Women's Pro Baseball League Launches Inaugural Season in Springfield, Illinois

In a historic move, the newly formed Women's Professional Baseball League has announced that its inaugural 2026 season will be held in Springfield, Illinois. The league, which was established earlier this year, will feature 4 teams representing the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York.

The decision to host the league's first games at the 5,200-seat Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield was both practical and symbolic. League organizers wanted a centralized location for the inaugural season, and Springfield holds significance as the site of the first game in which women were paid to play baseball, dating back to 1875. The city also previously hosted a franchise in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1948 season.

The league's first player draft is scheduled for November 20, 2025, and will be broadcast live on the league's social media channels. The women selected will come from the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, and other countries, many of whom have competed together on international teams in recent years.

With the inaugural season set to begin on August 1, 2026, the league hopes that the historic venue and the talent of its players will help establish the Women's Professional Baseball League as a sustainable and growing enterprise.