Portland granted an expansion WNBA team for 2026

Perhaps a Valkyries rival?

The WNBA is expanding, and the Golden State Valkyries just might be getting themselves an inaugural rival in the process. According to reporter Sean Highkin, a very trusted authority on Portland athletics, the WNBA will add an expansion team to the Rose City for the 2026 season. Highkin reports that the announcement will be made official on September 10.

Unlike with the Valkyries, who are an expansion team for next year’s 2025 season, the unnamed Portland WNBA squad does not appear to be affiliated with the NBA team in its city. While the Valkyries are owned by Joe Lacob and the rest of the Golden State Warriors ownership group, the Portland squad is being awarded to the Bhathal family, which owns the NWSL’s Portland Thorns. It’s unclear if there will be overlap between the Portland Trail Blazers and the expansion WNBA team, such as shared facilities.

The news is exciting for Valkyries fans. Not only does it signal a somewhat surprising 15th WNBA team in the works (Toronto is also getting an expansion franchise in 2026), but it increases the chances of Golden State building a rivalry. The WNBA already has franchises in Los Angeles and Seattle, and adding San Francisco and Portland to the mix means the West Coast will be well covered (to make no mention of the two-time defending-champion Las Vegas Aces). Will the new kids on the block form a natural rivalry? Or will a rivalry build between the Valkyries and Los Angeles Sparks, while the pair of Pacific Northwest squads develop their own rivalry?

We’ll find out in a few years. In the meantime, the WNBA is expanding, and it’s doing so on the West Coast, in a tremendous basketball city. That’s good news for basketball fans, WNBA fans, and Valkyries fans.