By Tiffany Williams –
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Connecticut Sun are not easing into 2026. They are stepping straight into a spotlight.
The franchise announced it will play two preseason contests before the 2026 regular season, and one of them carries historic weight. Connecticut will travel north of the border to face the Toronto Tempo — one of the WNBA’s newest expansion teams — in what will be the first game in Tempo franchise history.
That’s not just another exhibition. That’s a moment.
The Sun will tip off against Toronto on Wednesday, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Coca-Cola Coliseum. It’s the first of four scheduled meetings between the two teams in 2026. The regular-season matchups are set for June 10 in Toronto and June 19 and September 24 in Connecticut. But make no mistake — April 29 is the headline. Expansion teams don’t get do-overs on opening impressions. Connecticut walks in as the measuring stick.
And that’s pressure on both sides.
For Toronto, it’s a debut. For the Sun, it’s a statement opportunity.
Connecticut isn’t just filling dates on a calendar. This franchise has built a reputation for taking the preseason seriously. Dating back to 2015, the Sun are 18-4 in preseason contests. That’s not accidental. That’s culture. That’s preparation. That’s a franchise that treats April like it’s August.
Four days after the Toronto showcase, the Sun return home to Mohegan Sun Arena to host the New York Liberty on Sunday, May 3 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Now we’re talking about a familiar Eastern Conference fight.
Last season, Connecticut traveled to New York for an exhibition matchup and came away with a 94-86 victory in Brooklyn. Preseason or not, beating the Liberty in their own building matters. And this latest clash will mark the Sun’s seventh preseason game against New York over the last nine seasons. Connecticut boasts a 5-1 record in those matchups.
That’s dominance. Quiet, steady dominance.
New York is one of the league’s marquee franchises. Big market. Big spotlight. Big expectations. And yet in preseason meetings over nearly a decade, Connecticut has had the upper hand. The numbers don’t lie: 5-1 over the last nine seasons in preseason matchups against the Liberty. Overall? 18-4 in preseason play since 2015.
You don’t stumble into that.
And this rivalry doesn’t end in May. Connecticut and New York will face off three times during the 2026 regular season, starting with the season opener at Barclays Center on Friday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET. That’s right — the Sun open their regular season on the road, under the lights, in Brooklyn.
If you’re looking for a tone-setter, that’s it.
Then comes the home opener. Connecticut opens regular-season action at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday, May 10 at 1:00 p.m. ET, hosting the Seattle Storm. No easing into the schedule. No soft landing. Just straight into competition.
The scheduling tells you something. The league believes in these matchups. Expansion buzz in Toronto. A heavyweight Eastern Conference rivalry with New York. A season opener in Brooklyn. A home opener against Seattle. This isn’t filler.
It’s positioning.
And from a competitive standpoint, the Toronto preseason game carries layers. Expansion teams historically face early growing pains. Chemistry, depth, identity — all of it has to be built from scratch. Connecticut walks into that environment with institutional stability and preseason success on its side.
The first-ever game in Tempo history will be against a franchise that knows how to win exhibitions.
That matters.
For Toronto fans, it’s a celebration. For the Sun, it’s business.
Then comes New York — a franchise that has been circling Connecticut in the standings and in postseason conversations for years. The Sun’s 5-1 preseason edge over the Liberty during the last nine seasons sends a message: this team prepares with intent.
Preseason records don’t hang banners. But they reveal habits.
And habits win games in May, June and beyond.
Ticket sales are already underway. Season tickets, partial plans, group packages and luxury suite experiences are on sale now through sun.wnba.com/tickets or by calling 1-877-SUN-TIXX. Single-game tickets for the preseason matchup and all regular-season games will be available through Ticketmaster at a later date.
That’s the business side. But on the court, the stakes are competitive.
April 29 in Toronto is about history — the first game in Tempo franchise history.
May 3 in Uncasville is about rivalry — another chapter in Connecticut versus New York.
May 8 in Brooklyn is about proving ground — the regular season opener.
May 10 at Mohegan Sun Arena is about defending home floor against Seattle.
Four dates. Four different storylines. One franchise looking to assert itself early.
The Sun aren’t drifting into 2026. They’re stepping into it with intention, with numbers to back them up, and with a preseason track record that suggests they won’t be sleepwalking through April.
Expansion team on the road. Liberty at home. Liberty again to open the season. Storm for the home opener.
No warm-up acts. Just stage lights.
And if history is any indication — 18-4 in preseason since 2015, 5-1 against New York in recent preseason meetings — Connecticut doesn’t show up to exhibitions to experiment.
They show up to win.