Women’s pro basketball history will be made on Aug. 15 when the Atlanta Dream and the Seattle Storm play a regular-season game in Vancouver, B.C., marking the first regular-season WNBA game outside of the United States.
“As we prepare to establish permanent roots in Canada with a Toronto franchise, this game and our year-round engagement efforts are a nod to the incredible momentum around women’s basketball in Canada,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement Tuesday.
The WNBA awarded Toronto a franchise last May, making it the league’s first outside the United States. That franchise — formally named the Toronto Tempo — will begin play in May 2026.
The WNBA has played exhibition games in Canada in the past two seasons, including in Toronto in 2023 and Edmonton in 2024. Both games were sellouts. The Vancouver game will be the fifth WNBA game played outside of the U.S. in the league’s history. The WNBA played preseason games in Monterrey, Mexico (2004) and Manchester, England (2011).
International games have long been a mechanism for pro leagues to expand their audience reach. The NFL is the most notable example as the league played five international games in 2024, including the first-ever NFL game in South America, an opening week 34-29 win for…
