Dallas Wings head coach Jose Fernandez said Thursday that his team would play all their games at the American Airlines Center during the 2027 season.
The Wings, who will play most of their 2026 games inside the 7,000-seat College Park Center in Arlington, are not set to have a new permanent home until 2028, when the renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium—which seats around 8,400—is expected to open. Dallas initially expected to play in the latter venue and move to a new $81 million training facility starting in 2026, but that move was delayed to spring 2027, with games in the Memorial Auditorium beginning in 2028.
“We will be in the practice facility next year to open up training camp,” Fernandez said in response to a question from Front Office Sports. “That is going to happen, and we will be playing all of our games in American Airlines [Center] next year as well.”
Shortly after Fernandez spoke, Wings CEO and managing partner Greg Bibb told USA Today that the team was in “advanced negotiations” to play at the AAC, but there was no finalized agreement yet. He also said that the Wings had not received league approval to change venues for a season.
The Wings were supposed to play at the 20,000-seat American Airlines Center, home of the Mavericks and Stars, this season, according to a 2024 agreement with the city of Dallas. That agreement guaranteed that the Wings could play in the AAC if the Memorial Auditorium renovation was not done in time for the 2026 season.
Meanwhile, Dallas’ budget for a new practice facility in West Oak Cliff ballooned from the $54 million when the project was initially announced in 2024. In March, the Dallas City Council voted for the city to cover $57 million of the new $81 million budget, while the Wings will fund the remaining $24 million.
“You’ve seen the investment in our ownership group. It was disappointing that some things did not happen with the city of Dallas that delayed the construction,” Fernandez said. “But there were investments made in regards to the facilities here at CPC.”
Arlington, which is approximately 26 minutes driving distance from Dallas, is where the Wings have played since 2016, after the franchisethe franchise rebranded from the Tulsa Shock.
Notably, Bibb said in March that the AAC was not a viable long-term option for the team, as “the arena does not possess the team-specific training elements [its] athletes need and deserve.” However, playing in the arena in 2027 was the expectation as the chances of playing in the Memorial Auditorium dimmed.
The Wings will play three games at the AAC in 2026, with those coming against the Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, and Golden State Valkyries. In 2025, they hosted just their two home contests against the Fever at the arena.
