2026 WNBA Playoffs: Lynx Head Field of Eight as Postseason Opens Sept. 27
The short version
- The 2026 WNBA Playoffs begin Sunday, Sept. 27, with all four first-round series opening the same day.
- The Minnesota Lynx are the No. 1 seed for a second straight season and face the New York Liberty in the first round.
- Defending champion Las Vegas Aces, led by A'ja Wilson, meet the Indiana Fever as the No. 3 seed.
- The WNBA Finals start Oct. 17 on NBC, with the series potentially running to a Game 7 on Oct. 31.
- Games air across ABC, NBC, ESPN, ESPN2, USA Network, CNBC and NBCSN, with streaming on fubo, DIRECTV, Prime Video, ESPN app and Peacock.
The 2026 WNBA Playoffs begin Sunday with four first-round series, as top-seeded Minnesota and the defending champion Aces headline an eight-team bracket.
The 2026 WNBA Playoffs tip off Sunday, Sept. 27, with eight teams set to compete across five weeks for the league championship. The Minnesota Lynx earned the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season, led by Napheesa Collier. Minnesota is seeking to make up for a loss in the 2024 Finals and a semifinal elimination last year.
The Lynx open against the No. 8 seed New York Liberty. Game 1 is set for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET in Minnesota on ABC, with streaming available on fubo, DIRECTV and the ESPN app. Game 2 shifts to New York on Tuesday, Sept. 29, at 8:30 p.m. ET on USA Network and CNBC, with a potential Game 3 back in Minnesota on Thursday, Oct. 1.
The No. 3 seed Las Vegas Aces, anchored by A'ja Wilson, enter the postseason chasing consecutive championships. They face the No. 6 Indiana Fever, opening Sunday at 4 p.m. ET in Las Vegas on ABC. Game 2 is Tuesday in Indiana at 6:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video, and a decisive Game 3, if needed, would be Thursday in Las Vegas.
The other two first-round matchups feature newer and younger rosters alongside familiar contenders. The No. 4 Atlanta Dream meet the No. 5 Washington Mystics, with Game 1 Sunday at 7 p.m. ET in Atlanta on Prime Video. The No. 2 Golden State Valkyries host the No. 7 Dallas Wings at 9 p.m. ET Sunday on USA Network and CNBC.
Games 2 and 3 in the Atlanta-Washington series fall on Wednesday, Oct. 1 (Game 2 in Washington at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN) and Friday, Oct. 2, if necessary. The Golden State-Dallas series follows the same cadence: Game 2 is Wednesday in Dallas at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, with a potential Game 3 on Friday in Golden State.
First-round winners advance to best-of-five semifinals beginning Sunday, Oct. 4. One semifinal will air on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 across its schedule, while the other is carried by NBC, NBCSN and Peacock. Both series run through a potential Game 5 on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
The WNBA Finals are scheduled to begin Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The series runs on a potential seven-game schedule through Halloween, with Games 2 through 7 airing on USA Network, with the exception of Game 4 on NBC on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Across the entire postseason, games will be broadcast on ABC, NBC, ESPN, ESPN2, USA Network, CNBC and NBCSN. Streaming options include fubo, DIRECTV, Prime Video, the ESPN app and Peacock, with availability varying by game.
Games to watch
