Unrivaled is on its way to Philadelphia!
The 3-on-3 women’s basketball league headed by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart announced Thursday that it will play a pair of games at Xfinity Mobile Arena, home of the NBA’s 76ers and NHL’s Flyers, during its second season.
Four clubs will compete in back-to-back matchups under the league’s standard format on Jan. 30, 2026. The specific teams will be revealed when Unrivaled releases its full schedule in November. The event, billed as the league’s first official “tour stop,” will mark the first women’s professional basketball games played in Philadelphia since 1998.
“This groundbreaking league is set to elevate the women’s basketball ecosystem as a whole,” comedian and actor Wanda Sykes, an Unrivaled investor, said in a statement, “and we are honored that Philly has been chosen as its first-ever tour stop.”
Philadelphia last hosted professional women’s hoops in 1997-1998, when South Carolina coach Dawn Staley played for the American Basketball League’s Philadelphia Rage before the league folded. Unrivaled’s trip to Philly comes as the city prepares to welcome a new WNBA team in 2030.
“Philly is a basketball city, and for Unrivaled to make that … big move says a lot,” said Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper, who is from Philadelphia. “I’m excited for the city. I know they’re going to show up. It’s great to have games there to create more excitement ahead of the new WNBA team.”
Unrivaled’s home base will remain at Wayfair Arena, the 850-seat arena in Miami where games were played in its inaugural season, which wrapped up in March. But the initiative is part of Unrivaled’s aim for long-term sustainability, driven in part by its fan engagement strategies.
The league has already announced expansion from six to eight teams and has secured even more investment funding, bringing its valuation to $340 million dollars ahead of just its second season.
Numerous WNBA stars have already committed to return for the second season, including Collier, Stewart, three-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner and Mercury star Alyssa Thomas.
Newcomers this season include the WNBA’s 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champ Kelsey Plum and Washington Mystics standout rookie Sonia Citron.
The league said Wednesday that 46 of 48 roster spots — not including its six-player development pool — had been filled, leaving fans wondering which stars would complete the field.
Speculation has swirled on social media, and much of the chatter centered on Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who did not play in the inaugural season, and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, who helped Rose BC win the league’s first championship.
Neither has officially committed yet.
“A few of the players we’re in productive negotiations with just need a little extra time,” said Unrivaled general manager Clare Duwelius, “and we’re all about giving our athletes the space to make big decisions on their own terms. That means we’ve still got two roster spots, and we can’t wait to share who will be filling them soon.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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