While the teams WNBA finish their preparation and the 2024 season is about to start on May 14, CBC announces that Toronto will be the next city to join the league.
The WNBA would thus aim for a 16-team championship by 2028. The league is already preparing to host San Francisco next season and Toronto should be officially announced as the 14th franchise on May 23.
This is no surprise because Toronto has been one of the cities considered for expansion for years, the Canadian megalopolis having notably filled the Raptors' Scotiabank Arena during a preseason game between Minnesota and Chicago last May, to show all the city's interest in a women's team.
Above all, Larry Tanenbaum, the president of the “Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment” group which owns the Raptors, Toronto FC and the Maple Leafs, was determined to obtain this franchise. As proof, it is through his company, Kilmer Sport Inc. that the billionaire is about to acquire the franchise. The WNBA team, however, should not play at the Scotiabank Arena, but at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, an 8,000-seat venue.
After San Francisco and Toronto, it now remains to be determined who will take the two remaining places.
Cathy Engelbert, the boss of the WNBA, confirmed that she was discussing with cities like Denver, Philadelphia and Nashville to host a team. More recently, the owner of the Rockets expressed the wish to bring a team back to Houston.
