The PWHL is set to expand again ahead of the 2026-27 PWHL season. This year the league added the Vancouver Goldeneyes and Seattle Torrent. The PWHL's newest teams have unquestionably been the league's most successful at the box office with Seattle averaging a league-high 12,104 fans followed closely by Vancouver at 11,834 fans per game. West coast expansion has brought increased revenue hopes for the league as well through new sponsorship opportunities, and more importantly, a step toward a national broadcasting deal for the league in the United States. The league will see themselves broadcast nationally in the USA for the first time ever on March 28 for the PWHL's Takeover Tour game in Detroit [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/pwhl/pwhl-s-detroit-stop-will-be-league-s-first-ever-nationally-broadcast-game-in-usa]. The league has hit new attendance marks repeatedly this season, and will set another new American professional women's hockey mark when they visit a sold out Madison Square Garden on April 11 [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/pwhl/pwhl-officially-sells-out-new-york-s-madison-square-garden-and-boston-s-td-garden]. And women's and girls' hockey registrations continue to climb in the United States and Canada with USA announcing their 100,000th registration in the days following the 2026 Olympics that saw interest in women's hockey spike yet again. But the questions remain, where will the PWHL expand to next? And how many teams will the expansion feature? OPINIONS CONTINUE TO VARY BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR TEAMS The feeling among many players in the PWHL is that the league is leaning toward a two team expansion. The players may have some knowledge as the league certainly is in discussions with the PWHLPA over how another round of expansion will occur as it directly impacts the players' lives in many ways. But the feeling among others, including some league staff, is that the PWHL is still heading toward a four-team expansion. Amy Scheer, who is guiding the process for the PWHL, said it herself back in November. "If we have four really strong markets, then that’s the direction we’ll move in...If I were a betting woman, I'd say it would be four teams," Scheer said in an interview [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/pwhl/all-signs-point-to-pwhl-targeting-four-team-expansion-for-2026-27]. Julia Gosling highlights The league has targeted reaching 12 teams prior to the expiration of their current collective bargaining agreement, a mark a four team expansion would reach. Since Scheer's statements, the PWHL has only increased their attendance and reach, and continued to set new standards. WHEN WILL THE ANNOUNCEMENTS COME? Last year the PWHL announced expansion to Vancouver on April 23, and expansion to Seattle one week later on April 30. The league has stated numerous times they'd like to stick to a similar timeline. That may, however, include beginning announcements before those dates if the league intends to expand by four new teams. The league has also stated it would be preferable to have staff in place for PWHL expansion teams sooner, which could mean that last season's dates are a deadline, not a starting point. Following the league's announcement of a nationally broadcast game in Detroit, there was significant talk that the PWHL may use this added opportunity for visibility to make a major announcement. The March 28 game will be accessible to more than 126 million U.S. households. As Detroit is the final American stop on the 2025-26 PWHL Takeover Tour, it's possible the league could use this date to make an American based expansion announcement, or at least promote when their expansion announcement will come. WHO ARE THE EXPANSION FRONT RUNNERS? In the United States, Denver and Detroit are likely the leaders in any conversation. The league is obviously interested in Chicago, given the fact they are making two Takeover Tour stops there this season, and Washington had a spectacular showing in their stop setting an American attendance mark [https://thehockeynews.com/womens/pwhl/washington-sets-new-american-record-as-sirens-hold-off-victoire]. Chicago's attendance however, hasn't been up to par with the rest of the tour, although they are selling better for the next Takeover Tour stop. In Canada, it's hard to point at a mark that wouldn't be a supporter and logical placement for a PWHL team. Edmonton is believed to be the frontrunner based on venue and geography, although attendance in Edmonton this season, whether it was for the Rivalry Series or Takeover Tour, has not been great, and April's Takeover Tour game is selling poorly. Quebec City, Halifax, and Hamilton all appear ready to host a team with the venues and fan base ready, but it's more likely one, at most, of these markets will be selected as the league continues to look west. One item that has been discussed is that although the PWHL has maintained an even balance of Canadian and American teams to date, there's no guarantee they'll continue that one-for-one expansion model indefinitely. The PWHL has their eyes set on the American market, which could result in an uneven expansion.
