Countdown begins for Wings’ move to AAC

By Josh Ortega

The Dallas Wings have called North Texas home since 2016. Since the team’s rebrand to the Metroplex, the Wings have spent the past 11 straight seasons playing at the College Park Center in Arlington. Next season, the team will have a new home for the 2027 season right in the heart of Dallas at the American Airlines Center. Both the team and venue announced the move Monday.

Since the team relocated from Tulsa in 2016, the Wings have played four games at the AAC, two of which were played this season. In the team’s debut game against the visiting Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center last June, more than 20,000 fans attended.  The contest shattered attendance records for both the team and the league as the eighth largest game ever to be played in front of a crowd of that size in WNBA history. In a statement, Dallas Wings CEO and Managing Partner Greg Bibb spoke of the move:

“Today’s announcement marks a pivotal step in the team’s relocation to Dallas as well as our continued growth as a professional sports enterprise,” Bibb said in a statement announcing the team’s move to the venue. “American Airlines Center is a world-class venue in the heart of Dallas providing the spaces and amenities our athletes deserve while delivering an incredible environment for our growing and passionate fan base. We would like to thank Dave Brown and his talented team at American Airlines Center for all of their work in making AAC the new home of the Dallas Wings.”

He went on to thank John Hall, Chris Fulton and the staff at College Park Center for their decade-plus partnership. “When the team moved to North Texas in 2016, the City of Arlington and University of Texas-Arlington welcomed us and provided an incredible venue for our athletes, coaches, staff, partners and fans. College Park Center has always felt like home, and that is a credit to the people and the partnership, along with the building itself.”

According to the Dallas Business Journal, the Wings’ initial partnership with the College Park Center had expired in 2025, but the team inked a one-year extension for the 2026 season. However, in 2024, the team signed a 15-year use agreement with the City of Dallas with plans to play at the renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium less than two miles away from the American Airlines Center, but construction delays have forced the team to temporarily relocate to the AAC for next season. General Manager of American Airlines Center Dave Brown spoke of the excitement of the venue being a part of the team’s continued success in a statement.

“American Airlines Center is proud to serve as the home of the Dallas Wings, and we look forward to being part of the continued growth and excitement surrounding women’s sports,” said Brown. “We have tremendous respect for the organization’s leadership, the talent and dedication of its players, and the bright future of the franchise in Dallas. We’re honored to be part of the Wings’ journey and remain committed to supporting the team and its continued success.”

The venue is still home to both the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars until both teams’ leases expire in 2031, as both franchises announced earlier in the summer plans to leave the AAC and build new arenas north of Downtown Dallas. The Wings are also still in the midst of construction downtown of a new training facility in West Oak Cliff to serve as the team’s primary training and performance center in the near future. With the 2026 WNBA season just past the midway point of the year, the Wings find themselves 19-13 and fourth in the Western Conference, six and a half games behind Minnesota, who sit at the top of the table.

Dallas is headlined by former 2025 first overall pick, second-year guard Paige Bueckers, who leads the team in scoring with 20 points per game, which ranks top 10 in the WNBA in scoring. Bueckers has played the fifth most minutes a night across all players in the WNBA while being well in the race for MVP. The Wings also boast veteran guard Arike Ogunbowale and 2026 first overall pick Azzi Fudd. Free agency additions Jess Shephard and Alanna Smith, among others, have played pivotal roles throughout the season including a stretch in which Dallas won seven games of the team’s nine games in the month of July.

The Wings are currently in the midst of trying to regain some of that form, with one win in the team’s last five games to end the month and start August. It is in this month that Dallas will have one of seven remaining home games at the American Airlines Center on August 20 against the visiting Indiana Fever.

With the season winding down, the Wings will look to punch their ticket to the postseason while remaining firmly in the playoff push for the first time since 2023. Season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase and select seats for the 2027 season at the American Airlines Center this coming week.