2026 WNBA Playoff Schedule, Scores, Matchups, Date, Times, TV Channel, Stream

2026 WNBA playoff bracket: Schedule, matchups, postseason game times, live streaming, TV channel for finals

The chase for the WNBA title is about to begin.

The field for the 2026 WNBA playoffs bracket is set, with eight of the league's 13 teams earning a chance to compete for this year's championship. The postseason bracket was finalized on the final night of the Full regular season on Thursday.

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The Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries will square off in the 2026 WNBA Finals. The Dream and Valkyries both completed semifinal sweeps on Friday night. Atlanta knocked out the New York Liberty, while Golden State ousted the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces. The 2026 WNBA Finals are set to begin on Oct. 17.

Neither the Dream nor the Valkyries has ever won a WNBA championship. It's Atlanta's first Finals appearance since 2013. It's the first for the Valkyries, who are just in their second season as a franchise after debuting as an expansion team in 2025.

The Finals, for the second season ever, are a best-of-seven series in 2026.

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This will be the second season of the WNBA's expanded, seven-game Finals schedule, though last year's series went only four games as the Las Vegas Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury.

 The series features a 2-2-1-1-1 structure, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, and the lower seed hosting Games 3, 4 and 6. The semifinals are five-game series, while the first round is a best-of-three.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Valkyries secured a historic playoff berth as the first expansion team to ever reach the postseason in its debut season.

2026 WNBA playoffs bracket, matchups

(First-round series are best-of-three games, with the better seed playing at home for Games 1 and, if necessary, 3)

No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 8 New York Liberty

No. 2 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 7 Dallas Wings

No. 3 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever

No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 5 Washington Mystics

2026 WNBA playoffs Schedule, Scores, dates, game times, TV channel, Live streaming

First-round schedule (best-of-three)

All times Eastern, ET

Sunday, Sept. 27

Game 1: No. 8 Liberty 91, No. 1 Lynx 75

Game 1: No. 3 Aces 102, No. 6 Fever 85

Game 1: No. 4 Dream 92, No. 5 Mystics 77

Game 1: No. 2 Valkyries 104, No. 7 Wings 80

Tuesday, Sept. 29

Game 2: No. 6 Fever 99, No. 3 Aces 89

Game 2: No. 8 Liberty 87, No. 1 Lynx 71 (New York wins 2-0)

Wednesday, Sept. 30

Game 2: No. 4 Dream 93, No. 5 Mystics 75 (Atlanta wins 2-0)

Game 2: No. 7 Wings 108, No. 2 Valkyries 100 (OT)

Thursday, Oct. 1

Game 3: No. 3 Aces 94, No. 6 Fever 83 (Las Vegas wins 2-1)

Friday, Oct. 2

Game 3: No. 2 Valkyries 77, No. 7 Wings 73 (Golden State wins 2-1)..

WNBA Playoffs 2026 Semifinals scores, schedule, dates, times, live streaming

Semifinals matchups (best-of-five)

Semifinals scores

Sunday, Oct. 4

Game 1: No. 4 Dream 92, No. 8 Liberty 82 

Game 1: No. 2 Valkyries 71, No. 3 Aces 60

Wednesday, Oct. 7

Game 2: No. 4 Dream 101, No. 8 Liberty 98 (OT)

Game 2: No. 2 Valkyries 83, No. 3 Aces 81

Friday, Oct. 9

Game 3: Dream 85, Liberty 83 (Atlanta wins series 3-0)

Game 3: Valkyries 87, Aces 77 (OT) (Golden State wins series 3-0)

Full 2026 WNBA Finals Schedule

All Times ET. 

New WNBA Finals schedule has been updated., with Game 6 still up in the air

Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET | Chase Center, San Francisco | NBC/Peacock

Game 2: Monday, Oct. 19, 8 p.m. ET | Chase Center, San Francisco | USA/Peacock

Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m. ET | State Farm Arena, Atlanta | USA/Peacock

Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 24, 1 p.m. ET | State Farm Arena, Atlanta | NBC/Peacock

Game 5*: Monday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m. ET | Chase Center, San Francisco | USA/Peacock

Game 6*: Thursday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. ET | TBD | USA/Peacock 

Game 7*: Saturday, Oct. 31, 8 p.m. ET | Chase Center, San Francisco | USA/Peacock

*If necessary

WNBA Finals 2025 scores, schedule.

(best-of-seven)

Friday, Oct. 3 Game 1: Aces 89, Mercury 86

Sunday, Oct. 5  Game 2: Aces 91, Mercury 78 (Las Vegas leads 2-0)

Wednesday, Oct. 8  Game 3: Mercury 88, Aces 90 (Las Vegas leads 3-0)

Friday, Oct. 10  Game 4: Mercury 86,  Aces 97,  -- (Las Vegas Aces Sweeps 4-0)

* If necessary

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