Key things to watch in this season’s UC Capitals schedule
As the dust begins to settle and team rosters are slowly finalised, the WNBL’s 2025/26 season is shaping up with the potential to be one of the league’s most exciting season yet.
After just missing out on a finals berth last season, the UC Capitals are looking to end the team’s three-year finals drought with a roster reload that features seasoned veterans and rising stars to complement the returning core that’s led by Jade Melbourne.
We take a look at some of the key highlights from this year’s fixture.
Opening round
The WNBL has scheduled the opening round to be big – watch this space for the league’s official announcement.
The new look Capitals vs the new look Flyers. There will be no shortage of star power in this one and the matchups are mouthwatering – Jade Melbourne vs Madi Rocci, Zitina Aokuso vs Cayla Geore, Sara Blicavs vs Isabelle Bourne. And of course, the Puoch sisters squaring off once again. Two teams looking to get back to the finals. This one will be good.
Road heavy start
The Caps will be racking up the frequent flyer points quite a bit through the season’s first two months – six of the team’s first nine games will be on the road. This includes visits to last year’s grand finalists Bendigo (last game of a 3-road game week) and Townsville. The three home games in this stretch are no slouch either – they’re against Townsville (25/10; home opener – Zitina’s first game against her old club), Sydney (15/11), and Perth (29/11) – all of whom made the finals last season. Our Caps will be tested early.
Home for Christmas
Canberra will be the place to be throughout Christmas season with our Caps enjoying a nice stretch of five of six games at the AIS Arena starting 9 December through 4 January. The only road game during that span will be on 23 December against Perth (Teige makes her return to Perth). It’ll be the perfect time to pack out the AIS and show everyone why players think Canberra has some of the most passionate fans in the league, as our girls defend homecourt.
Four games vs Sydney
Last season, the Flames and the Capitals battled it out in a de facto two-game series at the AIS late in the season which basically determined who got to punch the last finals ticket. Both games were played in a tense, playoff-like atmosphere with Sydney prevailing both times – including an overtime classic in the first game. This matchup also has high potential for fireworks as it features two of the game’s biggest bucket getters, Jade and Shaneice Swain – the only players who hit the 40-point mark in the league last season. Add in 3-and-D specialist Isa Brancatisano moving down the Hume Highway to suit up for the Caps this season, this matchup is a definite must watch.
January and the stretch run to the Finals
It’ll be a busy January for the Caps – seven games with five of them on the road. This includes a potential season defining four-game stretch from 18-25 January that will have the Caps go to Perth to take on Townsville at Hoopsfest (18/1), followed by a game two nights later at Adelaide (20/1), then a trip to Bendigo for a Friday night matchup vs the Spirit (23/1). The stretch ends with another game against Bendigo, this time at the AIS on Sunday 25 January.
The Caps end January with another trip to Townsville (31/1), before they close out the season at home vs Southside and Geelong. This closing stretch of the season will surely test the Caps’ depth and will help sharpen the team for what it expects to be a deep finals run.
You can add the UC Capitals WNBL26 fixture to your calendar to keep track of the team.
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