The Women’s Tennis Association has unveiled its 2027 calendar, confirming a landmark season in which every combined WTA 1000 tournament will offer equal prize money to male and female competitors.
The new season will feature 55 tournaments across 26 countries and territories, with the WTA also introducing greater scheduling flexibility for players, a new Tournament Investment Fund and a new home for its season-ending WTA Finals in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The equal-prize-money milestone will be completed at three combined WTA 1000 tournaments in 2027: the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, the National Bank Open in Toronto/Montreal and the Cincinnati Open.
They will join Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing, which already offer equal prize money, while the United Cup and all four Grand Slam tournaments also provide equal prize money to men and women.
For the WTA, the development fulfils a commitment embedded in its long-term strategy. In 2023, the organisation announced a pathway towards equal prize money at combined WTA 1000 and WTA 500 events by 2027, while setting 2033 as the target for equal prize money at single-week WTA 1000 and WTA 500 tournaments.
WTA Chair Valerie Camillo described the 2027 development as a significant step for the sport.
“Achieving equal prize money across all combined WTA 1000 tournaments is a major milestone for tennis,” Camillo said. “It demonstrates the WTA’s continued commitment to leading the sports industry in delivering our athletes competitive and financial equality, and is a testament to the enduring nature of the founding vision of the WTA.”
The 2027 calendar will also introduce a new WTA 250 tournament in Manila, expanding the tour’s presence in the Philippines. The season will ultimately culminate in Charlotte, where the WTA Finals will begin a three-year run at Spectrum Center from 2027 through 2029.
The WTA announced earlier in September that Charlotte had been selected as the new home of the Finals, with the organisation also planning to relocate its global headquarters to the city. The agreement is intended to establish a longer-term home for the season-ending championship after years of the event moving between international markets.
Camillo said the move to Charlotte would provide an opportunity to develop the Finals as a major showcase for women’s sport.
“The WTA Finals represents everything that makes women’s tennis extraordinary: the world’s best athletes, competing at the highest level, on a stage worthy of what they have accomplished,” she said when the Charlotte agreement was announced.
The 2027 calendar changes were developed through the WTA Tour Architecture Council, a working group bringing together players, tournaments and WTA leadership. The council is chaired by world No. 3 Jessica Pegula and was established to examine the structure and demands of the tour.
One of the principal changes will reduce the number of WTA 500 tournaments that top-50 singles players are required to contest each season from six to four. That will give those players a base commitment of 14 WTA tournaments, in addition to the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Players will also be allowed to replace one eligible WTA 1000 result with a stronger result from a WTA 500 or WTA 250 tournament for ranking purposes.
The changes are being introduced as a one-year pilot in 2027, allowing the WTA to evaluate their effects before decisions are made concerning the 2028 season and beyond.
Pegula, who chaired the council, said the revised structure would give players greater control over how they organise their seasons.
“As players, we’re on the road most of the year, so having more flexibility in our schedules and commitments makes a real difference,” Pegula said. “The 2027 changes give us more ability to build our seasons around our own goals — competitively and personally. That’s an impactful step forward for players.”
The WTA is also establishing a Tournament Investment Fund, which will direct financial support towards selected tournaments and markets where the organisation believes investment can have the greatest effect.
Camillo said the fund was modelled on central funding arrangements used by other professional sports leagues and would support selected markets while advancing the WTA’s broader strategic objectives.
The organisation’s push for greater financial equality has developed over several decades. The WTA was founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King and the Original 9, with equal opportunity and the professional advancement of women’s tennis among its central objectives. In 2023, King welcomed the WTA’s pathway towards equal prize money, describing the organisation as a global leader in creating opportunities for women in sport.
The 2027 milestone does not, however, mean equal prize money will immediately apply across every level of the WTA Tour. The organisation’s existing roadmap sets a later target of 2033 for single-week WTA 1000 and WTA 500 tournaments.
The tour’s progress is already visible in individual events. In 2026, the Charleston Open became the first standalone WTA 500 tournament to voluntarily offer prize money matching the equivalent ATP 500 level, with a total financial package of $2.5 million and $2.3 million allocated to player prize money.
The WTA says the broader 2027 strategy is intended to combine competitive strength, financial opportunity and a more flexible calendar while expanding the tour’s international footprint.
With 55 events scheduled across 26 countries and territories, a new tournament in Manila, equal prize money across all combined WTA 1000 events and the arrival of the WTA Finals in Charlotte, the 2027 season will mark one of the most substantial changes to the tour’s structure in recent years.
The current 2026 season will conclude with the WTA Finals at Indian Wells from November 8 to 15, before Charlotte takes over as the championship’s new home in 2027.
