Portland, Oregon, has become the latest city to benefit from the Women’s National Basketball Association’s rapid expansion plans after being awarded a franchise on Wednesday, September 18, that will begin play in 2026.
Portland will be the third expansion franchise the WNBA adds over the next two years with Golden State and Toronto having previously been awarded teams.
The new team will be owned and operated by Raj Sports and led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. It also marks the WNBA’s return to Portland, which was home to the Portland Fire from 2000-2002.
“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a news release.
“Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans.”
Portland will be the WNBA’s 15th franchise.
“For decades, Portland has been the global epicenter of sports lifestyle and today, we are now the global epicenter of women’s sports,” said Bhathal Merage.
“We believe in the transformative power of women’s sports and are thrilled that the W will call Portland home. We know that Portland’s vibrant and diverse communities will highly support and rally around this team.”
The Golden State Valkyries will begin play in 2025 at the Warriors’ team arena in San Francisco, while the Canadian team will join the league in 2026 and contest its home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto. – Rappler.com