Commissioner: WNBA eyeing first international game in 2027

NEW YORK — As the WNBA enters the race for free agency, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is already looking abroad.

Engelbert said before Monday night’s draft that the league was looking to play a game outside of North America for the first time in 2027. The WNBA expanded to Toronto this season, its first franchise outside the United States.

“We’re looking at that closely,” Engelbert said of playing an exhibition or regular-season game on the road. “Of course, this year we have the FIBA ​​World Cup. Next year we hope to do something outside of North America, as part of a true global game.”

The league welcomed its 2026 draft days after opening a historic free agency period that included its first million-dollar contracts.

“I’m pretty emotional to see $23 million contracts signed just two days after free agency started,” Engelbert said. “These players can now create true generational wealth.”

The commissioner refuses to discuss her future

Engelbert evaded a question about his future as commissioner.

“I’m cracking up, everyone is focused on me and you should be focusing on the hundreds and thousands of women running this league besides me,” she said.

Engelbert responded to the reporter by saying, “I wonder if you would ask that of a man?”

The commissioner added that she was “excited with the trajectory, the growth and really looking forward to the next few years.”

Sale Connecticut Sun

Engelbert said the Board of Governors still needs to approve the sale of the Connecticut Sun to Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets.

She said the details of Connecticut’s move to Houston could be better discussed by the Rockets group and the franchise in the future.

Engelbert said she hopes Connecticut fans will still support the team this season.

“A great women’s basketball state, some would say it’s the center of women’s basketball,” she said.

The CBA is close to being finalized

The league’s new collective agreement has yet to be finalized with the long version. Engelbert estimated its length at between 400 and 500 pages and said it would be finished soon. The deal was transformative with record salary increases, player housing adjustments, 401(k) contributions and cash paid to former players.

Officials Working Group

The WNBA launched a State of the Game Task Force that included a subgroup on officiating to help improve the quality of play on the court. Engelbert said the group received feedback from players, the union executive committee, college coaches, general managers and head coaches.

“You will see changes physically this year,” she said. “All teams will get used to it and it will play out throughout the year. It will be a physical game, we have to draw boundaries around physicality.”

Condensed calendar

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the WNBA with the labor deal reaching so late. Free agency opened a week ago and many players have signed in recent days. Yet 80% of players were free agents this offseason, and many have yet to sign. Training camps open Sunday and the regular season begins May 8.