WNBA makes major change for next season to capitalize on Caitlin Clark’s impact

After having the most successful regular season in the history of the league, the WNBA is looking to capitalize on its popularity by growing.

The 2024 season saw an influx of popular rookies – most notably Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark – that saw the game reach new heights and capture sports headlines around the country.

It’s for this reason that the WNBA believes that now is the time to expand to give fans more action than ever – with changes to both the regular season and their playoff structure.

Most notably, the league is expanding its regular season from 40 games to 44 games.

It will also expand the playoffs from a best-of-five series up to a best-of-seven tilt – moving away from the current format which has been used since 2005.

After Caitlin Clark’s record-setting rookie season, the WNBA will expand its regular season schedule to 44 games and will bump up the finals to a best-of-seven series

Additionally, the league says the First Round of the playoffs – a best-of-three series – will now take on a 1-1-1 format which will see teams alternate hosting contests.

2025 is set to be a major year for the league. A new crop of popular rookies will join the league’s ranks – most notably, UConn star guard Paige Bueckers – and the league will expand to add a new team in the Golden State Valkyries.

‘We are seeing an incredible demand for WNBA basketball, as reflected in the number of cities pursuing expansion franchises, fans attending games and engaging with our social and digital platforms in record fashion, and game broadcasts and streams being consumed like never before,’ said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert

This will also lead to more games for the league to sell to its four television partners – Disney/ESPN, Amazon, Paramount/CBS, and Scripps/Ion