LOS ANGELES – The WNBA season has already started as the first games were played on Friday. But the Los Angeles Sparks will be the last of the teams to take the court as they play the reigning, defending WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces at Crypto.Com Arena on Sunday.
With that said, let’s take a look at the Sparks schedule for this season. Last year, the Sparks were making a playoff run before they were worn down by a tough stretch at the end of their schedule. So it’s time to examine the games and see what lies ahead for the 2026 Sparks season.
The Sparks schedule actually strikes a nice balance. While there are no long home stands, there aren’t any long road trips, either. Longest home stand goes for four games (which happens twice) and it’s the same length for the longest road trip (they also have two four-game road trips).
And that’s how they start the season.
(Screencapped from ESPN.)
They catch the Aces first, who will be playing a second game of a back-to-back as they have their ring ceremony on Saturday. Another huge test will happen after as they get the Indiana Fever on May 13th. Then they see the new expansion team, the Toronto Tempo, for two straight home games.
Then they have their four-game roadie. They'll be in Phoenix to face the Mercury before going to Vegas for their second game this season against the Aces. The Sparks will probably go home after as they have five days off before finishing their road trip on a back-to-back as they face the Mystics on May 29th and then the Connecticut Sun on May 30th.
June begins with a three-game home stand. The Aces return to L.A. to start that. The Dallas Wings come in after in their only visit to Crypto.Com Arena. And then the other new expansion team, the Portland Fire, will sign the guestbook.
The three-game road trip won't be too far. They have the Storm to start off. And then they face the Mercury again in Phoenix before finishing that trip in San Francisco against the Valkyries.
A two-game home stay on June 17th and 21st will be tough. They have the Minnesota Lynx and then the New York Liberty after. But at least, they have three days off between games.
(Screencapped from ESPN.)
The Sparks will visit Canada for the first time on June 25th before finishing their quick trek in Indiana two nights later.
And then they will have an inexplicably long break. Eight days off before they play again! And that doesn't even include the All-Star break!
A three-game home stand awaits the Sparks to start July (Storm, Fever, Sky). And then seven of their next nine games will be away from Los Angeles. Their four-game road trip includes the Dream, Lynx, Sky, and the Wings; it's a bit brutal as they play every other day in what might be the toughest stretch of the season. They'll finish the first half of the season with a home game against the Mercury. Then the league gets the All-Star break.
Sparks resume their schedule on July 28th in a home game against the Liberty. Then they're back on the road to start August with trips to Portland, Chicago, and Minnesota (their first two games of that trip being their second and final back-to-back of the season). Sparks then play the Valkyries at home on August 9th and then they'll have a home game at the Galen Center (where USC plays) two days later when they play the Mercury.
(Screencapped from ESPN.)
A three-game roadie sees them face the Liberty, Mystics, and the Sun (their final game in Connecticut as the Sun are set to move to Houston next season). Then they have their four-game home stand with the Atlanta Dream twice, the Connecticut Sun, and the Washington Mystics. The end of August has them going back to Seattle to face the Storm before they take another break as the FIBA World Cup takes place in Germany.
The Sparks end the season alternating road and home games. September 17th sees them going to Dallas. Three nights later, they face the Fire at home. And then they end the season with two huge games: at Vegas on the 22nd and against the Valkyries at home on the 24th.
The schedule seems more favorable, especially at the end of the season, than last year's. When the Sparks were fighting for a playoff spot last season, they had to face the Dream in Atlanta to start September. They actually played nine games out of 17 days to finish 2025 and that was a very tough stretch for them. This season, every team is aided by the FIBA World Cup break to end 2026. While a lot of the big stars will participate in that event, some of the other players will get some rest, too, before the homestretch. The Sparks getting a five-day break to start the season and then an eight-day break between June and July help matters also.
Let the games begin.