Portland erupted in fanfare on Wednesday, with the WNBA announcing that an expansion team is officially coming to the Rose City. The celebration did not come with any announcement on what the new Portland WNBA team will be named,

Portland had a previous WNBA team, the Fire, which played for just two seasons and folded in 2002. It’s not yet decided if the new franchise will keep that name or get a new one. The team will play at the Moda Center, also home to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Siblings Bhathal Merage and Bhathal will run the still-unnamed team, which they paid $125 million for, under the company Raj Sports, according to the Associated Press (the Bhathal family is part of a group that bought the Sacramento Kings in 2013).

The WNBA is returning to Portland, Oregon, starting in 2026, with the new franchise set to become the WNBA’s 15th team, the league announced Wednesday.

The WNBA is growing from 12 teams to 15 with the additions of Golden State (in 2025) as well as Toronto and Portland in 2026.

The WNBA, enjoying a record-shattering season of growth, announced Wednesday it will add an expansion club in Portland, Oregon, for the 2026 season. The league, boosted by star rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese in its 28th season,

Portland, Oregon, has become the latest city to benefit from the Women's National Basketball Association's rapid expansion plans after being awarded a franchise on Wednesday that will begin play in 2026.

As Portland celebrated the return of professional women’s basketball to the Rose City, there was one common refrain — the move would cement the city’s place as a leader in

Merage spoke about the yet-to-be-named team as an investment not only in the league, but in the local Portland community, adding that they intend to create jobs and wealth for those who work on or for the team.