The WNBA tipped off its 30th anniversary season on Friday with a landmark CBA in place, million-dollar deals for players, new media partnerships — including NBC and Peacock — its first billion-dollar team valuation, and expansion of the league from 13 to 15 teams.
To say the league is in a period of growth would be an understatement.
Of course with a new season comes new, far-too-early power rankings. With so many storylines heading into the 2026 season, let’s take a look at how each team fairs after an exciting opening weekend.
WNBA Power Rankings
These rankings reflect where each WNBA team stands after the opening weekend of the 2026 season.
Tier 1: Contender
- New York Liberty (2-0) - Even though they started the season facing two teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year, the New York Liberty earned the top spot in this week’s rankings following a blowout victory over the Connecticut Sun and an overtime road win against the Washington Mystics.
Tier 2: Potential Contenders
Dallas Wings (1-0) - After ending last year with the worst record in the league, the Dallas Wings looked the part on Saturday when they faced off against the Indiana Fever in their first game of the season.
The new-look Wings put up 107 points and led for most of the game en route to a win against a formidable Fever team. Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale led the way with key contributions from Jessica Shepard, Odyssey Sims, and Aziaha James off the bench.
Time will tell if the Wings will be able to contend this season, but a statement win on the road against a playoff team from last year is enough to land at No. 2 in these rankings.
🚨 FINAL SCORES AND TOP PERFORMERS 🚨
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 10, 2026
Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers were relentless in the @DallasWings win over IND, 107-104‼️
Arike Ogunbowale: 22 PTS | 5 AST | 3 3PM
Paige Bueckers: 20 PTS | 4 AST | 3 REB
Their efforts helped the Wings move to 1-0 in the regular szn… pic.twitter.com/bOk2aLFyw7Atlanta Dream (1-0) - The Atlanta Dream took on the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday and put their mettle on display when it mattered most.
The Dream, who won the most games in franchise history last year and came into the season with lofty expectations after re-signing their core during free agency and trading for Angel Reese, trailed until the final 11.3 seconds of the game. But on the final possession of the fourth quarter, it was Reese who made a game-saving block to secure a one-point win for the Dream.
While it wasn’t a dominant win, the Dream locked in when it mattered most and earn the No. 3 spot in this week’s rankings.
I’m still thinking about this Angel Reese block…
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) May 10, 2026
That was tough. pic.twitter.com/nI2uT4b6EgGolden State Valkyries (2-0) - The Valkyries made history last year when they became the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season.
Without skipping a beat, they started the 2026 season with wins against the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury.
Their defensive prowess was on full display as they held Seattle and Phoenix to 80 and 79 points, respectively. Similar to last year, Golden State was prone to some offensive lulls, but a suffocating defense will always keep the Valkyries in games.
Phoenix Mercury (1-1) - After reaching the Finals last season in the first year of the Alyssa Thomas era, the Phoenix Mercury sought redemption in their first game of the season against the reigning champion, Las Vegas Aces.
While a regular-season win can never erase the memories of being on the wrong side of a Finals sweep, the Mercury set the tone for the 2026 season by routing the defending champs, 99-66.
The Mercury followed that win up with a double-digit loss to the Valkyries on Sunday, but considering they started the season with back-to-back games on the road, splitting the pair is a respectable outcome.
Las Vegas Aces (1-1) - The Las Vegas Aces kicked off their season on Saturday with a pregame ring ceremony to commemorate their 2025 championship, but the celebration was short-lived as the champs got blown out to the tune of 33 points in a Finals rematch with the Phoenix Mercury.
The Aces bounced back by beating the Los Angeles Sparks the next day,105-78, and looked more like themselves in their second game of the weekend. The Aces will likely rise in these rankings, but for now they get the sixth spot.
Tier 3: In the Mix
Washington Mystics (1-1) - The Washington Mystics are the youngest team in the league, but they don’t play like it.
In their first game of the season, the Mystics went into Toronto and played spoiler for the Tempo’s inaugural game as an expansion franchise, and then followed that up by taking the New York Liberty to overtime in their second game.
While they didn’t get the win over New York, the Mystics showed they are going to compete every night. And after narrowly missing the playoffs last season, the Mystics could be primed to get there this year.
Chicago Sky (1-0) - The Chicago Sky finished last season tied with the Dallas Wings for the worst record in the WNBA.
