WNBA Releases 2022 Schedule Ahead of 26th Season

The WNBA released its 2022 schedule Thursday, with the Sky slated to host the Sparks in the season opener on May 6.

The opening-night battle between a pair of title contenders headlines a quartet of star-studded matchups on May 6, including a battle between the Mercury and Aces. 

All 12 teams will play a record-high 36 games in 2022. The '22 All-Star Game will be held on July 10, while the Commissioner’s Cup (which made its debut in '21) will stretch from May 6 to July 7. 

"Coming off our historic 25th season when the WNBA enjoyed its most-watched season since 2008 and set records for merchandise sales and engagement across social media platforms, we are looking forward to what is already a highly anticipated tip off of the 2022 season in May,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement Thursday. “The 36-game schedule will provide fans greater opportunities to see the best players in the world compete at the highest level.

"Year two of the Commissioner’s Cup brings added incentive to the first half of the season for players and teams while offering fans conference rivalry competition through which to support their favorite teams.”

Chicago claimed its first WNBA championship in October with a five-game victory over Phoenix in the Finals. Veteran sharpshooter Allie Quigley provided the difference in Game 5, scoring 11 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter. 

The 2022 regular season will conclude on Aug. 14 before the beginning of a new playoff format. There will no longer be playoff byes in 2022, and single-elimination rounds have also been eliminated. 

There will be eight playoff teams in 2022 seeded by winning percentage. The first round will be a best-of-three series, while the semifinals and WNBA Finals will be five-game series.