WNBA, players union verbally agree to new CBA: What happens now?
WNBA, players union verbally agree to new CBA: What happens now?
Meghan L. Hall, USA TODAYWed, March 18, 2026 at 1:14 PM UTC
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On Wednesday, after more than 17 months of negotiations and more than 100 hours of meetings over the last eight days, the WNBA and its players' union agreed in principle to a new collective bargaining agreement.
Details of the agreement, including the number of years, have not been finalized. Neither the WNBA nor the players' union would comment on specifics of the deal. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the 2026 season will start on time on May 8. Training camp begins on April 19.
"I just want to say we have aligned on key elements of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement together," Engelbert said in a statement. "We still need to finalize a formal term sheet, but the progress made in these discussions marks a transformative step forward for players and the league. It underscores a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game. So, we'll share additional details as they become available.
"It's been, obviously, a process, but we're very proud to be leading women’s sports. These players are amazing, and we're going to have an amazing 30th season tipping off in May."
Now, the question becomes: What happens now?
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A source with knowledge of the CBA talks confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that after the deal is agreed to in principle, a term sheet will need to be signed. It will then go to the players for a vote and then to a board of governors for ratification.
According to Jeffrey Kessler of Winston & Strawn, one of the world’s leading antitrust, sports law and trial lawyers, in his experience, signing the term sheet is a process that could happen "as quickly as a couple of weeks." If the players' union decides it wants to have the entire CBA agreement ratified, that could take longer. Kessler estimated it could take as long as four weeks for full CBA ratification.
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"The real question is whether the union will ratify on a term sheet or whether you need the whole formal agreement," Kessler told USA TODAY Sports.
Another legal expert, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, had a different viewpoint. "I don’t think it should take weeks … it should be more seamless than that," the source said. According to the person, the player membership would vote and proceed on how to move forward. At the stage of ratification, the source explained there's more urgency to get the deal done and ratification likely shouldn't cause issues.
"If each party recognizes the other's operating in good faith and you have enough of a term sheet that everybody agrees with as a foundation, then you can move forward in a positive direction as you get more formalized," American University's N. Jeremi Duru, professor of law, director of sport and society initiative told USA TODAY.
"Someone once told me when it comes to these, you want to get a win-win, but it's generally a capital W-I-N [and] lower case w-i-n. And so, ultimately, I think we're going to get a 'W-I-N-w-i-n' out of this. Nothing's ever really down the middle. So one part may be more of a win than the other, but I think both parties recognize an outcome of that is superior to shifting the season, limiting the season or worse."
With the new season slated to begin Friday, May 8, the WNBA has just over seven weeks to complete several preseason activities.
The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, the league's expansion teams, need to have drafts to build their initial core of players. WNBA free agency needs to happen as well. Nearly 80% of the league will be free agents.
The 2026 WNBA Draft, which is scheduled for April 13, takes place just six days before training camp. Preseason games, if they remain as they are scheduled, begin April 25 and run through May 3.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After WNBA, players' union verbally agree to new CBA, what's next?
Source: “AOL Sports”
