It took more than 100 hours of continuous negotiation, but the new CBA is now almost done. The meetings in New York were more like boardroom marathons with the WNBA and the WNBPA fighting Father Time to have a 2026 season without delay. The March 10 deadline given by the WNBA had already passed.  Yet, Cathy Engelbert hoped that if they could agree upon the key differentiators and include them in a CBA agreement by Monday, March 16 or “24 to 48 hours later,” the 2026 season could start on time.

Fortunately, that deadline did not require an extension. After midnight on March 18, the two sides came to a tentative deal. The major sticking points during the negotiations were the housing for players and the revenue share. Both issues now appear resolved.

“I just want to say we have aligned on key elements of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement together. 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,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said (via Alexa Phillippou). “It underscores a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game. So, we’ll share additional details as they become available.”

The details of the new CBA are not available yet. However, based on the past reports, the maximum salaries are expected to cross a million dollars, with the salary cap atleast crossing $5 million. The WNBA was offering 15% of the total revenue, while the players were willing to settle for around 26% of the gross revenue. The conclusion is probably somewhere in the middle. This deal arrives just in time. And the Union President is happy with the conclusion as well.

“This is historical for women’s sports. I told Cathy it’s not just for the players that are entering the league or the players that aren’t already here,” Nneka Ogwumike said. “We’re just really grateful to be able to come to a deal. We’re proud of ourselves.”

NBC Sports’ Jackie Powell revealed that the entire group of WNBA and WNBPA representatives stood together to announce this news. It is estimated it would take 2-3 weeks for the lawyers to get everything done and for the agreement to be signed. So how will the rest of the offseason go? Let’s explore a possible timeline for all the important stuff left before the season tips off.

Cathy Engelbert Assures That The WNBA Season Will Go As Planned

Even without a CBA, the league announced the schedule back in January. It will run from May 8 through September 24 with the playoffs beginning on September 27. There is a two-week break in early September to accommodate the FIBA Women’s World Cup. Each team is playing 44 games and the training camp on April 19. Cathy Engelbert maintained that the Training camp is not expected to be delayed.

“Everything is,” she said (via Jackie Powell). “We plan on opening training camp on time.” So how will a potential timeline work? A couple of weeks ago the Athletic estimated the dates for every event, including the expansion draft for Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, the rookie draft and the free agency.

The protected player lists are expected to arrive at Tempo and Fire in early April. Less than a week later the expansion draft will be held, which will be around April 6. The Athletic assumed the tentative agreement will be done by March 10. We are 8 days late, but the WNBA would just have to rush it. As this is the only timeline, we start the camps on time. After the draft, the pre-free agency period starts.

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In this period, the teams will extend qualifying offers to reserved and restricted free agents as well as potentially apply the core tag (if it exists) to an eligible unrestricted free agent. The free agency period should start on April 12 which gives them only a week for 80% of the league to sign new contracts. However, there is no other option.