WNBA Playoffs 2026: Format, Bracket, Schedule, How to Watch
The WNBA playoffs are finally here, and this year's competition brings some of the deepest talent that the league has ever seen.
It will feature the league's top eight teams competing for a WNBA title: the Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, defending champion Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, Indiana Fever, Washington Mystics, Dallas Wings and New York Liberty.
The format for this year's playoffs, starting with the first round, is simple: it will include each team competing in a best-of-three series (1-1-1), with the top four seeds securing home-court advantage. The higher seeds will host Game 1 and a potentially decisive Game 3, with the lower seed hosting Game 2.
For the semifinals, the format shifts to a best-of-five series (2-2-1), with the higher seeds hosting Games 1, 2 and if necessary, Game 5. The WNBA Finals then moves to a best-of-seven series with a 2-2-1-1-1 format with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and if necessary, Game 7, while the lower seed will host Games 3 and 4, and if necessary Game 6.
2026 WNBA Playoff Bracket
As for the bracket for this year's postseason, it will follow the traditional No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5. Teams will not be reseeded based on any upsets.
The final seeds for this year's playoffs are locked in:
1. Minnesota Lynx
2. Golden State Valkyries
3. Las Vegas Aces
4. Atlanta Dream
5. Washington Mystics
6. Indiana Fever
7. Dallas Wings
8. New York Liberty
The spots are locked and the teams are ready to go 🚨
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 25, 2026
Check out the official bracket for the 2026 WNBA Playoffs presented by @madebygoogle.
See you Sunday for the First Round! pic.twitter.com/mlwZrm9xxI
2026 WNBA Playoff Schedule
The full 2026 WNBA playoff schedule will be as follows:
First Round, best-of-three series
Date/Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|
Game 1 Sunday, Sept. 27, 2 pm: Liberty @ Lynx | ABC |
Game 1 Sunday, Sept. 27, 4 pm: Fever @ Aces | ABC |
Game 1 Sunday, Sept. 27, 7 pm: Mystics @ Dream | Prime |
Game 1 Sunday, Sept. 27, 9 pm: Wings @ Valkyries | USA Network |
Game 2 Tuesday, Sept. 29, 6:30 pm: Aces @ Fever | Prime |
Game 2 Tuesday, Sept. 29, 8:30 pm: Lynx @ Liberty | USA Network |
Game 2 Wednesday, Sept. 30, 7 pm: Dream @ Mystics | ESPN |
Game 2 Wednesday, Sept. 30, 9 pm: Valkyries @ Wings | ESPN |
Game 3 *if necessary, Thursday, Oct. 1: Liberty @ Lynx, Time TBD | TBD |
Game 3 *if necessary, Thursday, Oct. 1: Fever @ Aces, Time TBD | TBD |
Game 3 *if necessary, Friday, Oct. 2: Mystics @ Dream, Time TBD | TBD |
Game 3 *if necessary, Friday, Oct. 2: Wings @ Valkyries, Time TBD | TBD |
Semifinal Round, best-of-five series
Date/Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|
Game 1 Sunday, Oct. 4, Time TBD | ABC |
Game 1 Sunday, Oct. 4, Time TBD | NBC/Peacock |
Game 2 Wednesday, Oct. 7, | ESPN |
Game 2 Wednesday, Oct. 7, Time TBD | Peacock/NBCSN |
Game 3 Friday, Oct. 9, Time TBD | ESPN2 |
Game 3 Friday, Oct. 9, Time TBD | Peacock/NBCSN |
Game 4 *if necessary Sunday, Oct. 11, Time TBD | ABC |
Game 4 *if necessary Sunday, Oct. 11, Time TBD | NBC/Peacock |
Game 5 *if necessary Wednesday, Oct. 14, Time TBD | ESPN |
Game 5 *if necessary Wednesday, Oct. 14, Time TBD | Peacock/NBCSN |
WNBA Finals, best-of-seven series
Date/Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 17, 3:30 pm | NBC/Peacock |
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 19, 8 pm | USA/Peacock |
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 22, 8 pm | USA/Peacock |
Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 24, 3:30 pm | NBC/Peacock |
Game 5 *if necessary Monday, Oct. 26, 8 pm | USA/Peacock |
Game 6 *if necessary: Thursday, Oct. 29, 8 pm | USA/Peacock |
Game 7 *if necessary: Saturday, Oct. 31, 8 pm | USA/Peacock |
How to Watch the WNBA Playoffs
The WNBA has been seen on a much larger scale during the 2026 season, creating more opportunities for audiences to watch each postseason game. Given this, fans may need to lock down on different providers to tune in.
The full broadcast schedule is listed above.
How to Watch Without Cable:
There are several options for fans without cable to tune into this year's postseason, but they may require adding more subscriptions. For games being televised on ABC, NBC, ESPN and USA Network, fans can tune in with a YouTube TV subscription for $82.99/month for the duration of the playoffs.
Fans can also subscribe to ESPN Unlimited which allows you to access games televised on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 for $31.99/month.
Additional streaming services to watch the WNBA playoffs include Peacock, which will include five semifinal games and all WNBA Finals games for $12.99/month. Prime Video will also be streaming three first round games which fans can get for a $14.99/month subscription.
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Lindsay Burke covers women’s basketball for Indiana Fever On SI and Women’s Fastbreak On SI. She graduated from Purdue University Fort Wayne with a Bachelor's Degree in journalism and a minor in media production. Early in her career she covered ECHL hockey, the NFL and college football and has since expanded her expertise to the WNBA and the Fever franchise.
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