The 2026 WNBA Playoffs began on September 27th, 2026. The teams earning a playoff berth were the Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, Dallas Wings, Golden State Valkyries, Indiana Fever, and Las Vegas Aces. The Minnesota Lynx entered playoff contention with a 33-11 overall record and the No. 1 overall seed, establishing their position as the pre-playoff early favorites to win the WNBA Championship.
First Playoff Round
The first series of the WNBA Playoffs kicked off on September 27, 2026 between the Lynx and the Liberty. Due to the Lynx’s impressive regular season record and the being placed against an 8 seeded Liberty, most fans and individuals believed this would be two easy games won by the Lynx. In reality, this task proved to be quite daunting. In Game 1 of the series which was played at Target Center (home of the Lynx), the Liberty took a commanding 1-0 series lead with a final score of 91-75. Hoping to bounce back and tie the series, the Lynx were looking to capitalize on an away-game matchup to beat the Liberty in their own house two days later Once again, the Lynx fell short of their goal, losing by 16 points in a final score of 87-71. For the first time in WNBA history, a 1 seeded team lost in the first round to an 8 seeded team, much to the shock of WNBA fans.
The second series of the WNBA playoffs began on September 29, 2026 between the Dream and the Mystics. Game 1 ended in a final score of 92-77, with Allisha Gray of the Dream leading the team with 22 points. The Dream excelled with free throws, missing only 1 throughout the contest. Game 2 ended in a final score 93-75, allowing the Dream to complete the sweep against the Mystics to move on to the Semifinals. Both Allisha Gray and Sonia Citron were once again the star performers for their teams, with both players amassing over 20 points. However, the Mystics had far too many turnovers and were inefficient from the 3-point line, resulting in their downfall.
The third series of the WNBA playoffs between the Wings and Valkyries began on September 27th, 2026. This series was a very back-and-forth matchup, as both teams performed very well and had 3 close games against each other. The opening game of the series ended in a final score of 104-80, with the Valkyries coming out on top. They dominated the second quarter 37-11, allowing them to take a 1-0 lead. Game 2 was an OT thriller with both times scoring at least 100 points. This time, however, the Wings came out on top in the overtime period with a final score of 108-100. Game 3 was yet another OT game, with this one being significantly closer. Fortunately for the Valkyries, they were able to narrowly edge the Wings out in OT at Chase Center to advance to the semifinals in an extremely close, high-stakes win. The final score was 77-73.
The final series of the first round was between the Fever and the Aces. Like the last matchup, this series also was a thrilling one going to 3 games. Both teams were headlined by star players like Caitlin Clark (Fever), and A’ja Wilson (Aces). Game 1 in the Aces’ home stadium was a sound victory by the Aces. They took the series lead with a final score of 102-85, and had already established a significant lead at halftime with a score of 62-47. A’ja Wilson played very efficiently from the field with a whopping 38 points and 15-19 on FG’s. Game 2 took place in the Fever’s home stadium this time around, with the Fever taking a victory of 99-89 to tie the series at 1-1. Caitlin Clark played exceptionally well, logging a historic playoff half points-assists double-double (14 points and 11 assists by halftime), and she finished with 27 points and 15 assists. Game 3 was another dominant performance by the Aces, more specifically the resurgence in A’ja Wilson’s scoring ability following a regression in the second game. She ended the night with 36 points, 11-18 on FG’s, and 12-15 on FT’s. The final score was 94-83, sending the Aces to the semifinals.
Semifinals
The first series of the semifinal was between the Dream and the Liberty, and each game was extremely close. Game 1 ended in a win for the Dream, 92-82. Star player Sabrina Ionescu exploded for 27 points and went 10-20 on FG’s but her stellar performance wasn’t enough to beat a more well-rounded Dream roster, falling short by 10 points and falling behind by one game. The final score of Game 2 was 101-98, with the Dream pulling off the win in overtime to extend their series lead to 2-0, needing just one win to advance to the WNBA Finals. Game 3 proved to be a hard-fought battle between both teams, as the final score was decided by two points. In the end, the Dream were able to pull out the final win, sweeping the Liberty 3-0 in the series with a final score of 85-83 in a relatively even game for both teams.
The second series of the semifinal was between the Valkyries and the Aces, with the winner of this series going up against the Dream in the WNBA Finals. The first game of the series went well for the Valkyries, with Gabby Williams having a good game and rivaling A’ja Wilson’s numbers. The final score was 71-60, and the Valkyries officially went up 1-0 in the series. Game 2 was when things started getting more interesting, with both teams beginning to hit their shots on a consistent basis. Only two points separated the victor and the loser, with a final score of 83-81. The Valkyries remained victorious over the Aces once again, and their win can be credited to their 8 fast break points, while the Aces had a measly 0. Game 3 also went into OT, with neither team having a designated scorer that led the way for their starting five. Still, the Valkyries proved for the last time that they were the team to beat, having a favorable shooting night from the field. With a score of 87-77, the Valkyries swept the Aces, advancing to the final.
Finals
The moment all WNBA fans are waiting for… the wait for the WNBA finals is finally over. The Dream vs. the Valkyries, winner takes all, first to 4 wins. Game 1 was a thriller, with a low-scoring but close game ultimately ensuing. The Dream were more spread out among their scorers point-wise, but the Valkyries were seemingly getting carried by the efforts of Gabby Williams, as she finished the night with 26 points and was the only member of the Valkyries to have over 10 points. The final score of Game 1 was 68-64, as the Valkyries squeaked out a hard-fought first win of the series. Game 2 was a storyline for the ages in regards to Angel Reese’s excellent performance. She finished the night with 30 points, 10-16 on FG’s, 9-11 on FT’s and 16 rebounds, catapulting the Dream to a 79-65 Game 2 victory. The series is now tied 1-1, with the remaining games being played throughout this week and next week depending on whether or not the series will go to 6 or 7 games.
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