WNBA Playoffs Open Sunday With Four Game 1s Across ABC, Prime Video, USA
The short version
- The 2026 WNBA Playoffs open Sunday, Sept. 27, with all eight teams in action starting at 2 p.m. ET.
- ABC airs Lynx-Liberty and Valkyries-Wings; Prime Video has Aces-Fever; USA Network carries Dream-Mystics.
- First-round Game 2s run Sept. 29-30, with if-necessary Game 3s on Oct. 1-2.
- The semifinals run Oct. 4-14 across NBC, ABC, ESPN and NBCSN.
- The Finals begin Oct. 17 on NBC and could end with Game 7 on Oct. 31 on USA.
The eight-team 2026 WNBA postseason begins Sept. 27 with the Lynx-Liberty opener on ABC and could run to a Game 7 of the Finals on Oct. 31.
The 2026 WNBA Playoffs open Sunday, Sept. 27, with the entire eight-team field playing on the same day. Coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET and runs through the night, with openers staggered at 2, 4, 7 and 9 p.m. ET. The month-long bracket will crown a new champion by the end of October.
ABC opens the day with a doubleheader. The top-seeded Minnesota Lynx meet the No. 8 New York Liberty at 2 p.m. ET in Game 1 of the postseason. At 4 p.m. ET, the No. 2 Golden State Valkyries take on the No. 7 Dallas Wings in the second game.
Prime Video carries the 7 p.m. ET game, with the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces meeting the No. 6 Indiana Fever at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. The matchup pairs MVP front-runner A'ja Wilson against Caitlin Clark. Indiana held its practice at the arena on Saturday, Sept. 26, ahead of Game 1.
USA Network closes the opening Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, where Angel Reese and the No. 4 Atlanta Dream face the No. 5 Washington Mystics. It is the only 4-versus-5 pairing in the bracket, rounding out a day that spans broadcast and streaming.
Round 1 continues with the Game 2s next week. Two are set for Tuesday, Sept. 29, on USA and Prime Video, and two more follow Wednesday, Sept. 30, on ESPN. The schedule lists those matchups as to be determined.
Game 3s, if necessary, are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, on ESPN and USA, and Friday, Oct. 2, on ESPN2 and Prime Video. Those games would decide which teams advance to the semifinals. No start times have been released for Games 2 and 3 of the round.
The semifinals begin Sunday, Oct. 4, with one game on NBC and one on ABC. Game 2s follow Wednesday, Oct. 7, on ESPN and NBCSN, and Game 3s arrive Friday, Oct. 9, on NBCSN and ESPN2. If necessary, Game 4s are set for Sunday, Oct. 11, on NBC and ABC, and Game 5s for Wednesday, Oct. 14, on ESPN and NBCSN.
The WNBA Finals open Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Game 2 is set for Monday, Oct. 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, Game 3 for Thursday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m. ET on USA, and Game 4 for Saturday, Oct. 24, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
A long series would bring Game 5 on Monday, Oct. 26, Game 6 on Thursday, Oct. 29, and Game 7 on Saturday, Oct. 31, all at 8 p.m. ET on USA. Across the postseason, games are spread over seven outlets: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and Prime Video. All times are Eastern, and games marked if necessary depend on earlier results.
Games to watch
