2026 WNBA on ESPN Schedule

A logo that showcases ESPN’s presentation of the WNBA (dates unknown). (X/Twitter)

| ⏵ Friday, April 24, 2026

Highlights:

• ESPN’s 30-game schedule highlights the WNBA’s historic 30th season.

• A new programming block, called “Women’s Sports Sundays,” debuts on Sunday, June 21, with Liberty vs. Sparks, featuring two of the original WNBA franchises.

• Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark, and the Indiana Fever will appear 10 times across ESPN platforms, followed by the Liberty with eight, the Aces with five, and the Lynx and Sky getting four games each.

• Once again, WNBA regular-season coverage is shared between ABC and ESPN. 17 games on ESPN, while ABC has 13 matchups on broadcast television.

• Following regular season action, Disney platforms will televise two first-round series and one semifinal series.

ESPN and ABC, in coordination with the WNBA, announced the 2026 WNBA regular season schedule. ESPN, which has televised WNBA games annually since the league’s inception in 1997, celebrates its 30th season of WNBA coverage in 2026. The 30-game schedule starts on Saturday, May 9, with increased coverage across ABC and ESPN. The league’s best squads, top-tier superstars, and rising stars throughout the WNBA will be featured all throughout this season.

The 2026 season is the first year of an 11-year media rights agreement between ESPN, The Walt Disney Company, and the WNBA that runs through the 2036 season, fortifying ESPN’s role as the league’s primary home for regular-season games, playoffs, and the Finals.

During the 2026 season, ESPN and ABC team up to present 30 WNBA regular-season games, including the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game from Chicago. Coverage starts with regular season games presented by Google Pixel and continues through the 2026 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel, which features up to 11 games.

“For nearly 30 years, ESPN has been the home of the WNBA, and we’re proud to continue as the primary home of the league as it enters its milestone 30th season,” said Rosalyn Durant, EVP, Programming & Acquisitions, ESPN. “Our 2026 regular-season schedule is our most expansive yet, and we look forward to continuing to feature the league’s best matchups in marquee windows across ABC and ESPN, deepening our commitment to elevating the game and bringing its biggest moments to the widest possible audience.”

Star-Studded Opening Weekend Action:

ESPN’s regular season coverage begins on Saturday, May 9, with a WNBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax doubleheader on ABC and Disney+.

The action tips off at 1:00 PM ET when Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings visit Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. This matchup has some of the WNBA’s most notable young stars. The last four WNBA No. 1 overall picks are set to be featured in this game — Aliyah Boston (2023), Caitlin Clark (2024), Paige Bueckers (2025) & Azzi Fudd (2026). Clark plays in a game for the first time since July 15 of last season, while the Wings start a new era as Fudd, Bueckers, and four-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale share the basketball floor for the first time. The Fever are led by Clark, Boston, and Kelsey Mitchell, the WNBA’s No. 3-ranked scorer last year. 

The doubleheader resumes at 3:30 PM ET as Kahleah Copper and the Phoenix Mercury battle four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Before the game starts, the Aces will hold a ring ceremony in honor of the team winning the 2025 WNBA championship. Las Vegas starts its pursuit of winning four WNBA championships in five years. As it stands, Las Vegas is just the second team in WNBA history to win three championships in four seasons (joining the Houston Comets, who won four consecutive titles from 1997-2000). The Aces feature four-time WNBA All-Star Jackie Young, Wilson, and six-time WNBA All-Star Chelsea Gray. The Mercury is led by six-time WNBA All-Star Alyssa Thomas — the WNBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles — alongside four-time WNBA All-Star Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner, who rejoined the Mercury franchise during the 2025 campaign.

“WNBA on ABC” Opening Weekend Schedule:

* Saturday, May 9

. 12:30 PM (ET) - NBA Countdown presented by Google Pixel - ABC

. 1:00 PM (ET) - Dallas Wings vs. Indiana Fever presented by Google Pixel - ABC, Disney+

. 3:00 PM (ET) - NBA Countdown presented by Google Pixel - ABC

. 3:30 PM (ET) - Phoenix Mercury vs. Las Vegas Aces presented by Google Pixel - ABC, Disney+

New in 2026:

• Expanded 30-Game Schedule: ESPN and ABC will broadcast 30 WNBA games this season, the largest number of WNBA regular-season games Disney has ever presented, allowing additional time to feature the league’s top teams and stars.

• Women’s Sports Sundays: With ESPN no longer carrying “Sunday Night Baseball”, the network has decided to replace some of those former SNB windows with a new programming block called “Women’s Sports Sundays”, a franchise that will showcase some of the league’s most anticipated matchups throughout the summer months. One of these games is Liberty vs. Sparks on Sunday, June 21, featuring two original WNBA franchises. “Women’s Sports Sundays” will run for nine Sunday nights and include 12 matchups, including one doubleheader on Sunday, August 16. 

