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WPBL Names New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco as Inaugural 2026 Markets

The league will stage a seven‑week neutral‑site debut in 2026 featuring a November draft from a national tryout pool.

Overview

  • All 2026 games will be played at a to‑be‑announced neutral venue, with team names, home sites and coaching staffs still to come.
  • Each roster will carry 15 players, games will be seven innings with aluminum bats, and teams are slated for roughly two games per week from Thursday to Sunday.
  • A November draft will draw from about 100 players advanced from summer tryouts that attracted roughly 600 participants, including Mo'ne Davis, Kelsie Whitmore and Ayami Sato.
  • The debut season is planned for about seven weeks with four weeks of regular season play, an all‑star week and two weeks of playoffs.
  • League leaders cite market size and fan bases for the city selections; co‑founder Justine Siegal, chair Assia Grazioli‑Venier and investor Keith Stein are steering operations, and compensation terms are being finalized, with one report citing a $95,000 per‑team pay pool.