Portland Lands WNBA Expansion Franchise

Photo: @WNBAPortland

IT’S OFFICIAL: THE WNBA IS COMING TO PORTLAND. Led by RAJ Sports ownership group, Portland’s new expansion team to begin play at Moda Center in 2026

Wednesday marked another historic day for sports in the state of Oregon, as it was announced that the WNBA has awarded Portland the league’s 15th franchise, to begin play in 2026 and play its home games at Moda Center.

Portland’s WNBA expansion entry will be owned and operated by RAJ Sports, led by Lisa Bhathal Merage and Alex Bhathal. Those names should sound plenty familiar to area sports fans, as the Bhathal family are also the controlling owners of the NWSL’s Portland Thorns after finalizing their purchase of the iconic women’s soccer team this past January.   

Wednesday’s announcement is a cumulation of the hard work that’s taken place in recent years to attract a WNBA expansion team to Portland. This significant movement gained a groundswell of support from local business leaders and government officials, recognizing what a WNBA team would bring to the community, and what the addition of Portland would mean for the league.

It’s no secret that Portland’s passion for women’s sports is deeply rooted in the city’s DNA. Sport Oregon has been proud to play a part in continuing to foster this support of women’s athletics through its many endeavors, including its robust SHE FLIES initiative that works to support, engage and celebrate girls and women in sport across Oregon. In conjunction with its bid partners, Sport Oregon played a pivotal role in securing the 2030 NCAA Women’s Final Four – the largest annual women’s sporting event in the country.

In the leadup to securing the Women’s Final Four and, now, a WNBA team, Portland reinforced its standing as a leader in women’s basketball support by hosting record-setting NCAA Tournament events that showcased the area’s passionate support for the game, including the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds of the women’s tournament this past spring.   

At Providence Park, the Thorns routinely generate record attendance numbers and have established a history of excellence on the pitch, as well, by winning three league titles since the inaugural NWSL season in 2013.

Now operating the Thorns, the Bhathal family saw the prospect of bringing a WNBA team to Portland as an opportunity that was too beneficial to pass up. The family fell in love with the city by experiencing its passion for the Thorns and seeing, first-hand, the impact that the soccer club has had on the community. They were firm in their belief that the city deserved a WNBA team and jumped at the chance to make that a reality and invest even further in women’s athletics in the city.

“For decades, Portland has been the global epicenter of sports lifestyle and today, we are now the global epicenter of women’s sports,” said Lisa Bhathal Merage, who will serve as controlling owner of the team and WNBA Governor. “We believe in the transformative power of women’s sports and are thrilled that the W will call Portland home.”

Adding to its growing stable of basketball holdings that includes the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, the NBA G-League’s Stockton Kings and the Kings Guard NBA 2K e-sports team, the Bhathal family says it will take a humble and collaborative approach to building the state’s newest professional sports team – one that everyone can be proud of, and one that is inclusive for everyone while being representative of Portland.“We know that Portland’s vibrant and diverse communities will highly support and rally around this team,” Lisa Bhathal Merage said. “Our goal is to grow this organization in partnership with the Portland community, and we look forward to supporting the best women’s basketball players in the world when they take the floor at the Moda Center in 2026.”

 Portland became the third city added to the league as part of its current expansion plans, with Portland joining the Golden State Valkyries and an expansion team in Toronto that brings the league from 12 to 15 teams. The league’s stated goal is to expand to 16 teams by 2028.

Portland previously had a WNBA team in the early 2000s, with the Portland Fire serving as a popular draw in the city for three seasons. But today’s WNBA is a whole different ballgame. Now in its 28th season, the WNBA says it has seen significant growth in recent years, including its most-anticipated rookie class ever this past season, a groundbreaking new media rights deal and record-setting numbers for viewership, attendance, merchandise sales, social media engagement and digital subscriptions to WNBA League Pass.

Simply put, the WNBA is more popular than ever, and the addition of Portland is seen as a way to continue that upward trajectory for the league.

“As the WNBA builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to Portland is another important step forward,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “Portland has been an epicenter of the women’s sports movement and is home to a passionate community of basketball fans. Pairing this energy with the Bhathal family’s vision of leading top-flight professional sports teams will ensure that we deliver a premier WNBA team to the greater Portland area.”

In its assessment of potential new markets for expansion, the league says it looks at many factors, including player-focused areas of interest that include a first-class arena and practice facilities and a strong local fanbase. On Wednesday, the Bhathal family confirmed that plans are in the works to build a new practice facility for the yet-to-be-named team in Portland.

Beyond the court, the city’s new WNBA team is expected to provide a significant boost to the local economy.

For starters, the WNBA schedule will activate the Rose Quarter even further than its current level by providing a regular attraction to Moda Center in the summer months when the Portland Trail Blazers and Portland Winterhawks are out of season. Area hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and retailers no doubt will benefit from the additional events and resulting foot traffic as well. The new WNBA team also opens new opportunities for local and national businesses to invest in the city, in the form of marketing partnerships and hospitality.

With the team name and brand identity set to be unveiled at a later date, fans eager to get started supporting their new WNBA team can get a jump on season tickets by placing a deposit at WNBA.com/Portland.

While fans will have to remain patient for the many exciting developments to come in the history of their new Portland WNBA team, Wednesday was cause for great celebration and served as a momentous day for Oregon’s sporting landscape.