DHJ Quick Take: Dallas Wings Trend Toward American Airlines Center for 2027
The Dallas Wings are in advanced negotiations to play their entire 2027 home schedule at American Airlines Center while their permanent move to a renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium slips to 2028. CEO Greg Bibb says the franchise remains committed downtown but wants firm answers on the timeline.
- Where will the Wings play in 2027? In advanced talks to play their full slate at American Airlines Center, though no agreement is finalized.
- What did Greg Bibb say? He reaffirmed the team’s contractual commitment to downtown Dallas and a 15-year Memorial Auditorium plan while pressing the city for clarity on when the building will be ready.
- Why does it matter? Repeated delays have pushed the arena to 2028 and driven practice-facility costs to a reported $81 million, with Bibb warning the holdups hurt the business.
- What’s next? Construction on the Oak Cliff practice facility is underway with an April 2027 target, while Memorial Auditorium design and construction remain unstarted ahead of a 2028 goal.
DALLAS — The Dallas Wings, who currently play home games at College Park Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington, are still trying to finalize where they will play home games next season.
The Wings were originally set to relocate to the Dallas Memorial Auditorium after the Dallas City Council approved an agreement to take the team from Arlington to downtown Dallas in April 2024. Originally targeted for 2026, the ambitious renovation project for the auditorium has faced numerous delays since its announcement, and has now been pushed back until 2028.
Greg Bibb, the CEO of the team, is still seeking clarity from city leaders on whether or not the auditorium will be ready for tip-off by the proposed 2028 mark.
“I just want everyone to remember that the Dallas Wings made a contractual commitment to be Downtown over two years ago, and we remain excited about being Downtown,” Bibb told WFAA in an interview Thursday. “We just want to get some clarity of when that will actually happen.”
American Airlines Center in Advanced Talks for 2027
Until plans for the team’s permanent move to the Dallas arena are finalized, the Wings have entered advanced negotiations to play their home games at the American Airlines Center next season, according to Bibb. However, Bibb also said that Dallas is not interested in making the AAC their permanent home.
“I would classify our discussion as advanced with the AAC about playing our entire 2027 slate in that building,” Bibb told NBC 5. “In terms of 2028 and beyond, until I’m told differently, the plan, the commitment is to be at a renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium and to play the next 15 years in that building as our home venue.”
Dallas Memorial Auditorium Faces Repeated Delays
Although the Dallas Memorial Auditorium is the Wings’ desired final destination, the journey there has been riddled with setbacks and delays thus far.
The obstacles started soon after the move was announced in 2024, as the team agreed to push back the relocation to 2027 to accommodate the FIFA World Cup Broadcast Center next door, according to Bibb.
Practice Facility Costs Climb to $81 Million
Following this, the site for the Dallas Wings’ new practice facility, greenlit in June 2025 but delayed since February 2026, was moved to a park in Far West Oak Cliff after originally being planned to be built in or adjacent to the Dallas Memorial Auditorium.
Additionally, the Wings have taken over construction of the facility and have agreed to cover any additional construction costs outside of the funds already approved by the city. The change came after costs for the facility increased from $54 million to $81 million due in part, the city says, to changes in the extent of the project requested by the Wings.
“We took over because we had to get it built,” Bibb said. “If we miss again, it would be catastrophic to our business.”
Since the change, Bibb said, crews have begun construction and the facility is on track to open in April 2027.
Greg Bibb Says Delays Are Hurting the Business
Even so, the Dallas Memorial Auditorium itself still isn’t set to be ready until 2028. But even with the new proposed date, design plans have not been finalized and construction has not begun.
Bibb says the delays have already taken a toll on the organization.
“Until I am told otherwise, my plan is we’re going to be in a fully renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium in 2028,” Bibb said. “If that’s not going to be the case, then when you step back and look, now we’re three plus years off of the delivery date of a building. That has a significant impact for us and our business.”
However, he also made it clear that staying at the College Park Center in Arlington is not a viable option for the team either.
“We saw that the WNBA was growing,” Bibb said. “We saw that our building situation here in Arlington was not going to be sufficient for the economics of our business. It was not gonna be big enough to meet the demand for our game.”
City of Dallas Reaffirms Its Commitment
Currently, according to City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, the city is still committed to helping the Wings complete their move to downtown Dallas.
“We remain focused on the delivery of our commitments to the Dallas Wings, including their new practice facility and home court in Dallas,” Tolbert said in a statement to WFAA. “We value our partnership with the organization and want to ensure ongoing collaboration throughout the project.”
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