With the WNBA expansion draft in the rearview mirror, free agency is next on the agenda.
On Sunday, the league announced key dates for this year’s WNBA off-season, including free agency and training camps.
Here’s all the WNBA off-season dates you need to know.
2026 WNBA off-season
Because of the delayed CBA agreement, which was not ratified until March 24, this year’s free agency was delayed from the usual January window.
The 2026 WNBA free agency period opens on Monday, April 6 with the start of the designation period. This continues until April 7. The two-day window allows for qualifying offers and core player designations.
The negotiation period begins on Wednesday, April 8 and runs for three days. After the negotiation period, teams and players can officially sign new contracts on Saturday, April 11.
This is already shaping up to be a historic off-season, with over 80 per cent of players in the league entering free agency. That list includes some of the biggest stars, such as four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, three-time WNBA champion Breanna Stewart and four-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu.
The 2026 WNBA draft will follow free agency. This year’s draft will be held in New York on April 13.
Training camps are slated to open on April 19, with the pre-season scheduled to begin on April 25.
The 2026 WNBA regular season tips off on Friday, May 8, with the Toronto Tempo opening their inaugural season at home against the Washington Mystics at 7:30 p.m. ET.
2026 WNBA championship
To no one’s surprise, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces open as +275 favourites to win the WNBA championship in 2026. Las Vegas has been the pinnacle of the league for the last several years, winning three of the last four WNBA championships.
At the opposite end of the spectrum are this year’s expansion teams, Toronto and Portland, who are tied with the Connecticut Sun for the longest championship odds at +10,000 each. Recent history suggests the Tempo and Fire have a path to success as just last year, the Golden State Valkyries became the first expansion team in WNBA history to reach the postseason in their inaugural season.
