WNBA to add expansion team in Portland, bringing league to 15 franchises

The WNBA is adding its 15th team in Portland, the third new franchise as part of its most recent expansion, the league announced Wednesday.

The Portland team, which was not named in a WNBA release, will begin play in 2026 and will be owned and run by RAJ Sports, an investment firm specifically focused on sports. Lisa Bhathal Merage will be the controlling owner and governor.

“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in a release. “Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans.”

The Portland team will play in the Moda Center, the same arena as the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers.

Team ownership will take feedback from the community to help in naming the franchise, Bhathal Merage said at the Wednesday evening press conference. They are also committed to building a practice facility for the Portland WNBA team and a training facility for the Portland Thorns, according to Alex Bhathal, who will be the WNBA team’s alternate governor.

RAJ Sports purchased the NWSL’s Portland Thorns in January, in addition to becoming co-owners of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings in 2013.

The WNBA is in growth mode as its popularity spikes. The Golden State Valkyries will begin play in 2025, followed by teams in Toronto and Portland in the 2026 season.

Portland has had a WNBA team before, but it shut down after a few years in 2002. The addition of the new Portland team underscores booming growth for both the WNBA and women’s sports in general. The National Women’s Soccer League is also in expansion mode and has added several teams since 2022.

The 2024 WNBA season has seen record numbers for both in-person attendance and viewership, according to data from the WNBA for the start of the season. The playoffs are set to start Sept. 22.

A combination of existing stars such as A’ja Wilson and an exciting rookie class headlined by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have helped to propel the WNBA, leading to a huge jump in the value of the most recent NBA media rights deal.

In May, the WNBA also announced that teams would have leaguewide chartered flights for the first time ever, primarily via Delta Air Lines.