The WNBA Finals will be 7 games in the 2025 season

Basketball fans will have even more opportunities to see their favorite stars play in the Women’s National Basketball Association in the 2025 season.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league will expand its regular season from 40 games to 44 games, and its Finals series from five games to seven games, both starting next year. The final round will have a 2-2-1-1-1 format for home matches, with the highest-ranked team hosting first.

The first round of the three-game playoffs will alternate hosting, rather than the highest-ranked team hosting the first two games before switching, as happened this season.

Engelbert said the league has considered changes to the playoffs since the Covid-19 pandemic, but the rise in popularity and the introduction of charter flights for teams was the final push needed to implement the new playoff format.

“The growth of the league and the increased demand for WNBA basketball made this the ideal time to expand the schedule, lengthen the Finals and give fans more opportunities to see the best players in the world compete at the highest level. “Engelbert said during a press conference on Thursday. .

The calendar is not the only thing that will be expanded in next year’s season. The Golden State Valkyries will debut in 2025 as the league’s 13th team. Two more expansion teams have been announced, one in Toronto and one in Portland, and talks are underway to lock in a city for the 16th team, Engelbert said Thursday. The Toronto and Portland teams, both anonymous, will begin play in 2026.

The additions come as the WNBA is rapidly rising in popularity, leading to the league’s most recent media rights deal being worth $2.2 billion over 11 seasons, CNBC previously reported. The league’s media contract is negotiated within the National Basketball Association agreement.

Viewership, attendance and participation numbers increased for the 2024 season, in some cases setting new records. The influx of interesting rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, combined with established stars like Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, who are the respective 2023 and 2024 MVPs, contributed to the surge.

As the league has grown in popularity, more players have said they have experienced racism or harassment online. When Engelbert appeared on CNBC last month, he also did not outright condemn when asked about the issue, prompting criticism. Engelbert later clarified and condemned “hate or racism.”

The WNBA isn’t the only women’s sports league gaining popularity, and media executives and investors are taking notice. Both RedBird IMI’s Jeff Zucker and Endeavor CEO Patrick Whitesell spoke to CNBC about the attractive opportunities that exist in women’s sports.

This year’s finals are currently underway between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty. The Lynx are up 1-0 in the best-of-five series after winning in an overtime thriller Thursday night.