Unrivaled’s second season came with a ton of changes compared to its debut season in 2025. Two new teams joined the league, new players signed contracts, they added a development pool, and games will happen outside of Miami for the first time.
On January 30th, Unrivaled will play two games in Philadelphia. The Breeze and Phantom and the Rose and Lunar Owls will face off. The games will feature some local talent. Natasha Cloud played her high school basketball in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and Kahleah Copper is from Philadelphia.
Adding a tour stop is a big change, but fans are here for it. Tickets for the game in Philadelphia sold out two weeks ago. That doesn’t just underline the interest in Unrivaled, but also shows that people in and around Philadelphia are excited to watch women’s basketball. The latter bodes well for the WNBA and its 18th franchise.
Philadelphia will get a WNBA team in 2030
The WNBA announced several expansion teams for the next few years. This year, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire will join the league. They are currently patiently (or not-so-patiently) awaiting the end of the CBA negotiation so they can hold an expansion draft and build rosters. In 2028, a team in Cleveland will play its first season. Detroit will follow in 2029, and, last but not least, Philadelphia will get a WNBA team for the 2030 season.
Three of those cities already had WNBA teams before. The Portland Fire previously played in the WNBA for three seasons, but folded in 2002. The Cleveland Rockers were one of the original WNBA franchises. They folded after the 2003 season. The Detroit Shock were vastly successful in the early 2000s, winning three championships behind strong play from Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford, and Deanna Nolan, but were relocated to Tulsa in 2010. Ahead of the 2016 season, the Tulsa Shock became the Dallas Wings.
The Valkyries were the first expansion team since the Atlanta Dream joined the WNBA in 2008. Their first season was a great success. They sold out every single home game, went on a historic playoff run, and set a new standard for expansion teams. Replicating the Valkyries’ success on the court will be difficult, but the WNBA undoubtedly hopes that the new expansion cities can replicate their off-court success.
Seeing Unrivaled tickets sell out in Philadelphia promises plenty of interest in the WNBA team once it’s ready to play. Now, the team just has to nail the marketing and branding leading up to the team’s debut. Succeeding at that part of the business was a big reason for the excitement around the Valkyries. The franchise did everything it could to capture fans’ attention, ranging from debuting a unique violet color scheme, dubbing Chase Center “Ballhalla” in reference to Valhalla from Norse mythology, and introducing Violet the Raven as their mascot.