WNBA franchise awarded to Toronto, 1st outside of US

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) welcomed its fourteenth and latest franchise on Wednesday: Toronto — making Canada the first country, outside of the U.S., to join the league. Kilmer Sports Ventures was awarded the team by WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert during a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and MLSE Chairman Larry Tenenbaum. “As a Montrealer, it does pain me to say that Toronto is such an incredible sports city,” Trudeau joked. “For too long, women’s sports have been underreported, underfunded and underappreciated. But that era is over,” he added. Starting May 2026, the as-yet-unnamed team will play out of Coca-Cola Coliseum, an arena in downtown Toronto at Exhibition Place, which also serves as the home for the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/10519328/wnba-franchise-awarded-toronto/ Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on X HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews #WNBA #Toronto