How to Watch WNBA Games for Free With Sling Freestream
The WNBA is back and bigger than ever. Here’s how to watch WNBA games for free with ION on Sling Freestream!
Question: What do foul shots and Friday night WNBA games on ION have in common? Answer: You get two of them for free.
The WNBA’s Friday Night Doubleheaders on ION will be available all season long for free with Sling Freestream. Beginning with the season-opening doubleheader on Friday, May 8, ION will broadcast the most WNBA games in the 2026 season – 50 in total.
The first night sets the template for the season: Fans can catch the Connecticut Sun take on the New York Liberty or catch the very first game from the WNBA’s newest team as the Toronto Tempo host the Washington Mystics (both games are at 7:30pm ET). That’s followed at 10pm ET by the Golden State Valkyries visiting the pacific northwest as Flau'jae Johnson makes her Seattle Storm debut.
Here’s everything you need to know to watch the WNBA for free on ION with Sling Freestream.
How to Watch ION with Sling Freestream
If you’re reading this, you can watch ION with Sling Freestream by turning your focus to the video player embedded above this sentence. But if you’d prefer to watch on your mobile device or TV, there’s no hard feelings. Simply use the link below to create a Sling Freestream account, then download the Sling app and sign in using your credentials.
What is the WNBA Schedule on ION?
ION will have back-to-back WNBA games every Friday night from Friday, May 16 to Friday, Sept. 5 (Click here for the full schedule of WNBA games on ION). There are just a few things to keep in mind: First, similar to the NFL, the games you’ll see depend on the local market you live in. So, for example, if you live in the Chicago area, you’ll see the Sky play the Phoenix Mercury on May 15; everyone else will see the Tempo play the Sparks. Follow this link for more information on ION’s national, regional, and local WNBA coverage.
What Other Channels Carry WNBA Games?
With the new 2026 CBA, players can afford to buy new houses. The league itself has some new homes in 2026, as NBC and USA Network have joined the WNBA as broadcast partners. Sling will have games from the following networks on our paid tier:
- ABC / ESPN / ESPN2: 30 regular-season games between the three channels, plus key tentpole events like the WNBA Draft and the All-Star Game.
- Watch ESPN / ESPN2 games with a Sling Orange or Sling Essentials subscription, or with a 1, 3 or 7 Day Pass subscription. ABC is available with Sling Blue in designated markets.
- NBC: Sunday afternoon and primetime games, plus the 2026 WNBA Finals.
- NBC is available with Sling Select or Sling Blue in designated markets.
- USA Network: The second-largest slate with 48 games, mostly on Wednesday and Monday nights.
- USA is available with Sling Blue.
- NBA TV: Continues its long-standing coverage with a 15-game slate focused on key matchups and expansion team debuts.
- Watch by subscribing to Sports Extras.
For more information on how to order the WNBA League Pass with Sling, follow this link.