Four first-round series open the WNBA playoffs all at once, starting Sunday, September 27. The #1 Minnesota Lynx meet the #8 New York Liberty on the schedule, a rematch of the 2024 Finals that New York claimed. The remaining matchups set the #2 Golden State Valkyries against the #7 Dallas Wings, the #3 Las Vegas Aces against the #6 Indiana Fever, and the #4 Atlanta Dream against the #5 Washington Mystics.
It is a tight field. Just seven games separated the #1 seed from the #8 seed at the finish of the regular season, meaning several teams entered the postseason with tied records and had to settle their seeding through a series of tiebreaker factors.
The First-Round Format
The first round runs as a best-of-three, with a 1-1-1 structure. Game 1 is played at the higher seed’s home arena, Game 2 moves to the lower seed’s arena, and Game 3, if needed, returns to the city of the higher seed.
The WNBA playoffs expand in length as teams move forward, unlike the NBA, which sticks with best-of-seven formats for every round. In the semifinals, also known as the second round, the playoff structure is a best-of-five series with a 2-2-1 format. The WNBA Finals have reverted to a best-of-seven series for the second consecutive season, adopting a 2-2-1-1-1 structure.
Sunday, October 4, marks the beginning of the semifinals, with the Finals following on Saturday, October 17. For complete information, visit the league’s website.
Where to Watch
The WNBA has spread itself across a wide range of viewing platforms, which makes tuning in a bit convoluted. The first two rounds will feature games on NBC, Peacock, USA Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC, and Prime.
Peacock is the home for the entire 2026 WNBA Finals broadcast, with NBC and USA splitting TV coverage depending on which game it is. “Depending on the game” is the unfortunate reality of the situation.
The WNBA’s official site lays out broadcast partner information for every postseason contest, and you may find yourself referring back to it often while hopping from one series to another.
The Teams Involved
While all eight teams in the playoffs possess a real chance to win it all, the odds favor certain squads more than others.
- Minnesota Lynx — the #1 seed, led by Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles, former MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier, and head coach Cheryl Reeve.
- Golden State Valkyries — the #2 seed, a titanic season one year after debuting in the league, with the most intimidating defense in the WNBA.
- Las Vegas Aces — the #3 seed, featuring A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray. That trio has won three of the last four WNBA championships.
- Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever — both enter with great momentum, headlined by third-year stars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell broke the league’s single-season scoring record earlier this year.
- Dallas Wings — Paige Bueckers leads the young team, which could spark an upset.
- Washington Mystics — dark horses with a backcourt duo of Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray.
- New York Liberty — the 2024 champs, held back by injuries and system changes, but Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu can beat any team on the right day, buoyed by the best home crowd in the league at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
The Tiebreaker Drama
The final stretch before the WNBA season concluded brought a real possibility that several playoff pairings would be settled through tiebreakers. Instead, most of the matchups ended up sorting themselves out on their own.
The Washington Mystics and Indiana Fever were the only two teams to reach the postseason with identical records, finishing at 28-16. The initial method used to break such ties is based on the direct results between the two squads, and that proved sufficient here.
Early in the season, the Mystics and Fever exchanged wins in their first two games. Then Washington claimed a major victory on September 20, which tilted the series in their favor and secured the #5 seed for Washington over Indiana.
What It Means for Fans
Since the league began, no end to a season has matched how closely contested this playoff run will be, and the WNBA finds itself in the midst of a golden era right now as the postseason gets underway.
The league’s growing media rights deals have played a notable role in the skyrocketing salaries for players guaranteed by the WNBPA’s most recent collective bargaining agreement. But the fragmented nature of TV and streaming has also made things less simple than they once were, a trend seen across the NBA, NFL, and other leagues in recent years.
Anyone hoping to watch every match should bookmark the league’s website, since which channel airs each game keeps changing. The Finals will be shown only on Peacock, while NBC and USA step in for certain games, though their coverage depends on the specific matchup.
Schedule at a Glance
| Round | Date | Matchup |
|---|---|---|
| First Round | Sept 27 | 4 simultaneous series |
| Semifinals | Oct 4 | Best-of-five, 2-2-1 |
| Finals | Oct 17 | Best-of-seven, 2-2-1-1-1 |
Four playoff games kick off simultaneously on Sunday, September 27, which breaks up how people watch the games, though it does make for an exciting start to the postseason.
The Mystics and Fever entered with tied records, and Washington’s September 20 win gave them the #5 seed over Indiana. The rest of the bracket is set, and the tight regular-season finish means any team could win it all.
The league has spent years raising its profile, and the playoffs are where all that work finally comes together. Players are prepared, the schedule is set, and there are plenty of ways to watch — though viewers may need to do some research to find them first.
Source material: “How To Watch The 2026 WNBA Playoffs,” TVLine.
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