lottery contenders)
Itās in the name; there should be no faith in these teams winning much, if anything, in 2026.
Trading for Rickea Jackson was great, and so was drafting Gabriela Jaquez. But you donāt trade Reese and get better. Kamilla Cardoso will likely dominate and even make an All-Star team, but Chicago will not be good.
Of the two expansion teams, Toronto is the most likely to make some noise. Still, until I see it, Iām going to assume they struggle a bit and lose games as they figure out their roster and build the identity of Canadaās lone WNBA team.
