WNBA to hold first regular-season game outside the U.S. in Vancouver

VANCOUVER 鈥� Vancouver will host the first WNBA regular-season game played outside the United States next year when the Atlanta Dream and the Seattle Storm face off at Rogers Arena. The game is scheduled for Aug.

Canadian Press Dec 16, 2024 10:26 AM Dec 16, 2024 10:35 AM

85c26c02ecabc563edce83b218f38d4a360a4252acbb30a41ceab9eaff0bfd80 — A ball shot by Minnesota Lynx's Napheesa Collier, not pictured, goes through the net during the second half in Game 1 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series against the New York Liberty, in New York, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. Vancouver will host the first WNBA regular-season game outside the U.S. at Rogers Arena on Aug. 15, when the Atlanta Dream face the Seattle Storm. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Pamela Smith

VANCOUVER 鈥� Vancouver will host the first WNBA regular-season game played outside the United States next year when the Atlanta Dream and the Seattle Storm face off at Rogers Arena.

The game is scheduled for Aug. 15, about 10 months before the expansion Toronto Tempo begin play in the 2026 season.

It will be the third WNBA held in Canada after the women's professional basketball league staged exhibition games May 5 in Edmonton and May 13, 2023, in Toronto.

Toronto, along with Portland, were awarded expansion teams earlier this year to bring the league up to 15 teams.

The Dream are coming off a second straight playoff appearance in 2024 and have a roster featuring Laeticia Amihere of Mississauga, Ont., and 2022 rookie of the year Tina Charles.

The four-time WNBA champion Storm are coming off their 25th anniversary season and 19th playoff appearance. Nneka Ogwumike, a nine-time all-star and the league's MVP in 2016, leads a roster that includes fellow all-stars Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

The 2025 WNBA season begins May 16.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2024.

The Canadian Press