Toronto has been awarded the WNBA’s 14th franchise, with the team set to start playing in the 2026 season, as reported by CBC Sports. The franchise will be owned by billionaire Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Sports Inc. Tanenbaum, who is 79 years old, is a minority owner of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which also owns other sports franchises like the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, MLS’ Toronto FC, the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, and the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Additionally, MLSE owns Scotiabank Arena, where both the Maple Leafs and Raptors play their home games.
At this time, the expansion fee for the Toronto franchise is unknown. A WNBA spokesperson stated, “We continue to engage in productive conversations with interested ownership groups in a number of markets but have no news to report at this time.” Kilmer Sports has not yet commented on the matter. In contrast, the Golden State Warriors’ ownership group, led by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, agreed to pay a record $50 million for the WNBA’s Bay Area expansion franchise, which is set to begin playing in 2025.
According to CBC, the Toronto team will play at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, where the Marlies play their home games. The arena seats around 8,000 fans. A formal announcement regarding the expansion team is expected to be made on May 23 in Toronto.