After trading their franchise star, Reese, in the offseason, the Sky made several moves to retool their roster with the additions of free agents Skylar Diggins, Azurá Stevens, and DiJonai Carrington. They also traded Ariel Atkins for Rickea Jackson and drafted UCLA standout Gabriela Jaquez.
Sky's Jaquez prepares for WNBA rookie seasonAfter the 2026 WNBA Draft, Gabriela Jaquez reflects on her experience after going No. 5 to the Chicago Sky after a successful career at UCLA.The revamped squad played their first game on Saturday against one of the league’s new expansion teams, the Portland Fire, and came out with the win in a competitive game. It was a good win for Chicago, but it’s tricky to properly evaluate the Sky given their early competition so far.
Minnesota Lynx (0-1) - The Minnesota Lynx lost their first game of season to the Atlanta Dream after leading the game until the final 11 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Despite missing Napheesa Collier and losing some key players in free agency, the Lynx remain a competitive team and will hope that rookie Olivia Miles continues to impress following her WNBA debut. For now, the Lynx land at No. 9 but as they play more games, this experienced squad will likely climb the standings and these rankings.
The rook Olivia Miles shined bright in her first professional game with the @minnesotalynx 🤗
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 10, 2026
She went off for 21 PTS, 8 AST, 3 REB, 2 STL & 2 BLKS!
WNBA Tip-Off 2026 | @CarMax pic.twitter.com/QAqSTx6ov7Indiana Fever (0-1) - The Indiana Fever came into the season as a projected contender and that hasn’t changed following an early setback.
Last season, the team dealt with a bevy of injuries including a season-ending injury to their franchise star, Caitlin Clark. Despite the turmoil, they were an overtime loss away from punching their ticket to the WNBA Finals.
After just falling short to the Dallas Wings in a game where both teams scored at least 100 points in a season opener for the first time in WNBA history, the Fever look like they’re ready to pick up where they left off last season.
Los Angeles Sparks (0-1) - The Sparks have gone from a team in rebuild to a team trying to contend now after trading for Kelsey Plum last year and signing Nneka Ogwumike this season.
The Sparks haven’t made the playoffs since 2020 and are hoping to end the longest active playoff drought in the league. Unfortunately for Los Angeles, they faced an Aces squad coming off an embarrassing blowout loss.
The Sparks will look to bounce back on Wednesday, but for now, they start the season at No. 11 in these rankings.
Seattle Storm (1-1) - The Seattle Storm are a team with a lot of young talent, including Dominique Malonga, Awa Fam and Flau’jae Johnson.
As a developing team, Seattle isn’t expected to be in the playoff mix this season but they’ve already secured their first win of the year by beating another young, developing team in the Connecticut Sun.
Toronto Tempo (0-1) - The Tempo’s league debut was spoiled by the Washington Mystics, but the new expansion team put on a show for a sold-out crowd in Toronto and gave fans an idea of what they can expect from Canada’s team.
On a night where they struggled to shoot the ball, the Tempo still had a chance to win the game and despite falling short, Toronto could be a team with playoff potential.
Tier 4: Building
Portland Fire (0-1) - The Portland Fire played their inaugural game before a sellout crowd of 19,335, a WNBA record for an expansion team’s season opener.
While the Fire didn’t win their first game, they competed at a high level against the Chicago Sky and demonstrated that they may be a better team than expected for an expansion team. For now, they land at No. 14 in these rankings.
it’s a SELLOUT!!!
— Portland Fire (@theportlandfire) May 10, 2026
A dream come true to be back in Portland and sooo happy to share this moment with all 19,335 of you ❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/CogxtvFrUhConnecticut Sun (0-2) - The Connecticut Sun are a rebuilding team that are also in a period of transition.
The team was sold to Houston Rockets owner, Tilman Fertitta, who will relocate the team to Houston and bring them back as the Houston Comets. Usually during rebuilds, it’s not expected for teams to win many games. While the Sun did lose their first two games to begin the season, they do have a promising young core that includes Aneesah Morrow, who is off to a hot start.
Aneesah Morrow was everywhere for the @ConnecticutSun in their home opener! 😤
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 10, 2026
Morrow finished with 17 PTS, a career-high 16 REB and 3 triples!
WNBA Tip-Off 2026 presented by @CarMax pic.twitter.com/QEIbT9GwTB
