Toronto awarded WNBA expansion franchise

The WNBA’s 14th franchise will play home games in downtown Toronto and additional games may be played at the home of the NBA’s Raptors and across Canada.

FILE PHOTO: The WNBA’s 14th franchise will play home games in downtown Toronto and additional games may be played at the home of the NBA’s Raptors and across Canada. | Photo Credit: AP

The Canadian city of Toronto was awarded on Thursday a WNBA expansion franchise that will begin play in the 2026 season, making it the league’s first outside the United States.

The WNBA’s 14th franchise will play home games in downtown Toronto and additional games may be played at the home of the NBA’s Raptors and across Canada.

“Bringing a WNBA team to Toronto represents an important milestone for our league as we continue to expand both domestically and outside the United States,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a news release.

The team will be owned by Kilmer Sports Ventures, which is headed by Toronto billionaire Larry Tanenbaum, who is also chairman of the NBA Board of Governors and of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the city’s NBA, NHL and MLS teams.