TRENDING Rays tie up Guardians USWNT draws vs. Spain Fantasy Football Rankings Champions League results Fantasy Basketball Draft Kit Story by Chris Cwik Contributing writer Wed, October 14, 2026 at 3:16 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The WNBA has never been more popular. The league saw massive growth in 2026, shattering both viewership and attendance records , it announced Wednesday.
More than 91 million viewers watched the WNBA in 2026, more than double the number of fans who tuned in last season, per a WNBA release.
The league also crossed a number of other significant milestones, which included:
• A record 51 telecasts that averaged 1 million viewers, up from 19 in 2026 • Nine telecasts that averaged 2 million viewers, up from four last season • A record of 3.8 million fans attending games in 2026, which included 212 sellouts • Average attendance jumping to 11,474 fans per game, up 21 percent compared to the previous high • A double-digit percentage growth in engagement on all social media platforms
Simply put, the league excelled to historic levels in 2026. Nearly every broadcast network that aired WNBA games — and there were many — saw record figures as well.
ABC, CBS and ESPN had their "most-watched WNBA regular season ever," per the release. ION, NBC and Peacock and Amazon Prime Video also saw increased numbers. USA Network, which aired games for the first time, saw a 25 percent increase in viewership compared to 2025's average cable audience.
It helps, of course, that the on-court play was fantastic throughout the season. Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever set the WNBA record for points per game, with Clark turning in her finest season yet. A'ja Wilson continued her dominance of the league, again scoring 1,000 points during the year and winning her fifth MVP award. Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles delivered in a big way in her debut season, becoming the unanimous Rookie of the Year award winner. And Angel Reese set a record for rebounds and double-doubles in a single season, while also winning her first Defensive Player of the Year award.
With Reese's help, the Dream are one of the final two teams standing as the season hurtles to its conclusion. The WNBA Finals are set to begin Oct. 17, where the Dream will take on the upstart Golden State Valkyries.
Given how well the WNBA regular season performed with fans, the Dream and Valkyries should set multiple viewership records during the series.
Source: Sport
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