WNBA Adds Three Expansion Franchises, And They Can Thank Caitlin Clark For It

“The Caitlin Clark Effect” strikes yet again!

It’s crazy how things have switched up when it comes to the WNBA. They went from a league struggling to survive, needing NBA subsidies to keep them afloat, to now adding not one, not two, but three expansion franchises. The league plans to do so over the next five years. And quite frankly, how I’m seeing it, they can give Caitlin Clark 99.9% of the credit for it.

The WNBA announced Monday that they will have three new teams soon in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. 2028 will see Cleveland’s inaugural campaign, Detroit will start play in the 2029 season and then things will begin for Philly in 2030. (RELATED: Caitlin Clark Named WNBA All-Star Captain After Getting Most Fan Votes In Entire League)

When things get underway in the City of Brotherly Love, they will bring the WNBA to a total of 18 teams. Currently, they sit at 13, with two expansion franchises — Toronto and Portland — set to kick things off in the 2026 season.

An expansion franchise that was originally announced in 2023 and having their inaugural season here in 2025, the Golden State Valkyries had to dish out an expansion fee worth $50 million. Toronto had to pay the same amount. For Portland, they had to pay a $25 million increase of $75 million. The deals were all negotiated before Clark.

The three new teams, here in the Clark era, each have to pay a $250 million expansion fee — a massive increase.

🚨HISTORIC MOMENT ALERT🚨

The W is leveling UP — three new teams, three new cities, one unstoppable future. ⭐

Say hello to our newest expansion teams:
🟣 @clevelandwnba – coming 2028
🔵 @DetroitWNBA – coming 2029
🔴 @philawnba – coming 2030

New energy. New legacies. New era.… pic.twitter.com/6ZXaHPxkEw

— WNBA (@WNBA) June 30, 2025

Three new WNBA teams just like that … $250 million expansion fees … oh yeah … “The Caitlin Clark Effect” is definitely real.