WNBA attention is at an all-time high after a historic 2024 season with a significant rise in viewership and ticket sales. Next season should be even better, especially as it'll mark the Golden State Valkyries' debut. The Bay Area is more than ready for the WNBA.
The league will have two more expansion teams debuting in 2026 — the Toronto Tempo and Portland. The verdict is still out on what Portland's team name will be. Toronto will make history as the first-ever WNBA team outside the United States and the first in Canada.
Canadian fans still have to wait a while before the Tempo's debut, but they can witness history in 2025. On Monday, the WNBA announced that the Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm will play the league's first-ever international regular-season game in Vancouver next season. The WNBA played two exhibition games in Canada in the past two seasons, in Toronto and Edmonton.
Vancouver, it’s YOUR time 🇨🇦
— WNBA (@WNBA) December 16, 2024
For the first time ever, the W will play an international regular-season game. Watch the Atlanta Dream take on the Seattle Storm on August 15, 2025, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. for the 3rd WNBA Canada Game.
🎟️ Register for presale tickets… pic.twitter.com/O3b5RK6rLL
The Dream and Storm will play 2025 regular-season game in Vancouver
International fans who don't reside in Canada hope the announcement is a sign that the league will hold more games outside the United States and Canada. Watching the WNBA regularly hold games abroad, like the NFL, would be monumental.
Vancouver is a great place to start. Rogers Arena will likely be flooded with Storm fans, considering it's only a few hours away from Seattle. It will be more of a home game for the Storm, while the Dream will travel nearly 3,000 miles to Vancouver. However, Atlanta does have experience playing outside of the country, as the organization played in the first exhibition game in Europe in 2011 when it beat the Great Britain National Team.
Playing an international regular-season game is a massive step forward for the league and is a sign of what's to come. The game is growing globally. There's no question that the demand is there. The exhibition games in Canada have sold out in the past two seasons, and the same should happen for next season's game in Vancouver. It will be great exposure for the league.
Fans interested in attending the Storm-Dream game on Aug. 15 can sign up for pre-sale ticket access here.