Players decry WNBA schedule reveal as premature, slamming the league's timing amid unresolved labor talks and key economic disputes.
The release of the WNBA’s 2026 schedule has landed as a flashpoint in already delicate labor negotiations, with players viewing the move as disconnected from the unresolved reality of collective bargaining talks.
According to Sports Business Journal, the WNBA Players Association has privately expressed concern that the league’s decision to unveil a full regular-season schedule projects business as usual at a time when no collective bargaining agreement is in place. Players remain authorized to strike, and key economic issues — most notably revenue sharing — have yet to be resolved.
The league formally announced its 2026 slate on Jan. 21, positioning the upcoming season as a celebration of its 30th anniversary. The schedule calls for the season to open May 8, expand to 44 games per team, and welcome two new franchises in Toronto and Portland. From the league’s perspective, the rollout highlighted momentum, growth and long-term planning.
From the union’s vantage point, however, the timing raised questions. According to Sports Business Journal, players interpreted the announcement as a leverage signal — or at minimum a tone-deaf gesture — given that the league has not formally responded to a union proposal submitted more than a month earlier.
That disconnect has become emblematic of the current negotiating climate. Talks between the WNBA and the union are ongoing and described by both sides as civil, but they have slowed into a holding pattern. Union sources told SBJ that the absence of a direct response to their proposal has been particularly frustrating, especially as the calendar advances toward key offseason milestones.
The schedule release itself was expansive. It outlined marquee opening-weekend matchups, the debut of the Toronto Tempo, the return of the Portland Fire, a Commissioner’s Cup window in June, an All-Star weekend in Chicago, and a midseason pause for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. The league also emphasized its growing broadcast footprint, with plans to air more than 200 games nationally.
In a statement accompanying the release, Cathy Engelbert framed the schedule as a marker of progress and ambition, pointing to expansion, increased visibility and a milestone anniversary as defining elements of the 2026 season.
Players, according to Sports Business Journal, do not dispute the league’s growth. Their concern lies in process and priorities. Union officials have questioned why the league would advance detailed planning around expansion drafts, free agency windows and marquee events without first resolving the economic framework that governs player participation.
At the center of that framework is revenue sharing. In December, the union proposed receiving 30% of league revenue along with a significantly higher team salary cap. As SBJ previously reported, league officials calculated that proposal would result in substantial long-term losses and chose not to issue a formal written response, believing their own concessions addressed the core issues.
Those concessions, league sources told SBJ, include eliminating the hard salary cap, adopting a revenue-sharing model tied to business growth, and incorporating team-level revenue into the overall split. Union sources counter that those points were foundational expectations rather than meaningful compromises, and that the lack of engagement on the revenue percentage itself remains the primary obstacle.
The schedule release has therefore become symbolic rather than procedural — a visible reminder of how differently each side views the state of negotiations. Players such as Breanna Stewart have publicly voiced hope for a deal by early February, citing the need for adequate runway to conduct an expansion draft, open free agency and ensure a season that begins on time.
According to Sports Business Journal, that timeline now appears increasingly uncertain. Unless the league responds to the union’s proposal — or the players retreat from their revenue demand — the gap remains wide.
For now, the league has its dates, matchups and arenas mapped out. The players are still waiting for an answer.