The Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) has announced New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco as the host cities for its four inaugural teams, setting the stage for the league’s debut in 2026. This marks the first professional baseball league for women in the United States since the trailblazing All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) folded in 1954 after a decade of filling grandstands during World War II. For the first time in over 70 years, female athletes will step onto the diamond as pros, chasing dreams under the lights in some of America’s most passionate baseball markets.
The WPBL, co-founded by Justine Siegal—the first woman to coach for an MLB team with the Oakland Athletics in 2015—and lawyer Keith Stein, with guidance from World Series-winning manager Cito Gaston, was established to bridge a glaring gap in the sport. “Each of these cities are storied sports cities, and we can’t wait to connect with the fans who live there and baseball fans across the country,” Siegal said in a statement following the announcement. The league’s mission is clear: to honor baseball’s heritage while propelling it forward, giving women a rightful place on the professional stage.
The selection of New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco wasn’t arbitrary. These East and West Coast powerhouses were chosen for their massive markets—home to over 35 million residents combined—and their unwavering baseball fervor, ensuring a built-in audience eager for fresh rivalries. As WPBL leadership put it, “These four cities represent everything the WPBL stands for—heritage, community, and opportunity. They’re iconic baseball towns that share our belief that women deserve a place in professional baseball.”
The WPBL’s inaugural season kicks off in 2026 with a streamlined four-team format—down from an initial plan for six—to focus on quality and momentum. Each squad will roster 15 players, competing in a regular season followed by playoffs and a championship showdown, complete with an All-Star Game. To keep logistics tight for year one, all games will unfold at a yet-to-be-revealed neutral venue, allowing the league to build buzz without the complexities of multiple stadium deals.
Player selection ramps up next month with a virtual draft in mid-November 2025, drawing from the top 100 candidates who shone at summer tryouts in Washington, D.C.’s Nationals Park. Over 600 women vied for spots, a testament to pent-up talent. Standouts include Mo’ne Davis, the former Little League phenom whose 70 mph fastball at age 13 equated to a 93 mph MLB heater; Kelsie Whitmore, a USA Baseball alum with a 1.35 ERA who broke barriers as the first woman to start and pitch in an Atlantic League game in 2022; and Japanese hurler Ayami Sato, adding international flair. The U.S. women’s national team, fresh off a runner-up finish in the 2024 Women’s Baseball World Cup, boasts a deep talent pool primed for pro action.
Broadcasting plans are still crystallizing, but the league eyes partnerships inspired by the Athletes Unlimited Softball League’s ESPN deal earlier this year, which aired 18 games and drew MLB investment. Siegal envisions “passion” on display: “You know our women, they love the game so much… here we are living out our dreams. So it’s going to be just fantastic.”
This revival isn’t happening in a vacuum. The AAGPBL, immortalized in the 1992 film A League of Their Own, fielded teams like the Rockford Peaches and Milwaukee Chicks from 1943 to 1954, drawing 1 million fans in its peak year amid the men’s wartime absence. But post-war, societal shifts and the return of MLB talent spelled its end. For decades, women like Whitmore toiled in independent leagues or abroad, their pro dreams deferred.
WPBL chair Assia Grazioli-Venier has voiced astonishment at baseball’s lag in gender equity compared to basketball or soccer. The response to the announcement? Overwhelmingly positive, with messages flooding in from young girls and mothers: “Thank you for making this possible.” It’s a movement, not just a league—coexisting with softball as distinct paths for female athletes.
As the draft looms, the WPBL is poised for growth beyond these four cities, with expansion on the horizon to cement its national footprint. From neutral-site showdowns in 2026 to packed local stadiums in future seasons, the league promises to redefine what’s possible on the diamond.
In Siegal’s words, this is about more than games—it’s about legacy. A new chapter of baseball is unfolding.
