The WNBA appears to be carrying its momentum from a record-breaking 2024 season into 2025.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the league is averaging 11,085 fans through 140 games, according to Across the Timeline. That would be the highest mark in league history if the season ended today. The previous high was in 1998, the league’s second season, which averaged 10,869 fans in just 150 total games. (There will be 286 total games this year.)
This year’s mark is also up 13% from the 9,807 average fans last year.
The Golden State Valkyries, the expansion franchise that debuted this year, are the biggest driver of the league’s attendance success. The team has sold out all 11 of its home games so far this year—the only team to sell out all of its home games this year.
The New York Liberty is another reason for the bump. In previous years, the team would close off sections of the arena during WNBA games, lowering the total capacity from more than 17,000 to around 12,000. The team would open up the arena fully during big games, including its championship run last year.
This year, the Liberty have averaged nearly 16,000 fans per game, and their lowest attendance for any home game was 14,774.
Without the Valkyries and Liberty, the league would be averaging 9,977 fans per game, which would still be up from last year, but only about 1.7%. The mark would be behind the 1998 and 1999 seasons for the highest average.
The Indiana Fever are down about 1.3% this year in terms of home attendance, but Caitlin Clark remains the league’s biggest draw. Six teams moved games against the Indiana Fever to new arenas before the start of the season.
Not all of those games ultimately featured Clark, as she has missed 10 this season due to injury. But despite Clark’s absence, both the Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings still sold out their games that were moved to the United Center and American Airlines Center.
Several WNBA teams still play in arenas with a capacity below 10,000—or less than the average of the entire league this season. That includes the Wings, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, and Connecticut Sun.
