Bay Area Lands 2027 WNBA All-Star Game, Extending Major-Event Streak

San Francisco's run as a premier sports destination continues. Mayor Daniel Lurie joined WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert, Golden State Warriors and Valkyries Co-Executive Chairman and CEO Joe Lacob, and Valkyries President Jess Smith at Chase Center to announce the Bay Area will host the 2027 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game — the latest in a string of marquee events the city has landed in consecutive years.

• Golden State Valkyries and Chase Center awarded the 2027 WNBA All-Star Game, the first time the Bay Area has hosted the event
• Commissioner Engelbert calls the Valkyries a "blueprint" for WNBA expansion, citing back-to-back playoff appearances — an all-time expansion record — as the model for new franchises in Portland, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia
• Mayor Lurie pledges full city support, framing the announcement alongside the NBA All-Star Game, Super Bowl 60 and six FIFA World Cup matches as evidence San Francisco is "a city on the rise"
• Lacob describes a "full circle moment" three decades after the collapse of the ABL's San Jose Lasers

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WNBA's Newest Franchise Gets Its Biggest Stage

Why it matters: The All-Star Game will bring national broadcast attention, tourism dollars and community programming to the Bay Area, reinforcing a deliberate civic strategy of stacking world-class sporting events to boost the city's economic and branding profile. For the WNBA, placing its showcase in a market it entered only two seasons ago is a strong signal of confidence in the league's growth trajectory.

Where things stand: WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert opened the press conference by praising how quickly the Valkyries established themselves. "The Valkyries have created an incredible blueprint for what that can look like. A blueprint that you can now see in Portland and Toronto and that will carry forward with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia over the next few years," she said, positioning the franchise as proof of concept for the league's aggressive expansion plans.

Engelbert noted that the Bay Area — the nation's tech and innovation hub — had never previously hosted a WNBA All-Star Game, calling the omission long overdue. She highlighted the team's record-setting start: "Obviously Valks are only two years in, they made the playoffs both years already. That's an all-time record for an expansion team."

She also recalled attending the Valkyries' inaugural game at Chase Center: "It was the Valkyries' first game ever, and somehow it felt like this arena was filled with lifelong fans who had been following this league for 30 years."

Lacob's Full Circle: From the ABL to WNBA All-Star Host

Co-Executive Chairman and CEO Joe Lacob brought a personal lens, reflecting on his involvement with the San Jose Lasers in the American Basketball League — a women's professional league that folded in the late 1990s. "Because 30 years ago I was involved, as you said, in the ABL, which is a fledgling league, and in particular the San Jose Lasers. And that league did not make it," he said.

Now, with the Valkyries sitting second in the WNBA standings and fresh off signing free agent Gabby Williams, Lacob committed to delivering a premier event: "I think we intend to show out as well as we can and to put on a tremendous event for the city. I know our city will be ready. Our fans are incredible. They'll be ready."

City Hall All In on Sports-Driven Economic Strategy

Mayor Daniel Lurie positioned the announcement squarely within a broader economic pitch, rattling off the city's recent event resume: "We had the NBA All-Star Game last year. We had Super Bowl 60. Earlier this year we had six World Cup matches. And what we are so excited to do to show off to the WNBA fans across the world is that San Francisco is a city on the rise."

Lurie didn't hide his enthusiasm: "I have to say first I'm a fan. First I'm a sports nut. And when you walk into this building for a Valkyries game, it is unlike any experience."

He pledged full municipal backing — "We are going to go all out and we are going to show the world again that San Francisco and the Bay Area knows how to pull off world-class events" — and acknowledged a roster of elected officials on hand, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Supervisors Dorsey, Chen and Wong, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. The bipartisan, multi-city turnout underscored the regional scope of the event's expected economic impact.

Valkyries Aim to Take the All-Star Beyond Chase Center

Valkyries President Jess Smith emphasized that the organization intends to extend All-Star programming beyond the arena and throughout the broader Bay Area and Northern California, signaling a community-access approach rather than a single-venue spectacle.

"I want every single person in the Bay Area to remember 10 years from now, do you remember that 2027 All-Star Game? It was incredible," Smith said.

She described what has made the franchise's home games a draw: "The best way to describe it is it's joyful. You want to be here, it's enjoyable. You want to come back. And we know that when people come here for All-Star, they're going to want to come back."

What's next: The 2027 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game will take place at Chase Center during the Valkyries' third season. Specific dates, ticket information and community programming details have not yet been announced.