North American women’s basketball’s top-tier WNBA will stage a regular season game outside the US for the first time in 2025 when it brings a match to Vancouver, Canada.
The game, to take place on August 15, 2025, will see the Atlanta Dream face off against the Seattle Storm at the city’s 19,700-capacity Rogers Arena.
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The WNBA has twice played pre-season exhibition games in Canada, in Toronto (2023), and Edmonton (2024), but has never played a regular season game in the country.
The Storm took part in that 2024 Canada game while the Dream franchise has played abroad once before, in an exhibition game in the UK in 2011.
Speaking on the announcement, Atlanta Dream president and chief operating officer Morgan Shaw Parker stated: “This is a monumental moment for the WNBA, and we are honored that the league chose the Dream to participate in the first regular-season game outside the US.”
That will change permanently in 2026 when the league’s first Canadian franchise, branded the Toronto Tempo, enters the league from that season.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert added: “The WNBA Canada game has been a tremendous opportunity to grow our league’s footprint.
“As we prepare to establish permanent roots in Canada with a Toronto franchise, this game and our year-round engagement efforts are a nod to the incredible momentum around women’s basketball in Canada.”
