Indiana Fever's first Toronto game moves to Scotiabank Arena as Caitlin Clark Effect drives record WNBA interest

The Toronto Tempo will host the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena — a move driven by the league's unprecedented surge in attendance since Caitlin Clark entered the WNBA in 2024.

Before Clark was drafted first overall three years ago, the WNBA had no million-dollar contracts and no expansion plans. A league jersey was a rare sighting in North American cities, and accessing game broadcasts required considerable effort. But in the three seasons since, the league has erupted as both a sport and cultural phenomenon, with five new expansion teams planned and franchise values climbing.

The Fever are the most-watched team in the league by a significant margin. Even before playing in Toronto, teams had begun relocating future games against Indiana to larger venues to accommodate demand. Clark's first season set the single-season assists record with 337 and the single-game assists record with 19. She also broke the rookie scoring record with 769 points. After a sophomore season plagued with injury, she has rebounded in 2026: she is third in the league with 22 points per game and first in assists with 8.3.

Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello said the team welcomes the attention. "I know more eyes are on us. More people are going to start, you know, clickbaiting and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, we're special because of our players and the product that we have," she said after Monday's practice.

Guard Marina Mabrey added: "For women's sports in general, it's awesome to see Scotiabank Arena filled out, regardless of who we are playing." The Tempo face Indiana at 7 p.m. Tuesday.