The Dallas Wings will play their entire 2027 home schedule at American Airlines Center, the team announced Monday. Dallas has played at College Park Center in Arlington for 11 seasons, since the franchise relocated to North Texas before the 2016 season.
Wings CEO and managing partner Greg Bibb addressed the move in the team's announcement.
"American Airlines Center is a world-class venue in the heart of Dallas providing the spaces and amenities our athletes deserve while delivering an incredible environment for our growing and passionate fan base," Bibb said.
American Airlines Center general manager Dave Brown was quoted in the same release.
"We have tremendous respect for the organization's leadership, the talent and dedication of its players, and the bright future of the franchise in Dallas," Brown said.
The Wings' Ongoing Move to Dallas
The Dallas City Council approved a 15-year use agreement with the Wings in April 2024. The deal is worth $19 million and puts the team in a renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium, inside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Dallas pushed its own move-in date from 2026 to 2027 to accommodate the FIFA World Cup broadcast center next door. Memorial Auditorium is now projected for 2028. The renovated arena will seat 8,400.
The Wings' performance center in West Oak Cliff is set to open next April, serving as the franchise's permanent training facility. The project costs increased from $54 million to $81 million. Dallas assumed the role of developer and agreed to cover the costs that the city had not already funded.
Fernandez was asked about the arena in May, during a preseason availability.
"We will be in the practice facility next year to open up training camp," Fernandez said.
Big stars. Bigger stage. The next era ⭐
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) August 3, 2026
The Dallas Wings are officially moving to American Airlines Center for the 2027 WNBA season. pic.twitter.com/n8fyEuTmAo
What Dallas Has Already Sold
Season ticket memberships sold out in April for a third consecutive year, including courtside seats and suites. The May 12 home opener against the Atlanta Dream sold out before tip-off.
Dallas averaged 3,788 fans a game in 2022 and 4,641 in 2023. The 2024 average was 5,911. Last season, the Wings averaged 7,273 fans per game. Two of those dates were at American Airlines Center. College Park Center seats 6,251 for Wings games.
The Wings sold out eight regular-season games in 2024 and drew a capacity crowd nine times overall. College Park Center ran at 95% of capacity across more than 20 dates that year, per the team.
Dallas moved two home games downtown in 2025, both against the Indiana Fever. The June 27 meeting drew 20,409, a franchise regular-season record and the largest crowd for a WNBA game in Texas. It was the eighth regular-season game in league history to draw more than 20,000. Dallas became the fourth franchise to host a crowd that size, joining the Washington Mystics, Las Vegas Aces, and Detroit Shock. The game aired nationally on ION and drew 1.14 million viewers. The Aug. 1 rematch drew 17,857.
Caitlin Clark did not play in the June game after being ruled out due to a groin injury.
Three Games Downtown This Season
The Wings have three games scheduled at American Airlines Center in 2026. The first, on July 12 against the Chicago Sky, drew 13,236 and ended in a 96-91 Dallas win. Paige Bueckers finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 11 assists. Jessica Shepard and Li Yueru also recorded double-doubles.
A full season at 13,236 would rank fifth in the league. The Los Angeles Sparks are averaging 12,505.
Fernandez was asked about the crowd after the game.
"Talk about a sixth man," Fernandez said.
The Golden State Valkyries visit Friday at the venue. Indiana comes to the building Aug. 20 for the final of three games of the season in downtown Dallas.
What Dallas Draws Away From Arlington
Through 16 road games this season, the Wings have averaged 13,198 fans. Only the Indiana Fever at 14,853 and the Phoenix Mercury at 13,376 have drawn more away from home.
Last season, Dallas averaged 11,496 across 22 road games. That figure trailed only Indiana's 15,884.
The Historic Montreal Number
Toronto hosted Dallas at Montreal's Bell Centre on July 10 and lost 108-95. The announced crowd of 20,996 is a WNBA regular-season record. Washington and Indiana had set the previous mark at Capital One Arena on Sept. 19, 2024. That night drew 20,711.
Bueckers scored 34 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists in Montreal. Arike Ogunbowale added 20 points and 7 assists. Shepard finished with 20 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.
Toronto returned to the Bell Centre two days later and beat the New York Liberty 93-91. Marina Mabrey scored 30, and Sabrina Ionescu scored 28. The announced crowd was 12,724.
The Tempo play their regular home games at Coca-Cola Coliseum, which has drawn 8,210 for every Toronto home date this season.
Washington Has the Longest Lease in the League
The Mystics play at CareFirst Arena, which seats 4,200. Washington is tied to a lease in that building through 2037, and the agreement permits the team to relocate up to four home games a season.
One Washington home game is scheduled outside the building this year, the Sept. 24 finale against Chicago at Capital One Arena. The Mystics used all four relocation slots in each of the previous two seasons.
In a May 2025 interview with Front Office Sports, Monumental Sports founder and CEO Ted Leonsis discussed the arena situation. He expressed his desire for Capital One Arena to be accessible to the Mystics and contrasted the challenges of filling a small venue with those of nearly filling a larger one.
"I don't know if today we could sell out every game, 20,000 seats," Leonsis said.
Mystics chief business officer Alycen McAuley had told the same outlet three months earlier that the team was not contemplating a permanent move to a larger venue.
Washington sold out every home game in 2024 and finished third-to-last in league attendance. The home average was 5,303 last season.
The renovated Capital One Arena is scheduled for delivery ahead of the 2027-28 NBA and NHL seasons, with flexible seating that shifts the building between roughly 20,000 and 10,000. The Wizards and Capitals are under lease there through 2050. Monumental has not said publicly when or whether the Mystics will leave CareFirst Arena.
Atlanta Keeps Adding Dates Downtown
The Dream play most home games at Gateway Center Arena at College Park, a 3,500-seat building and the smallest home venue in the league. Atlanta announced five games at State Farm Arena in March and added a sixth on June 17, the Aug. 3 game against the Las Vegas Aces. No other team has scheduled more games at an alternate venue this season.
State Farm Arena seats 17,608 for basketball. The Dream have sold out 50 straight regular-season games across the two buildings. The sellout streak covers three seasons. Atlanta went 30-14 last year. No Dream team has finished with a better winning percentage.
Connecticut's Last Summer in New England
Fertitta Entertainment agreed in March to buy the Connecticut Sun for $300 million, the largest sale price in WNBA history. The WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors approved the sale and relocation unanimously on May 13. The franchise will play at Toyota Center as the Houston Comets beginning in 2027, ending a 23-year run in Connecticut.
Sun president Jen Rizzotti and general manager Morgan Tuck will remain with the organization during the transition.
Connecticut plays most of its final season at Mohegan Sun Arena, which seats 8,910. Two home games were moved to PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, and the Sun host the Los Angeles Sparks at TD Garden on Aug. 18. The franchise's first Boston game, in 2024, sold out at 19,156.
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