The WNBA is planning to increase the number of games in the Finals to seven and include additional games in the regular season next year.

• The Finals of the WNBA will be shortened to seven games, while the regular season will be expanded by four games.
• During her Finals media availability on Thursday, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the changes.
• The 13th team in the WNBA, the Golden State Valkyries, will make their debut next season.

The 2025 season of the Women's National Basketball Association will offer more opportunities for basketball fans to witness their favorite players in action.

The WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, announced that the league will increase its regular season from 40 to 44 games and its Finals series from five to seven games, starting next year. The Finals series will follow a 2-2-1-1-1 format for home games, with the higher seed hosting first.

The first round of the playoffs will have the hosts alternating for the three games, instead of the higher seed hosting the first two games before switching, as it did this season.

Since the pandemic, the league has contemplated playoff changes, but the surge in popularity and charter flights for teams were the deciding factors to implement the new playoff format.

During a Thursday press conference, Engelbert stated that the league's growth and increased demand for WNBA basketball made this the perfect opportunity to expand the schedule, lengthen the Finals, and give fans more chances to witness the world's top players compete at the highest level.

In addition to the expanding schedule, the Golden State Valkyries will debut as the league's 13th team in 2025. Two more expansion teams, one in Toronto and one in Portland, have been announced and discussions are underway to determine the location of the 16th team, Engelbert said Thursday. The Toronto and Portland teams, which are yet to be named, will begin play in 2026.

The WNBA's media rights deal, worth $2.2 billion for 11 seasons, reflects the league's growing popularity, as reported by CNBC. This deal is part of the National Basketball Association's larger media contract negotiation.

The surge in viewership, attendance, and engagement numbers during the 2024 season was due to the influx of exciting rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, as well as established stars like Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson, who were the respective 2023 and 2024 MVPs.

The growth of the league has led to more players reporting experiences of racism or online harassment. When Engelbert was interviewed on CNBC last month, she did not explicitly condemn either when asked about the issue, which resulted in criticism. Later, Engelbert clarified and condemned "hate or racism."

Women's sports leagues, including the WNBA, are gaining popularity and attracting attention from media executives and investors. Jeff Zucker of Redbird IMI and Patrick Whitesell of Endeavor discussed the opportunities in women's sports during a CNBC interview.

The best-of-five series between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty is currently underway, with the Lynx leading 1-0 after winning an overtime thriller on Thursday night.