The first home game of the defending WNBA champion, Las Vegas Aces, against the Los Angeles Sparks, will take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, at the Michelob Ultra Arena within Mandalay Bay.
The WNBA champion Aces, unsurprisingly, kick off the season as the +160 favorites to win the WNBA title at Station Casinos, according to Nevada sports betting apps. Meanwhile, the 2022 WNBA runner-up, Connecticut Sun, is the second favorite with odds of +325.
New WNBA schedule in 2025
In 2025, the first home game for the season will be the champs’ third match. The Las Vegas team will kick off the season by defending its championship on the road, with games in Seattle and Los Angeles respectively.
The Aces will be playing six of their initial eight games of the 2025 WNBA season on the road. This is a break from the five-year tradition of defending WNBA champions not starting the season on the road. The Aces’ longest series of consecutive home games will be from June 24 to July 5, comprising five games. This is a step up from the previous season when the longest home stand was four games.
| When | Vs. | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Noon, Saturday, May 20 | Seattle Storm | Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle |
| 7 p.m., Thursday, May 25 | Los Angeles Sparks | Crypto.com Arena, LA |
| 6 p.m. Saturday, May 27 | Los Angeles Sparks | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 6 p.m. Sunday, May 28 | Minnesota Lynx | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 4:30 p.m. Friday, June 2 | Atlanta Dream | Gateway Center Arena, Atlanta |
| 1 p.m. Sunday, June 4 | Indiana Fever | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis |
| 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 6 | Connecticut Sun | Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT |
| 4 p.m. Thursday, June 8 | Connecticut Sun | Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT |
| Noon Sunday, June 11 | Chicago Sky | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 7 p.m. Thursday, June 15 | Seattle Storm | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 6 p.m. Sunday, June 18 | Minnesota Lynx | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 21 | Phoenix Mercury | Footprint Center, Phoenix |
| 6 p.m. Saturday, June 24 | Indiana Fever | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 7 p.m. Monday, June 26 | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 7 p.m. Thursday, June 29 | New York Liberty | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| Noon Saturday, July 1 | Connecticut Sun | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 5 | Dallas Wings | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 5 p.m. Friday, July 7 | Dallas Wings | College Park Center, Arlington, TX |
| 4 p.m. Sunday, July 9 | Minnesota Lynx | Target Center, Minneapolis |
| 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 11 | Phoenix Mercury | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 12 | Las Angeles Sparks | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles |
| 7 p.m. Thursday, July 22 | Minnesota Lynx | Target Center, Minneapolis |
| 5 p.m. Saturday, July 22 | Minnesota Lynx | Target Center, Minneapolis |
| 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 25 | Chicago Sky | Wintrust Arena, Chicago |
| 3 p.m. Sunday, July 30 | Dallas Wings | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1 | Atlanta Dream | |
| Noon Sunday, Aug. 6 | New York Liberty | Barclays Center, Brooklyn |
| 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8 | Dallas Wings | College Park Center, Arlington, TX |
| 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11 | Washington Mystics | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 13 | Atlanta Dream | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17 | New York Liberty | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| Noon Saturday, Aug. 19 | Los Angeles Sparks | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22 | Atlanta Dream | Gateway Center Arena, Atlanta |
| 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24 | Chicago Sky | Wintrust Arena, Chicago |
| 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26 | Washington Mystics | Entertainment and Sports Arena, Washington, DC |
| 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28 | New York Liberty | Barclays Center, Brooklyn |
| 7 p.m.Thursday, Aug. 31 | Washington Mystics | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2 | Seattle Storm | Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas |
| 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8 | Phoenix Mercury | Footprint Center, Phoenix |
| Noon Sunday, Sept. 10 | Phoenix Mercury | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas |
The WNBA has expanded its schedule from 36 to 40 games, making this season the longest ever. However, not all home games are scheduled to be held at the same venue.
This season, Las Vegas will host 19 home games at Mandalay Bay. The Aces’ final game of the season will be held at T-Mobile Arena, where they will face the Phoenix Mercury on September 10.
The Aces won’t face the Sun until June, when they have back-to-back games against each other. The first match is in Connecticut on June 6th. Two days later, the Aces will host the Sun in Las Vegas on June 8th.
This season, the Aces will play the majority of their opponents four times. However, they will only play Washington, Indiana, Connecticut and Chicago three times each.
Though the regular season will undergo changes, the WNBA Playoffs will retain their usual structure. They will still feature three series-play rounds, adhering to a best-of-3-5-5 format as before.
You can find the full home and road schedule for the Aces here.
Not happy about Las Vegas schedule
At least two superstars, Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson, have expressed their displeasure about the 2025 Aces schedule. Both have commented on the WNBA champions commencing their season on the road.
Plum communicated to Yahoo:
“The first two games are played on the road. I’m not sure if this is the norm for champions.”
Wilson expressed similar thoughts, tweeting:
“How do the champions manage to play on the road for the first few games of the season?”
Although it’s not common for champions to start their season on the road recently, it has happened before. In fact, six out of the 24 WNBA champions have started their season away from home.
Nonetheless, since the Minnesota Lynx in 2014, no WNBA champion has initiated the season away from home.
Two WNBA champions, despite feeling disrespected by the league, are presumably more pleased about the sportsbook oddsmakers as they approach the 2025 season.
WNBA championship futures at Nevada sports betting apps
The Westgate SuperBook was the pioneer Nevada sportsbook to provide 2025 WNBA championship futures odds in September. The Aces kick-started the season as 9/4 favorites to reassert their victory in the WNBA championship in the upcoming season.
The Aces continue to have the shortest odds at Nevada sportsbooks to win the WNBA title next season, showing little change.
- Aces +160 in Las Vegas
- Connecticut Sun are at +325 odds.
- Seattle Storm are at +600.
- Chicago Sky are at +600 odds.
- Washington Mystics are at +600.
- New York Liberty is at +900.
- Phoenix Mercury are at +1200 odds.
- Dallas Wings are at +1500 odds.
- Minnesota Lynx are at +2500 odds.
- Atlanta Dream is at +2800.
- Los Angeles Sparks are at +4000.
- Indiana Fever is at +5000 odds.
The Aces kick off their 2025 season by playing games against teams with high and low odds. The season begins with Las Vegas on the road, first playing against the Storm in Seattle (6-1) and then against the Sparks in Los Angeles (40-1).
The Aces’ home opener in Las Vegas is against the Sparks, with the Aces expected to be the favorite for the first home game.
Road to repeating for Aces superstars
The heart of the 2022 WNBA champion team, the Aces, is set to return for the 2025 season. This encompasses award-winning athletes and a renowned coach. The subsequent Aces stars are confirmed for the 2025 season:
- A’ja Wilson, the Regular Season MVP of 2022
- 2022 Finals MVP, Chelsea Gray
- 2022 All-Star Game MVP, Kelsey Plum
- 2022 Most Improved Player, Jackie Young
- 2022 Coach of the Year, Becky Hammond
Having a roster filled with consistent star players and the league’s best coach could potentially spark another WNBA championship win for Las Vegas.
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