13
Oct
2026-27 Season
WNBL fixture 2026-27: every WNBL27 game, time and how to watch
Geelong Venom’s Bec Cole and Tasmania Jewels’ Darcee Garbin pose during an NBL and WNBL media opportunity at the Virgin Australia Perth Hangar in Perth on May 22, 2026. Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images for NBL.
Jade Melbourne returns to Canberra plus Tasmania Jewels prepare for their historic WNBL debut.
- WNBL27 Roster Tracker: Every move in free agency
- Jade Melbourne back in Victoria with Izzy Borlase's Bendigo
- Fire up! No wait for WNBL26 Grand Final rematch
The WNBL27 season tips off on Thursday, October 15, when expansion club the Tasmania Jewels play their first WNBL game, against the Geelong Venom at MyState Bank Arena in Hobart (7pm AEDT).
Darcee Garbin will captain the Jewels on the night, with Steph Reid and Keely Froling alongside her in the club's first leadership group.
Every WNBL27 game is live and free on 9Now and on ESPN via Disney+, and the season brings a five-team finals series including an elimination final, plus Indigenous Round, Mental Health Round, Pride Round and HoopsFest in Perth.
Two players signed for WNBL27 will spend the Opening Round in America instead. Jewels import Madina Okot and reigning WNBL MVP Isobel Borlase are with the Atlanta Dream, who open the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco on Sunday, October 18 (AEDT). The best-of-seven series can run to November 1.
That means Bendigo start without their MVP when they meet the UC Capitals at AIS Arena on Saturday, the day Australian Opals star Jade Melbourne returns to the club she left after six years.
"We respect Jade for choosing a different path in her career," Capitals coach Paul Goriss said in comments published by the club.
"But we can't worry about who's not here."
Geelong arrive in Hobart as pre-season winners, after taking out the Townsville Tip-Off with Maddy Rocci named MVP. Bec Cole returns in Venom colours after missing WNBL26, alongside Chinese imports Han Xu and Wanglai Zhang.
Perth's season has been reshaped by injury. Sami Whitcomb is out of the entire WNBL27 season with the knee that also cost her the World Cup in Berlin, and the Lynx moved within 24 hours to sign Georgia Amoore, the Ballarat point guard taken sixth in the 2025 WNBA draft. She joins Anneli Maley, whose New York Liberty season ended in the WNBA semi-finals on Saturday, for a Grand Final rematch against reigning champions the Townsville Fire on Saturday (7pm AEDT, 4pm AWST).
Chinese national team guard Wang Siyu, known as Rainy, debuts for the Southside Melbourne Flyers against Sydney on Friday night, while sisters Nyadiew and Manuela Puoch line up together at Canberra, Nyadiew arriving from her rookie WNBA season with the Portland Fire and Manuela from Southside.
Courtney Woods leads a largely unchanged Townsville squad featuring Alicia Froling, Alex Fowler, Abbey Ellis and Chloe Forster. The Fire play twice, in Perth on Saturday and in Adelaide on Tuesday. Steph Talbot is due back from the WNBA to lead the Lightning, who also play twice, after her Las Vegas Aces were swept out of the semi-finals on Saturday. Sydney are the third club with a double.
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