July 10, 2026 [Montreal, QC] – The Toronto Tempo made WNBA history on Friday night, setting a new league regular season attendance record as 20,996 fans packed the Bell Centre in Montreal to watch the Tempo take on the Dallas Wings.

The crowd surpassed the previous WNBA regular season attendance record of 20,711, set by the Washington Mystics at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. in 2024, establishing a new benchmark for the league andunderscoring the extraordinary momentum behind women’s basketball in Canada.

The historic night represents another milestone in the Tempo’s inaugural season and reinforces the organization’s vision of becoming Canada’s Team, bringing world-class women’s basketball to fans from coast to coast.

 ”Tonight was about so much more than breaking a record”, said Tempo President Teresa Resch. “Seeing more than 20,000 fans come together in Montreal to set a new WNBA regular-season attendance record is a powerful statement about the future of women’s basketball in Canada. From day one, we’ve believed this team could unite fans across the country, and tonight they showed the world what’s possible. This moment belongs to every fan who filled the Bell Centre, every player who inspired the next generation, and everyone who believed Canada was ready for this. We’re incredibly proud, deeply grateful, and even more excited about what’s ahead.”

The Bell Centre games are part of the Tempo’s Cross-Canada Series, presented by CIBC and Sephora, with the goal to bring the WNBA to communities across the country. In addition to Montreal, the Tempo will host regular season games in Vancouver later this summer, extending the team’s reach beyond Toronto and creating opportunities for more Canadians to experience the WNBA live. The Montreal games are made even more meaningful through the leadership of Tempo owners Geoff Molson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe CH, and France Margaret Bélanger, President of Groupe CH Sports and Entertainment, whose commitment to growing women’s basketball has helped bring this historic event to the Bell Centre.

“Tonight’s record attendance at the Bell Centre highlights once more the passion for basketball in the Montreal market and speaks to the appetite local fans have to see the game played at the highest level” said France Margaret Bélanger, President, Groupe CH Sports and Entertainment. “We’re honoured to have been a part of this achievement and look forward to continuing to help grow the game here in the months and years ahead.”

The celebration continues on Saturday, July 11, with Tempo Live, the team’s free fan festival at the Bell Centre. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., fans can participate in the Ball Her Way x CIBC Girls Clinic, meet Tempo players and members of the organization, watch a 3×3 basketball tournament presented in partnership with the Mathurin Family Foundation, enjoy live entertainment, dance performances, a DJ, family-friendly activities, shop the official Tempo merchandise store, and see the Montreal Victoire’s championship trophy on display.

The Tempo return to the Bell Centre on Sunday, July 12, when they host the New York Liberty in the second game of the Montreal series. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Tickets for Sunday’s game are available through Ticketmaster.

About Toronto Tempo

In May 2024, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced its expansion into Canada by awarding Toronto an expansion team, the league’s first outside the United States. The new team, controlled by Kilmer Sports Ventures, will begin play in the 2026 season as the WNBA’s 14th franchise. Sephora Canada and CIBC are the team’s first announced founding partners. Larry Tanenbaum is Chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures and a 30-year veteran of building championship-caliber teams.

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