Report: WNBA Players 'Bracing' for Work Stoppage Before 2026 Season Amid CBA Talks

The WNBA's current CBA is set to expire Oct. 31.

The WNBA's current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of this season / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

With the WNBA's current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) set to expire after the current season, the league may be headed toward a labor stoppage ahead of the 2026 season, according to a new report from Madeline Kenney of the New York Post.

The WNBA Players Association opted out of the current CBA last year, which gave the WNBPA and the league a year to negotiate a new deal ahead of its expiration date set for Oct. 31. Kenney's report Tuesday said that players are "bracing" for a work stoppage if the pace of talks don't ramp up exponentially in the near future.

BREAKING: As the WNBA reaches peak popularity, multiple sources told The Post that players are “bracing” for a potential work stoppage ahead of the 2026 season as CBA negotiations lag. https://t.co/lZn2odE9Zj

— Madeline Kenney (@madkenney) July 16, 2025

League officials will meet with WNBPA executives and players Thursday in Indianapolis in a crucial point in CBA talks. Fever superstar Caitlin Clark said she will attend that meeting as she tries to "understand and engage as much as possible." She isn't a part of the union's negotiating committee currently, but she expressed her excitement to be in the meetings during what she called a "very important time for our league."

Reports surfaced early this month that the players rejected the league's first CBA offer in what Phoenix Mercury star Satou Sabally described a "slap in the face." The league recently announced its intention to expand to 18 teams by the end of the decade, awarding expansion franchises to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia. That's in addition to the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire who will join the fold next season after the Golden State Valkyries hit the court for the first time in 2025.

Pressing topics during CBA negotiations are higher salaries, better benefits and revenue sharing. If the players and league officials don't get on the same page soon, a work stoppage appears to be more likely than not.

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