The Washington Mystics have made intriguing venue changes before their matchups against some of the WNBA’s brightest stars. As point guard Caitlin Clark continues to draw hype and mainstream appeal over this offseason, she, alongside other superstars from the WNBA, are continuing to help this league grow.
Now, certain franchises are moving their games against Clark and stars like A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese to larger arenas to accommodate demand. Add the Mystics to the list for the 2025 season. However, in this franchise’s case, these clashes will happen at two venues.
According to Mystics Insider Tyler Braun, the organization has announced that four games will be relocated to split between EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, and CFG Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The Fever games on May 28 and September 7 will occur at the Maryland venue. The matchups with the Sky on July 8 and the Aces on July 10 will occur at Eaglebank Arena.
There is both a positive and negative spin to the relocation of these games for the Mystics
The Washington Mystics’ home venue is CareFirst Arena in Congress Heights. This location is over half an hour from the Fairfax venue by car and is about a 50-minute car ride to the Baltimore arena. Public transportation to either site will take at least a little less than two hours.
So, many Mystics fans in Congress Heights or those who are very comfortable commuting there will be largely inconvenienced by this decision. And the core fans of the Mystics should be rewarded as much as possible for their enduring loyalty. However, it goes without saying that the relocation of these events greatly reflects the WNBA’s growing popularity. And it’s not just Clark who is contributing to that rise.
Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson just launched her first Nike signature shoe. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese became the first female athlete to have a nationally recognized meal with a fast-food chain. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the Mystics made this decision.
EagleBank Arena has a maximum capacity of 10,000, and CFG Arena has a maximum capacity of 14,000. Both venues surpass CaseFirst’s 4,200 seats. This move could also potentially generate more interest in the Mystics in the DMV region, even though Washington will be coming into this season with tempered expectations.
The Mystics are still rebuilding from the departure of Future Hall of Famer Elena Delle Donne after the 2023 season. Washington finished a game out of the eighth and final playoff spot last year. The franchise subsequently just made a major move, trading star guard Ariel Atkins to the Chicago Sky for the rights to the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Washington now carries the third, fourth, and sixth overall selections for this upcoming draft. Therefore, 2025 might be a rebuilding year for this franchise, but it will also allow this team to showcase an incredibly talented new core that should torment the rest of the WNBA for years to come.
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