The WNBA Finals will consist of seven games during the 2025 season

Basketball fans will have even more chances to see their favorite stars play in the Women's National Basketball Association during the 2025 season.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the league will expand its regular season from 40 to 44 games and its finals series from five to seven games, both starting next year. The final round will take place at home in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the higher seed hosting first.

In the first round of the playoffs, which consists of three games, the hosts alternate, rather than the higher-seeded host hosting the first two games before the alternation, as was the case this season.

Engelbert said the league has been considering playoff changes since the pandemic, but the rise in its popularity and the introduction of charter flights for teams were the final push needed to implement the new playoff format.

“The growth of the league and increased demand for WNBA basketball made this the ideal time to expand the schedule, extend the Finals and give fans more opportunities to see the best players in the world compete at the highest level,” Engelbert said during a press conference on Thursday.

The schedule isn't the only thing that will be expanded in next year's season. The Golden State Valkyries will debut in 2025 as the league's 13th team. Two more expansion teams have been announced, one in Toronto and one in Portland, and discussions are in the works to secure a city for the 16th team, Engelbert said Thursday. The Toronto and Portland teams, neither of which are named, will begin play in 2026.

The additions come as the WNBA continues to grow in popularity, resulting in the league's most recent media rights deal being worth $2.2 billion over 11 seasons, CNBC previously reported. The league's media contract is negotiated under the National Basketball Association contract.

The number of viewers, visitors and engagement increased in the 2024 season and in some cases set new records. The influx of exciting rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, combined with established stars like Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson, who are the respective 2023 and 2024 MVPs, contributed to the surge.

As the league becomes more popular, more and more players say they have experienced racism or online harassment. Appearing on CNBC last month, Engelbert did not directly condemn either when asked about the topic, which drew criticism. Engelbert later clarified and condemned “hatred or racism.”

The WNBA isn't the only women's sports league growing in popularity, and media executives and investors are taking note. Redbird IMI's Jeff Zucker and Endeavour's CEO Patrick Whitesell spoke to CNBC about the tantalizing opportunities in women's sports.

This year's final is currently taking place between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty. The Lynx lead 1-0 in the best-of-five series after winning an overtime thriller on Thursday night.