WNBA Says All-Star Game Will Return to Chicago Next Year

The WNBA All-Star game is scheduled to return to Chicago in 2026. 

This marks the second time in the league’s history that Chicago will host the mid-season exhibition game. For the first time, the game—scheduled for July 25—will be played at the United Center. In 2022 when Chicago hosted the game, it was played at Wintrust Arena which has a max capacity of 10,387. The United Center, which is the largest in the NBA, has a capacity of 20,917. 

The Sky will host the three-point contest and skills challenge at Wintrust on Friday night in 2026, the league said Thursday.

“The Chicago Sky are thrilled to welcome the 2026 WNBA All-Star game back to Chicago,” Chicago Sky CEO and president Adam Fox said in a statement. “We can’t wait to build on the success of the previous All-Star game and celebrate the explosive growth of the league by showcasing the WNBA’s biggest stars on a world-class stage.” 

The league struggled with planning of fan events at the 2022 All-Star Game in Chicago, with only two open to the general public: the game and “WNBA Live” which was an outdoor interactive fan experience. There was a Chance the Rapper concert closed to the general public. At the time commissioner Cathy Engelbert cited concerns about security as the reason certain events weren’t open to the public. 

“We would have loved to have opened that up to the public,” Engelbert said in 2022, referring to several well-known shootings. “Because of security concerns dating way back to Mandalay Bay, dating back to other things that have happened here in Chicago, Uvalde and Buffalo, there’s a lot of concern about outdoor events right now unfortunately in our country. So we were just trying to do the best we could.”

Engelbert claimed that the league sought the advice of security experts, including the Chicago Police Department. The CPD, however, said that they did not advise the league to limit its outdoor events. 

Thursday’s release touts WNBA Live at the McCormick Place convention center, and fan events “around Chicago” and the Sky’s new practice facility in Bedford Park.

The WNBA is only two weeks away from its collective bargaining agreement with players expiring, and it’s unclear what will happen then. The sides could agree to an extension; the WNBA has never lost games to a work stoppage, but players and owners remain far apart on financial terms in this negotiation.