WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert revealed a roadmap for the league's global growth during a recent media appearance. The league plans to host regular-season games abroad and expand into new international markets.

Engelbert joined 'The Pat McAfee Show' to talk about the WNBA's future. She cited the NBA's international presence as a model for the WNBA's future.

"We would love to be more global...We know there's so much low-hanging fruit for us and remarkable demand for our game globally, but we just haven't been very global."

"You'll see us do something like that over the next few years and invest in kind of globalizing our game as well."

When asked if the WNBA would take games overseas, Engelbert affirmed such plans, too.

"We're definitely going to be bringing the WNBA globally, whether it's pre-season games or regular season games."

She also noted how WNBA fans are spread across the world when McAfee asked her if she would host games in other countries. She elaborated on WNBA players like A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu going on international tours sponsored by Nike for WNBA exposure.

Wilson went on a European tour to celebrate her second signature shoe, Nike A'Two. The tour included basketball clinics and community programs designed to elevate and expand the women's game.

On the other hand, Ionescu went on her first signature tour with Nike, celebrating women's basketball and meeting youth prospects in Manila, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.

But this isn't all that Engelbert has planned; her vision for the league extends beyond North American borders

Engelbert Plans To Introduce Three New WNBA Teams

While the WNBA commissioner plans to expand the league worldwide, she also has strong plans for the expansion within the current league as well.

When asked if the WNBA was done with expansions after Toronto, Engelbert expanded the league further.

"Yeah, we've announced uh in 28, Cleveland, 29, Detroit, and 30, Philly. So we're kind of done through the end of the decade now, bringing in all those roster spots, more opportunities."

"We're getting more and more international players coming into the league as a result of increased salaries through our CBA that you and I have talked about."

Engelbert also talked about how well the expansion teams that started this year, Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, are doing so far.

While being new to the league, Fire and Tempo have both won four games each, with Fire having played seven games, and Tempo playing eight games so far.

These strategic moves signal a period of rapid evolution for women’s professional basketball

What do you think of the WNBA's attempts to expand beyond the borders of the USA? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Surjo Ray