When is WNBA Expansion Draft? How to watch and full order of picks
The WNBA Expansion Draft allows the two new teams to build their rosters by selecting players from existing teams. Here is how to watch the draft.
The WNBA is growing. The league is expanding from 13 to 15 teams with the addition of the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo, both set to begin play in the 2026 season. The first step in building those rosters comes with the expansion draft on April 3.
The expansion draft gives Portland and Toronto the chance to begin assembling their rosters. It consists of two rounds, with each team selecting from a designated pool of players made available by the existing 13 franchises. Ahead of the draft, each of the existing 13 teams was required to submit a list of eligible players along with five “protected” players who cannot be selected.
A coin toss gave Toronto the sixth pick in the WNBA Draft on April 13, with Portland receiving the seventh. In the expansion draft, Portland picks first, followed by Toronto. The two teams will alternate picks for two rounds, with Portland selecting first in round one and Toronto selecting first in round two, for a total of up to 24 picks.
Here is everything you need to know to watch the 2026 WNBA expansion draft: How to watch WNBA Expansion Draft The Expansion Draft will be held on April 3 at 3:30 p. m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.