As per the newly unveiled schedule, the Indiana Fever will open their 2026 regular season against the Dallas Wings on May 9. But that won’t be the first time the two teams face each other this year.

According to the latest update from Indiana, the team will play two preseason games. First, Indy will travel to New York to face the NY Liberty on April 25, just six days after training camp opens on April 19.

Then, it will return home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to take on the Dallas Wings on April 30, offering an early preview of the rivalry before the regular-season opener.

So there would be a glimpse of a high-stakes season opener before 9th May. Notably, Wings vs. Fever is already one of the most-watched and highest-attended series in the WNBA. Their four-game series in 2025 produced some of the highest TV ratings in league history. Even their July 13 showdown featuring CC vs. PB for the first time at WNBA averaged 2.1 million viewers on ABC.

And even the Attendance numbers told the same story. Across four games, nearly 18,000 fans packed arenas, highlighted by a franchise-record 20,409 fans at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 27. 

So based on past trends alone, the upcoming matchup is expected to be a hit. But this time, there’s even more intrigue.

Why is Indiana Fever vs Dallas Wings highly anticipated?

Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers met twice during their collegiate run. They collided first during the 2021 Sweet 16 and then at the 2024 Final Four.

Ever since their clash was highly anticipated, until the two faced each other on 13th July at the WNBA last year. It was when Indy defeated Wings by 102-83.

So this upcoming preseason game would be their second game in the series. But that's not the only storyline as the game would feature consecutive No. 1 overall draft picks on both sides.

Indy's AB and CC will go head-to-head with PB and Wings' upcoming No. 1 pick. So, no doubt, it would be a must-see game.

Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu