The WTA has announced its calendar for 2027, which includes the annual Middle East swing spread over three consecutive weeks in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai in February, as well as a new 250-level tournament staged in Manila in November.
The tour also revealed that all combined WTA 1000 tournaments will award equal prize money for the very first time, and is introducing a series of player- and tournament-led enhancements to the circuit.
The series of changes were developed through the Tour Architecture Council, a working group chaired by world No 3 Jessica Pegula that brings together players, tournaments, and WTA leadership to pursue updates to the tour framework.
These changes are designed to give players greater flexibility while preserving strong competition, compelling match-ups, and the world-class tournaments that define the tour.
The WTA is also introducing a targeted Tournament Investment Fund designed to assist select tournaments by directing financial support to markets where it will have the greatest impact. This funding is intended to advance the WTA's equal prize money initiative and broader strategic objectives designed to strengthen the tour for players, tournaments, and fans.
"The WTA is stepping up to deliver more for players and tournaments in 2027," said Valerie Camillo, Chair of the WTA. "We have listened to player feedback on the demands of the calendar, and responded with a meaningful reduction in commitments.
“Achieving equal prize money across all combined WTA 1000 tournaments is a major milestone for tennis. 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.”
Camillo added that the new Tournament Investment Fund is modelled after central funding models common to other professional sports leagues in that it will target financial support to select markets “to the benefit of the overall health of the tour and in furtherance of WTA's strategic mission”.
An important step for tennis
For the first time in 2027, every combined WTA 1000 event will award equal prize money, with the Italian Open in Rome, the Canadian Open in Montreal/Toronto, and the Cincinnati Open reaching the milestone.
They join Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Beijing, as well as the United Cup and all four Grand Slams, in committing to offering equal prize money to women and men.
Adjustments to player commitments
Through the WTA Tour Architecture Council, players and tournaments have agreed on a series of changes to the tour for 2027, which have been approved by the WTA Board of Directors.
The agreement responds directly to player feedback about the need for greater scheduling flexibility, while balancing the need to provide strong player fields for fans across all tournaments.
The updates will be implemented as a one-year pilot for the 2027 season, allowing the WTA to evaluate the impact of the changes across the Tour to inform decisions for 2028 and beyond.
Key changes approved by the WTA Board for the 2027 season include:
● Reducing the number of WTA 500 level tournaments to be played by top-50-ranked singles players in a year from six to four, resulting in a total base playing commitment of 14 WTA tournaments plus the four Grand Slams in the 2027 Tour season.
● Allowing players to replace one eligible WTA 1000 tournament result with a stronger WTA 500 or 250 result on their ranking.
The WTA recently announced that the season-ending WTA Finals will be staged in Charlotte, North Carolina for the next three years.
This year’s edition of the Finals has been relocated from Riyadh, which hosted the championships in 2024 and 2025, to Indian Wells due to unrest in the region.
