The 2026 WNBA season has been historic, on and off the court. It launched on the heels of a contentious and extended labor battle that resulted in a historic raise for the players (the salary cap increased from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in 2026), a condensed and chaotic offseason, the introduction of two new expansion teams and a slew of exciting rookies — one of which, Olivia Miles, has already proven to be a generational talent.
During five months of play this year, Kelsey Mitchell broke A’ja Wilson’s single-season points record, Miles broke Caitlin Clark’s rookie scoring record, Clark became the first player in WNBA history with a 40-point, 10-assist game, Angel Reese broke the single-game rebounding record with 26 and Marina Mabrey merely tied the single-game scoring record with 53 points. It has been electric from start to finish.
And after Thursday night, when the Golden State Valkyries overcame a 16-point deficit to take down the Los Angeles Sparks in Nneka Ogwumike’s farewell game and claim the No. 2 seed, the playoff bracket is finally set.
Thankfully, fans don’t have to wait long for the postseason, either. The best-of-three first round tips off Sunday with a quartet of Game 1s. The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx will host the No. 8 New York Liberty in a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals, the No. 2 Valkyries will host the No. 7 Dallas Wings, the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces will begin their title defense against the No. 6 Indiana Fever and the No. 4 Atlanta Dream will welcome the No. 5 Washington Mystics to town.
The WNBA does not separate teams by conferences for the playoffs, it merely features the top eight squads from across the league. In the first round, the higher seed hosts the first game, the lower seed hosts the second game and then the higher seed hosts the decider, if necessary. The second round is best-of-five and the Finals will be a best-of-seven series for just the second time in league history.
Here’s how you can follow what is sure to be a thrilling month of hoops.
2026 WNBA playoff bracket
Adam Eargle, CBS Sports
2026 WNBA playoff schedule
First round
Sunday, Sept. 27
- Game 1: No. 1 Lynx vs. No. 8 Liberty, TBD
- Game 1: No. 2 Valkyries/Aces vs. No. 7 Wings, TBD
- Game 1: No. 3 Aces vs. No. 6 Fever, TBD
- Game 1: No. 4 Dream vs. No. 5 Mystics, TBD
Tuesday, Sept. 29
- Game 2: TBD vs. TBD, USA/fubo
- Game 2: TBD vs. TBD, Prime
Wednesday, Sept. 30
Thursday, Oct. 1
Friday, Oct. 2
- Game 3*: TBD vs. TBD, ESPN2/fubo
- Game 3*: TBD vs. TBD, Prime
Semifinals
Sunday, Oct. 4
Wednesday, Oct. 7
- Game 2: TBD vs. TBD, ESPN/fubo
- Game 2: TBD vs. TBD, NBCSN
Friday, Oct. 9
- Game 3: TBD vs. TBD, NBCSN
- Game 3: TBD vs. TBD, ESPN2/fubo
Sunday, Oct. 11
Wednesday, Oct. 14
- Game 5*: TBD vs. TBD, ESPN/fubo
- Game 5*: TBD vs. TBD, NBCSN
WNBA Finals
Saturday, Oct. 17
- Game 1: TBD vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC/fubo
Monday, Oct. 19
- Game 2: TBD vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Thursday, Oct. 22
- Game 3: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Saturday, Oct. 24
- Game 4: TBD vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC/fubo
Monday, Oct. 26
- Game 5*: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Thursday, Oct. 29
- Game 6*: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Saturday, Oct. 31
- Game 7*: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
* – denotes if necessary
