The 2026 WNBA Playoffs begin Sunday, September 27, with all eight postseason teams now set. The top eight teams qualify regardless of conference.
First Round Matchups
1 Minnesota Lynx
vs. 8 New York Liberty
33–11 vs. 26–18
2 Golden State Valkyries
vs. 7 Dallas Wings
32–12 vs. 27–17
3 Las Vegas Aces
vs. 6 Indiana Fever
31–13 vs. 28–16
4 Atlanta Dream
vs. 5 Washington Mystics
30–14 vs. 28–16
Key Storylines
Minnesota vs. New York: The Lynx enter as the No. 1 seed, but New York won the season series 2–1. Minnesota also has a recent championship-history connection with the Liberty, who defeated the Lynx in the 2024 Finals.
Golden State vs. Dallas: The Valkyries earned the No. 2 seed in just their second WNBA season. Dallas returns to the postseason and will face Golden State in the opening round.
Las Vegas vs. Indiana: The defending champion Aces face the Fever in a rematch of last year’s playoff matchup. Indiana won two of the three regular-season meetings in 2026.
Atlanta vs. Washington: The Dream earned the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage against the Mystics. Washington won two of the teams’ three regular-season meetings.
Playoff Format
First Round: Best-of-3
Semifinals: Best-of-5
WNBA Finals: Best-of-7
The higher seed hosts Games 1 and 3 in the first round.
The semifinals begin October 4, with the WNBA Finals scheduled to begin October 17.
