Booming WNBA says Portland will become league’s 15th franchise

The WNBA will add another west coast team after the league announced on Wednesday that Portland will become the league’s 15th franchise.

The team, which has not yet been given a name, will enter the league in 2026. It will be the second time Portland has hosted a WNBA franchise: the Fire entered the league in 2000 as an expansion team before folding in 2002.

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“I don’t think we ever have a bias as to whether there was a team there before or not,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told ESPN on Wednesday. “But certainly I think Portland has proven they’ll show up for women’s sports and definitely for women’s basketball, so we’re excited to be coming back to the market.”

The new franchise’s owners, RAJ Sports, also own the NWSL’s Portland Thorns as well as investing in the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. Portland has demonstrated an appetite for women’s sport. The Thorns regularly draw large crowds and are averaging 18,000 fans per home game this season. They have also won three championships.

“As we were pursuing the Thorns [before buying the franchise in January 2024], we became very convinced that the Portland market was a great market for sports in general and women’s sports,” Alex Bhathal of RAJ Sports told ESPN. “Having seen the media reports that the WNBA opportunity was something the WNBA wanted to do, but there were some issues with the timing and potentially finding the right ownership group, it became an ‘a ha’ moment that maybe this is something that we could do as well and create a multisport platform in the market and really cement Portland as the epicenter for women’s sports.”

Bhathal added that the new franchise are likely to play at the Moda Center, which is also the home of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.

Portland is one of three new franchises due to enter the WNBA, which is experiencing a boom in popularity. The Golden State Valkyries will make their debut in 2025 with Portland being joined by a team in Toronto in 2026. Engelbert has said the league hopes to add a 16th franchise no later than 2028.