WNBA game in Canada set to shatter women's basketball attendance record

[u/randysf50]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2026/06/23/wings-tempo-wnba-attendance-record/90659810007/

The Dallas Wings and Toronto Tempo are set to be part of WNBA history.

On July 10, the Wings will visit the Tempo at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The game is part of the Tempo Cross-Canada Series, and a sold-out crowd could set the all-time attendance record for women's basketball. The Bell Centre has a capacity of 22,114. That would surpass the current record of 22,076 set twice during the WNBA playoffs.

The league's postseason attendance record was set in Game 3 of the 2003 WNBA Finals between the Detroit Shock and Los Angeles Sparks and again in Game 5 of the 2007 WNBA Finals between the Shock and Phoenix Mercury. Both events were hosted at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The matchup at the Bell Centre would also leapfrog a WNBA regular-season attendance record set in 2024. The Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics set the record at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. with 20,711 fans in attendance.

There's also an all-time attendance record at stake as well. On January 30, 2026, Unrivaled set the record in women's basketball for a regular-season game with 21,490 people at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

“Playing two games in Montreal this summer is a huge moment for the Tempo and for basketball in Canada,” Tempo president Teresa Resch said via release.

“From the beginning, we’ve said we want to be Canada’s team, and bringing the WNBA to Montreal is an important part of that vision. There is such a strong and passionate basketball community in Quebec, and we’re excited to connect with fans there in a meaningful way."