Groundbreaking WNBA stop in Vancouver raises the bar ahead of league's 2026 Canadian expansion

When Brittney Griner landed in Vancouver on Friday night to set foot in Canada for the first time, she wished she had visited sooner.

Griner, along with the rest of her Seattle Storm and the opposing Atlanta Dream were in town to take part in a historic moment in the WNBA — the first ever regular-season game on Canadian soil.

"I think it's dope … it's cool out here. I like it a lot," the 6-foot-9 centre said in a pre-game interview.

The game served as a teaser for what domestic fans might experience in May 2026 when the Toronto Tempo officially joins the league, and when American teams will touch down in Canada more regularly.

"A regular-season game within this country is really just a precursor for what we're going to have on a continual basis with the Tempo," Teresa Resch, Tempo president, told CBC Sports.

WATCH | Thousands of fans show up for Canada's 1st WNBA game in Vancouver:

Inside Vancouver's historic WNBA Canada Game

Resch, along with Tempo general manager Monika Wright Rogers were centre court Friday night to announce more good news for West Canadian basketball fans:  Vancouver will host another two games during the 2025-2026 WNBA season.

Deafening cheers filled the arena when the fans heard the news.

While the game couldn't have been scripted better — a third-quarter buzzer-beater from Storm guard Skylar Diggins, a comeback by the Dream in the final frame, and a nailbiting 80-78 win by Seattle — it was what happened off the court that signalled a new chapter for women's basketball in Canada.

Nearly 20,000 fans arrived at Rogers Arena in the pouring rain, wearing everything from Team Canada apparel, Caitlin Clarke jerseys, and WNBA branded t-shirts that read Everyone Watches Women's Sports.

Atlanta Dream