Women's Pro Baseball League inaugural season announced for 2026
The Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL) announced that its inaugural season is scheduled for the summer of 2026. The plan is a six-team league, with the participants mostly based in the north-eastern United States.
"The WPBL will re-write history by creating an elite league that provides the world's best female players with the platform they deserve and serve as a catalyst for creating a women's baseball culture in America," stated the league's official website.
The announcement comes on the back of a thrilling ninth edition of the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup, which saw Japan claim their seventh straight title in Thunder Bay, Canada in July.
A documentary made by Grassroots Baseball called “See Her Be Her,” which highlights some of the landmark moments in women’s baseball including the WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup and which celebrates the female trailblazers of the AAGPBL, the Negro Leagues and even Little League, also premiered on the MLB Network over the weekend.
Women's baseball pioneer and WBSC Diversity & Inclusivity Commission member Justine Siegal teamed up with lawyer and businessman Keith Stein to co-found the league.
"I am so excited that there will finally be a professional women's baseball league – it is a dream come true for all the girls and women who play America's Pastime," commented Siegal. "The WPBL is here for all the girls and women who dream of a place to showcase their talents and play the game they love," she added. "We have been waiting over 70 years for a professional baseball league we can call our own. Our time is now."
"We believe that the success of other women's professional leagues, such as the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA, founded in 1986) and the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL, founded in 2012), demonstrates the incredible interest and support for women's sport," commented Stein.
Women's baseball legend Ayami Sato and Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series-winning manager Cito Gaston serve as special advisors.
Sato, who dominated international women's baseball with her curveball, has always been an advocate of women's league. "It's not fair to compare how women and men play. The game's speed is different," Sato said through an interpreter during a WBSC Women's Baseball World Cup 2018 interview.
Malaika Underwood, who was USA's captain at the time and is currently on the coaching staff, reinforced the point: "Women who play baseball with men are always going to be exceptions. We need to find more playing spaces for women's baseball."
Siegal referred to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), the first professional women's baseball league. It was founded by Philip K. Wrigley and existed from 1943 to 1954.
The 1993 movie A League of Their Own, directed by Penny Marshall and starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna, made the league known worldwide. The AAGPL Player's Association is dedicated to preserving its history.