• 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend: The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will take place at Chicago’s United Center on Saturday, July 25, marking the first time that this arena has hosted the event. ABC will televise the All-Star Game in primetime for the third consecutive season. Additionally, ESPN will televise the 2026 Kia WNBA Skills Challenge and WNBA State Farm 3-Point Contest during WNBA All-Star Weekend.

WNBA Countdown, presented by Google Pixel, ESPN’s WNBA pregame show, is back again this year with at least 24 editions before game broadcasts, an increase of ten shows (14) from last season.

Additional 2026 Schedule Highlights:

• Blockbuster Appearances: The Fever, led by Clark and Boston, make 10 appearances across ABC and ESPN this season. The Liberty is scheduled for 8 games across ABC and ESPN, followed by five appearances from the Aces. The Lynx and Sky each receive four appearances across Disney platforms this season. 

• Playoff Rematches Renew Rivalries: Five games will focus on rematches from the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, including Phoenix vs. Las Vegas (May 9, Finals rematch), Indiana vs. Atlanta (June 20 and August 16, First Round rematches), Indiana vs. Las Vegas (July 5, Semifinals rematch), and New York vs. Phoenix (August 1, First Round rematches), bringing some heated playoff intensity into regular season matchups.

• New Era in Dallas: The Wings will appear in several national broadcasts as the 2026 top overall draft pick, Azzi Fudd, teams up with the 2025 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers. Notable moments include the opening weekend game at Indiana on May 9 and a primetime clash in New York on July 7.

• Reconfigured Dream Squad Takes Center Stage: In 2026, the Atlanta Dream made headlines with the addition of two-time WNBA All-Star Angel Reese, who now joins fellow All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. The team will participate in significant matchups, including Reese’s debut against her former team, the Chicago Sky, on June 9, which will be broadcast on ESPN, as well as several games against Indiana.

• Contender Clashes Make Schedule Noise: A high-profile matchup between New York and Minnesota (July 11, ABC) has two of the league’s contenders, while Indiana plays Las Vegas (July 5, ESPN) in a semifinal rematch between clubs with star power.

• Expansion Clubs: The Golden State Valkyries, who made their WNBA debut in 2025, participate in a key game on June 6 on ABC against Las Vegas. New teams will be appearing on ESPN platforms, including the Toronto Tempo, featuring two-time WNBA champion Sandy Brondello, hosting the Fever on August 18 (ESPN), and the Portland Fire, returning for the first time in more than two decades, facing the Mercury on August 16 (ESPN).

|| 2026 WNBA on ABC Schedule: https://tamirmoore.blogspot.com/2026/04/2026-wnba-on-abc-schedule.html

Check out the full 2026 WNBA on ESPN schedule below, with announcer assignments and game updates to be made periodically throughout the course of the season.

• WNBA on ESPN: 2026 WNBA Regular Season Broadcast Schedule (All Times ET | Subject to Change)

|| ● Tuesday, June 9:

. Dream at Sky - ESPN, 7:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Sunday, June 21 (Women’s Sports Sundays Premiere):

. Liberty at Sparks - ESPN, 8:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Sunday, June 28 (Women’s Sports Sundays):

. Liberty at Valkyries - ESPN, 7:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Sunday, July 5 (Women’s Sports Sundays):

. Fever at Aces - ESPN, 7:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Tuesday, July 7:

. Wings at Liberty - ESPN, 8:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Sunday, July 12 (Women’s Sports Sundays):

. Sky at Wings - ESPN, 7:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Sunday, July 19 (Women’s Sports Sundays):

. Sun at Mercury - ESPN, 7:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Friday, July 24 (2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend — Chicago, Illinois):

. Kia WNBA Skills Challenge & 3-Point Contest (United Center) - ESPN, 8:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Tuesday, July 28:

. Fever at Storm - ESPN, 9:30 PM ET - 

|| ● Sunday, August 2 (Women’s Sports Sundays):

. Sun at Wings - ESPN, 7:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Sunday, August 9 (Women’s Sports Sundays):

. Valkyries at Sparks - ESPN, 7:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Tuesday, August 11:

. Liberty at Fever - ESPN, 7:30 PM ET - 

|| ● Sunday, August 16 (Women’s Sports Sundays):

. Fever at Dream - ESPN, 5:00 PM ET - 

. Fire at Mercury - ESPN, 7:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Tuesday, August 18:

. Fever at Tempo - ESPN, 7:00 PM ET - 

. Liberty at Sky - ESPN, 9:00 PM ET - 

|| ● Tuesday, September 22:

. Lynx at Fever - ESPN, 8:00 PM ET - 

. Sparks at Aces - ESPN, 10:00 PM ET - 

|| 🛈 Sources: ESPN Press Room, WNBA ||

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