It will cost fans about double to watch the WNBA draft in person this year, thanks in large part to unprecedented demand for the second consecutive year the draft will be a seated event with fans in attendance.
The lowest-tier general admission ticket for the 2025 draft, held at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City, is $99 on Ticketmaster. A similar ticket to the same event last year, when stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were drafted at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, was $49.99. General admission tickets are sold out, according to the league.
The WNBA's premium ticket packages, which includes reserved seating and special access to draft night events, including in some cases access to the orange carpet that the draftees walk down, are almost sold out. Only the lowest-level "draftee" ticket package, which is $299 per person, was still available as of Friday afternoon.
The buzz around this year's draft stands in contrast to the 2023 draft, which hosted no fans and was open to only draftees, their families and league sponsors. It is also a continuation of the viewing trends across women's basketball. The women's championship game between UConn and South Carolina averaged 8.5 million viewers, the third-biggest audience since ESPN began carrying the tournament in 1996.
UConn star Paige Bueckers is expected to be the top pick in this year's draft.
Jess Smith, president of the expansion Golden State Valkyries, told ESPN earlier this year that she has noticed a marked increase in fan interest in the college game and its prospects.
"People follow superstars and follow talent, right? And the household names that now exist within women's sports, and specifically in women's basketball and the NCAA tournament, there's people that are coming up to me talking about the freshman class," Smith said. "And the fact that those are the questions being asked right now really point to such an incredible future of that continued growth in viewership and attendance."
According to Vivid Seats, WNBA ticket prices have increased 50% this season, rising from an average of $135 to $203.
The Dallas Wings hold the first pick in this year's draft, which will air on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.