The PWHL is officially expanding to Detroit, bringing top-level women’s professional hockey to one of the sport’s most historic cities beginning with the 2026–27 season.
The new team will play its home games at Little Caesars Arena, the home of the Detroit Pistons and Red Wings. The league’s regular season typically runs from late November to April, followed by playoffs in May.
Detroit’s addition to the league comes after three successful PWHL Takeover Tour stops at Little Caesars Arena over the last several years, which demonstrated the city’s appetite for the sport. Despite Detroit’s long-standing reputation as a hockey market, the city has not previously had a professional women’s hockey franchise.
The expansion also adds another layer to an already packed Detroit sports calendar, with 13-15 home games per season, depending on the schedule and any Takeover Tours. While the PWHL season will overlap with the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Pistons, and the closing stretch of the Detroit Lions season, it also gives fans access to a level of professional women’s hockey the city has never had before. For longtime hockey supporters and newer fans alike, the league creates another way to engage with Detroit’s sports culture during the winter months.
In many ways, the expansion both fills a gap and strengthens Detroit’s identity as a hockey city. With growing momentum behind women’s sports nationwide, Detroit now becomes part of the next chapter of professional women’s hockey’s growth.
Next steps
Fans interested in becoming season ticket members can place deposits through the team’s official interest form. Deposits are non-refundable and are $50 per seat, with a maximum of eight seats per account. If season tickets aren’t purchased, the deposit can be applied towards another PWHL Detroit ticket product during the 2026–27 season, per the interest form. There have been over 4,000 season ticket deposits just over 24 hours after the team’s announcement.
Deposits are time-stamped, so the earlier you sign up, the earlier your selection window will be for picking seats. In addition, fans who place a deposit by Sunday, May 10 will get access to a presale for the 2026 PWHL draft, which will take place in Detroit. So if this is something of interest to you, it pays to sign up right away.
