The recent surge in women’s professional sports leagues is set to continue with the announcement of a baseball league taking the field in the summer of 2026.
The Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) announced last week that they are aiming to throw out their first pitch in less than two years’ time. The league is co-founded by Justine Siegal, also the founder of Baseball for All and the first woman to coach a professional men’s baseball team and to pitch batting practice against a Major League Baseball team.
The logo on the league’s website depicts the letters in “WPBL” connected to each other, set in white on a black background. A baseball is depicted to the left of the W, aligned with the bottom of the letters. The league name is spelled to the right.
The WPBL is also using a secondary logo as their social media profile picture. This logo consists of the W from the league logo, along with the baseball. Unlike the website, though, the background on this logo is navy blue.
The WPBL will re-write history by creating an elite league that provides the world’s best female players with the platform they deserve and serve as a catalyst for the creation of a women’s baseball culture in America.
— WomensProBaseballLeague.com
“I am so excited that there will finally be a professional women’s baseball league – it is a dream come true for all the girls and women who play America’s Pastime,” Siegal said in a press release. “The Women’s Pro Baseball League is here for all the girls and women who dream of a place to showcase their talents and play the game they love. We have been waiting over 70 years for a professional baseball league we can call our own. Our time is now.”
The WPBL’s other co-founder is Keith Stein, a Toronto-based lawyer and businessman who also serves as CEO of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League. IBL players are college players and former professionals, and all nine teams are based in Southern Ontario.
“We believe that the success of other women’s professional leagues such as the WNBA and NWSL demonstrates the incredible interest and support for women’s sport,” Stein said.
Legendary Japanese pitcher Ayami Sato has joined the league as a special advisor, as has former Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston.
The WPBL said in its press release that it will launch in summer 2026 with six teams based largely in the northeastern United States. Team names and logos were not included in last week’s announcement. The league also hopes to have a national broadcasting deal in place by the time the first pitch is thrown.
More details about the league — including information for prospective team owners and players — is available on the WPBL website.
