Vancouver to host 1st WNBA regular-season game outside U.S. in August

Vancouver will host the first WNBA regular-season game played outside the United States next year when the Atlanta Dream and the Seattle Storm meet at Rogers Arena.

Seattle Storm to battle Atlanta Dream Aug. 15 at Rogers Arena

The Canadian Press · Posted: Dec 16, 2024 1:58 PM EST | Last Updated: December 16

Canadian basketball player Laeticia Amihere of the Atlanta Dream plays against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on Sept. 19, 2024 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. — Laeticia Amihere, left, from Mississauga, Ont., will lead the Atlanta Dream against the Seattle Storm on Aug. 15, 2025 in Vancouver. It will be the third WNBA game held in Canada after Edmonton and Toronto hosted pre-season contests in 2023. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images/File)

Vancouver will host the first WNBA regular-season game played outside the United States next year when the Atlanta Dream and the Seattle Storm meet at Rogers Arena.

The game is scheduled for Aug. 15, about 10 months before the expansion Toronto Tempo begin play in the 2026 season.

It will be the third WNBA held in Canada after the women's professional basketball league staged exhibition games May 5 in Edmonton and May 13, 2023, in Toronto.

Toronto, along with Portland, were awarded expansion teams earlier this year to bring the league up to 15 teams.

The Dream are coming off a second straight playoff appearance in 2024 and have a roster featuring Laeticia Amihere of Mississauga, Ont., and 2010 rookie of the year Tina Charles.

The four-time WNBA champion Storm are coming off their 25th anniversary season and 19th playoff appearance. Nneka Ogwumike, a nine-time all-star and the league's MVP in 2016, leads a roster that includes fellow all-stars Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

The 2025 WNBA season begins May 16.

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