Bueckers, Wings defeat Tempo 108-95 at Bell Centre, set WNBA attendance record

MONTREAL — The WNBA’s regular-season game attendance record was set Friday by a city that doesn’t have a team.

The 20,996 who showed up to Montreal’s Bell Centre showed support for the women’s pro basketball league, even when the home team was from Toronto.

The expansion Tempo are Canada’s lone WNBA team and want to represent the country.

Montreal’s record-setting crowd was a statement by a city whose support for basketball went from bubbling under the surface to a full boil. It hardly mattered that the injury-riddled Tempo lost 108-95 to the Dallas Wings.

The WNBA’s previous attendance record was 20,711 set in Washington, D.C. in 2024 at Capital One Arena.

“I said to the team today what a unique opportunity this is. We’re creating firsts. We say we’re Canada’s team so we’re taking the show on the road,” said Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello. “I always say, a fan has to just come and watch one game and they’ll fall in love with the game because it is the very best players in the world.”

Coaching Canada’s first WNBA team was part of what attracted Brondello to the job.

“Being the only team in Canada, it’s a responsibility for us and how cool is that,” she said. “We get to be seen all over Canada. We want to make sure we can come out tonight and celebrate the WNBA and celebrate the Tempo with our new fans.”

The majority of fans cheered for the Tempo, but there was a contingent of University of Connecticut and Dallas jerseys for Wings all-star Paige Bueckers, who scored a game-high 34 points.

The first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft is one of the league’s stars, and had fans collect at the gate near the Wings tunnel.

“It’s really special for Canada and for the Toronto Tempo franchise,” said Dallas head coach Jose Fernandez. “It just shows the trajectory of where the WNBA is and what the franchise in Toronto is doing for basketball fans in Canada.”

For the Tempo players, the game was another milestone in their expansion season.

“It’s always a blessing,” said Tempo forward Isabelle Harrison, who noted she heard some fans calling Bueckers’ name.

“It’s been years in the making. It’s bigger than us, and I hope Canada’s proud of us.”

The Tempo are an international squad with players and coaches representing nine different countries.

The team’s delayed flight to Montreal meant little time to explore the city, but players planned to do so Saturday before Sunday’s game against the New York Liberty back at the Bell Centre.

The Liberty boast 2020 first overall draft pick Sabrina Ionescu.

The Tempo’s ownership group includes Montreal Canadiens owner and president Geoff Molson and alternate governor France Margaret Belanger.

The WNBA games in Montreal open the door to the notion of a team there permanently, and a rivalry between Toronto and Montreal in yet another sport.

“We were joking in the morning that maybe we should move here because of the arena,” said Tempo guard Laura Juskaite. “Twenty thousand people… it’s so nice. It would be great to have two teams in Canada.”

The Tempo play four home games outside of Toronto in its inaugural season. They host the Portland Fire on Aug. 21 and the Las Vegas Aces on Aug. 23 at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.

Toronto dropped a fourth straight game for its longest losing streak.

Jessica Shepard scored 20 points and a game-high 17 rebounds for Dallas (15-8). Bueckers added six rebounds and six assists.

Marina Mabrey led the Tempo (9-13) with 34 points. Juskaite added 25 for Toronto in the loss.

It was a back-and-forth battle between two teams battling for the second time in five days, with the Wings winning both. Dallas outscored Toronto 24-10 in the fourth quarter to pull away.

All-stars Bueckers and Mabrey went shot-for-shot in a third quarter of six lead changes. Bueckers scored 11 points while Mabrey had 13.

Toronto held a one-point lead after three quarters and led 56-52 at halftime.

Montreal’s Bell Centre also holds the record for the highest regular-season game attendance in the Professional Women’s Hockey League at 21,105 set April 20, 2024, in a game between Toronto and Montreal.

Up next

Tempo: Host the New York Liberty in Montreal on Sunday.

Wings: Host the Chicago Sky on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2026.

Jared Book, The Canadian Press