Toronto’s WNBA Spotlight: A New Era for Expansion Teams

It looks like Canada is gearing up to welcome its first WNBA franchise, with Toronto set to introduce an expansion team joining the ranks alongside the Bay Area from California. This exciting development was initially reported by the CBC early Friday morning and is a significant move for Ontario billionaire Larry Tannenbaum as he steps into the expanding realm of women's professional basketball, which shows great potential for growth.Ontario sports betting interest.

Following the announcement on Friday that a Toronto-based WNBA franchise is slated for a debut in May 2026,deereplanet.com I accessed Sports-Reference.com to analyze the inaugural season performances of every WNBA team – excluding the league's inception year of 1997 – to evaluate how each new franchise fared.

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How First-Year WNBA Teams Fared

The Wings franchise was based in Detroit from 1998 until 2009 before relocating to Tulsa from 2010 to 2015.

^The Sun franchise operated in Orlando from 1999 to 2002.

*Defunct franchise.

It's important to note that not all teams experienced the same number of games during their debut seasons. The eight original teams from the league's first season in 1997 are excluded from this analysis. Collectively, their winning percentages average out to a mere .303 (with a combined record of 97 wins and 223 losses). This will mark Toronto as the 14th team to join the ranks of the WNBA, a league that has seen its membership numbers shift over the years.

The introduction of the new WNBA franchise in Toronto signifies the seventh professional top-tier sports team for Ontario, joining the likes of the CFL’s Argonauts,MLB’s Blue Jays , MLS’ Toronto FC,NHL’s Maple Leafs , PWHL Toronto and theNBA’s Raptors . WNBA odds are available withOntario sports betting apps .

WNBA Teams Inaugural Seasons

Since 1998, many newly established WNBA franchises have found themselves struggling during their initial seasons. The Detroit Shock (now known as the Dallas Wings) in 1998 were the only team to achieve a winning record initially, finishing with a 17-13 record (.567). The ten expansion teams introduced from 1998 to 2008 collectively posted a disappointing first-year record of 97-223 (.303), none qualifying for the playoffs during their inaugural seasons.

Fortunately for Toronto's potential WNBA team, they might benefit from a special expansion draft designed for one team, as San Francisco's franchise is set to launch in 2025 ahead of Toronto's debut. This means that the inaugural team's management will have greater access to talented players currently in the league before their first season kicks off in two years.

Basketball enthusiasts in Ontario are hopeful that the local WNBA team will perform better in its first season than the Raptors did in 1995 when the NBA franchise ended with a dismal 21-61 record (.256), marking the beginning of four consecutive seasons below .500 for the struggling team. (For information on the performance of each team in Toronto during their initial seasons, check out ourToronto Raptors draft odds for their current prospects.)

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The Maple Leafs were established in 1917 under the name Toronto Arenas and clinched the Stanley Cup in the inaugural NHL season. In their first year as the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927, they recorded an 18-18-8 record, finishing fifth in the Canadian Division.

The Maple Leafs were established in 1917 under the name Toronto Arenas and clinched the Stanley Cup in the inaugural NHL season. In their first year as the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1927, they recorded an 18-18-8 record, finishing fifth in the Canadian Division.

First-Year Toronto Team Results

Since 1977, a variety of teams across baseball, men's basketball, and men's soccer have taken root in Canada's largest city. Major League Soccer's Toronto FC endured a challenging season in 2007, winning only six of their 30 matches, with seven draws and 17 losses for a total of 25 points, leading to a .317 winning percentage. The Raptors (with a .256 percentage in 1995) and the Blue Jays (at a .335 percentage in 1977) similarly faced tough beginnings, which is a common theme for newly established expansion teams across sports.

In stark contrast, the Maple Leafs enjoyed immediate success, achieving a record of 13-9-0 (.591) in their debut season in the then-nascent NHL and winning the Stanley Cup.

This is the benchmark that the Toronto WNBA team aims to surpass when they make their court debut in 2026. This team will give Canada its first opportunity to experience women’s professional basketball after a long wait, coinciding with a period of heightened interest in the league. For details on the current teams, check our

An Online Casino Game In Ontario Offers Excitement and MoreToronto Blue Jays playoff odds page atdeereplanet.com .

USA Today photo by Kirby Lee