The 2026 WNBA season is nearly upon us, which means free agency, the preseason purge, and even the preseason game cycle are finished. Now it's time for fans and teams to feast — and there's a lot to chew on.
For starters, two new teams will make their debut this weekend when the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire play their first regular season games. Plenty of eyes will be on the Las Vegas Aces as the league's defending champions, and people are already predicting the New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream will have strong — even contending — seasons. With that (and more) in mind, here are the 2026 WNBA team power rankings (for now).
TEAM (ranked, 1-15) | WHAT TO WATCH FOR |
|---|---|
Las Vegas Aces | How the defending champs battle |
New York Liberty | Satou Sabally's role on the team |
Atlanta Dream | What Angel Reese brings |
Indiana Fever | The reunited combo of Caitlin and Aliyah |
Los Angeles Sparks | Nneka Ogwumike. That's the story. |
Minnesota Lynx | Napheesa Collier's return |
Dallas Wings | EVERYTHING |
Phoenix Mercury | Whether AT can carry the team |
Golden State Valkyries | Gabby Williams' impact |
Chicago Sky | If the team can truly gel |
Washington Mystics | The team's young core is fascinating |
Connecticut Sun | BG and the team's young core |
Toronto Tempo | How Sandy Brondello leads |
Portland Fire | The coach's system — and who gets it |
Las Vegas Aces
The Aces are the defending champions, a title they fought for last season and won fair and square. The team will be on an early mission to show that they're still the ones to beat.
New York Liberty
The addition of Satou Sabally to an already stacked roster might be exactly what the Liberty needed to push themselves into contender territory. Sabrina Ionescu might be out during their opening games, but once she's back the Liberty will be incredibly tough.
Atlanta Dream
Atlanta retained their core players and added Angel Reese to the mix — what's not to be excited about? The Dream made a strong playoffs push last season and now Karl Smesko is no longer the new kid on the block. Expect an exciting season from this roster.
Indiana Fever
Caitlin Clark is back and Aliyah Boston is healthy and that means the Fever can start causing problems for the rest of the league. They're very likely to surprise everyone along the way, as long as the team mostly stays healthy this season.
Los Angeles Sparks
The Sparks didn't really have a strong season last year, but Nneka Ogwumike is about that narrative. Watching Ogwumike and Kelsey Plum play together will be flat-out fun, and the team stands a strong chance of having a very different 2026.
Minnesota Lynx
The Lynx are rarely bad, and despite an offseason that didn't seem to go the way a lot of fans wanted it to (and that saw some surprising depatures), there's every reason to assume they'll be good this year. The real question is when Napheesa Collier comes back, and how much work needs to be done at that point.
Dallas Wings
The Wings had the biggest offseason and free agency moves, and what's really fun is there's no real way to know if it's all going to work until they get out there and try — but they're bound to have a much better 2026 than they did 2025.
Phoenix Mercury
Last year's Mercury is not this year's Mercury. The 2026 season will require yet another big push from Alyssa Thomas, and will be a test of just how much she can carry a team.
Golden State Valkyries
The Valkyries have attracted some negative press of late, but the team is entering their second season ever with Gabby Williams on the roster. Expect good things!
Chicago Sky
Here's the thing about the Sky: if they can make all of the big names they signed this season work together well, they could look like an entirely different team this year. If anything, Tyler Marsh and Jeff Pagliocca have the most to prove.
Washington Mystics
The Mystics are shaping up to be a fun team to watch, even if they aren't the most successful squad — yet. Their young core will grow and mature, and they could be real contenders in a few years.
Connecticut Sun
The addition of Brittney Griner is always a good thing for any team, and Griner has indicated she's interested in continuing to play for the team once they move to Houston. It'll be fun to see how she gels with the younger members of the team, especially since it seems the Sun are prioritizing their future.
Toronto Tempo
Sandy Brondello has never missed the playoffs and there's no reason to assume she will this season... except the Tempo is entirely untested. This is one spot where we'd love to be wrong, if only because it's fun when an underdog takes over.
Portland Fire
The Fire are really exciting and have the potential to be true disruptors in the league. But Alex Sarama's CLA system might take a pretty lengthy period of adjustment, and they might lose more than they win.
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