Women’s Pro Baseball League to Debut in 2026 in Illinois

The Women’s Professional Baseball League announced it will play its inaugural season in 2026 at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Ill., establishing the city as the launch site for the new national women’s league.

The first season will feature four franchises—Boston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. The league said it selected a neutral, centrally located venue and noted Springfield’s historical significance as the site of the first paid women’s baseball game in 1875.

“Robin Roberts Stadium not only offers a central, strategic location with convenient access to Chicago O’Hare and St. Louis international airports but is a first-rate venue where WPBL teams will be the only baseball played during our season,” the league said in a statement.

Named after the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher, Robin Roberts Stadium seats 5,200 fans. The WPBL said additional renovations are planned ahead of opening day, including updates to complement the newly installed video board beyond the outfield. The league’s debut season is scheduled to begin in August, following the conclusion of the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes’ Prospect League schedule.

“The WPBL will rewrite history by creating an elite league that provides the world’s best female players with the platform they deserve and serves as a catalyst for the creation of a women’s baseball culture in America,” the league said in a statement.

More than 600 players attended a large-scale tryout at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., in August, with 130 eligible for selection in Thursday’s live draft. Notable prospects include former Little League World Series standout Mo’ne Davis and current Savannah Bananas player Kelsie Whitmore.

Ayami Sato, a pitcher for Japan’s women’s national team, and former Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston will serve as special advisors to the WPBL.

“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,” league co-founder Justine Siegal said.