WNBA Playoffs 2026: Dream, Valkyries Sweep Into the Finals
WNBA playoffs 2026: the Dream and Valkyries both finished semifinal sweeps on Oct. 9, setting up a best-of-seven Finals that opens Oct. 17 in San Francisco.
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The Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 85-83 and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Las Vegas Aces 87-77 in overtime on Friday, Oct. 9, and both semifinals ended 3-0, per ESPN's final scores. That sets the WNBA playoffs 2026 Finals: No. 4 Atlanta against No. 2 Golden State, a best-of-seven series that opens Saturday, Oct. 17, in San Francisco. Whichever team wins, ESPN notes, the league will have a first-time champion.
WNBA playoffs 2026 bracket: final semifinal results
Both semifinals were best-of-five, and neither needed a fourth game. Scores below are from ESPN's scoreboard.
| Series | Result | Game 1 (Oct. 4) | Game 2 (Oct. 7) | Game 3 (Oct. 9) | |-|-|-|-|-| | (4) Dream vs. (8) Liberty | Dream win 3-0 | Dream 92-82 | Dream 101-98 OT | Dream 85-83 | | (2) Valkyries vs. (3) Aces | Valkyries win 3-0 | Valkyries 71-60 | Valkyries 83-81 | Valkyries 87-77 OT |
The First Round results, per ESPN's schedule page: the No. 8 Liberty beat the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx 2-0, the Dream beat the Washington Mystics 2-0, the Aces beat the Indiana Fever 2-1 and the Valkyries beat the Dallas Wings 2-1.
Dream 85, Liberty 83: Atlanta closes it out in New York
Angel Reese scored a team-high 22 points, Rhyne Howard added 21 and Jordin Canada had 19 points and 11 assists, per ESPN. DeWanna Bonner came off the bench for 13 points and 13 rebounds. Jonquel Jones (26 points, 14 rebounds) and Breanna Stewart (26 points) led New York.
Atlanta led 83-81 with 17.7 seconds left after a turnover. Stewart missed a contested layup with nine seconds left, and Bonner hit two free throws with 6.2 seconds left, per the Associated Press.
The Dream did it without leading scorer Allisha Gray, who was ruled out about an hour before tipoff with a finger injury from Game 1, per the AP. ESPN reported Reese averaged 20.7 points and 7.7 rebounds in the series. Atlanta carries a franchise-best 10-game winning streak into the Finals, per ESPN. It is the Dream's fourth Finals trip and first since 2013; they were swept in 2010, 2011 and 2013. ESPN added that the Liberty were swept in the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Valkyries 87, Aces 77 (OT): the defending champions are out
Golden State trailed by 11 early in the third quarter, its largest deficit of the series, then went on a 17-0 run and held Las Vegas to seven points in the quarter, per ESPN. The Aces rebuilt a six-point lead with three minutes left in regulation. With 1:50 left in regulation and Golden State down two, Gabby Williams stole the ball from A'ja Wilson to set up the tying basket, per ESPN.
The Valkyries outscored the Aces 16-6 in overtime, and Kayla Thornton, Williams and Tiffany Hayes scored all of their overtime points. Thornton finished with 18, Williams 16 and Hayes 11, while Kiah Stokes had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Wilson had 21 points and 10 rebounds in ESPN's box score; she was scoreless in overtime, per ESPN. For more on Wilson's season, see our breakdown of A'ja Wilson's fifth WNBA MVP award.
Per ESPN, the Valkyries are the first expansion team to reach the Finals within its first two seasons.
WNBA Finals 2026 schedule
Golden State, the better seed, hosts Games 1, 2 and, if necessary, 5 and 7 in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, per ESPN. The league's 2026 key dates list Oct. 17 as the start of the Finals and Oct. 31 as the last possible date. All times Eastern, per ESPN's schedule page.
| Game | Date | Time | TV | |-|-|-|-| | Game 1 | Sat., Oct. 17 | 3:30 p.m. | NBC/Peacock | | Game 2 | Mon., Oct. 19 | 8 p.m. | USA/Peacock | | Game 3 | Thu., Oct. 22 | 8 p.m. | USA/Peacock | | Game 4 | Sat., Oct. 24 | 3:30 p.m. | NBC/Peacock | | Game 5* | Mon., Oct. 26 | 8 p.m. | USA/Peacock | | Game 6* | Thu., Oct. 29 | 8 p.m. | USA/Peacock | | Game 7* | Sat., Oct. 31 | 8 p.m. | USA/Peacock |
*If necessary. ESPN's scoreboard lists Game 1 at Chase Center.
Betting and DFS impact
Both trailing teams were favored at home on Friday and both lost outright. DraftKings, as shown on ESPN's game pages, had the Liberty at -3.5 (total 169.5) and the Aces at -4.5 (total 156.5). The Dream-Liberty game finished with 168 combined points, under the total; the Valkyries-Aces game, with overtime, finished at 164, over it.
For Finals Game 1, DraftKings via ESPN on Oct. 10 lists the Valkyries as 2.5-point home favorites, Valkyries -135 and Dream +114 on the moneyline, with a total of 153.5 (opened 154.5). Using 135 divided by 235, the Valkyries' -135 implies about 57.4%; the Dream's +114 (100 divided by 214) implies about 46.7%.
On the title board, DraftKings had the Valkyries at +120 and the Dream at +130 on Oct. 8, per ESPN, so those prices predate both Game 3s. The same ESPN board had Gabby Williams (+190) as the Finals MVP favorite, ahead of Angel Reese (+550) and Rhyne Howard (+650).
The regular season leans Golden State: the Valkyries won all four meetings, per ESPN, but the most recent was July 4, and three of those wins came during a five-game Atlanta losing streak. For DFS, the Finals are single-game slates. Model reads for every slate live on our AI sports picks hub and the WNBA daily picks page.
What to watch next
Allisha Gray's status. ESPN noted the Dream got just 11 minutes from Gray in the semifinal sweep and flagged concern about her availability.
Saturday, Oct. 17: Dream at Valkyries, Game 1, 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock.
The coaching matchup. Golden State's Natalie Nakase and Atlanta's Karl Smesko are both in their second seasons as WNBA head coaches, per ESPN.
Defense against defense. ESPN notes the two teams ranked 1-2 in defensive ranking in the regular season.
FAQ
Who is in the WNBA Finals 2026? The No. 2 Golden State Valkyries and No. 4 Atlanta Dream. Both swept their semifinals 3-0, finishing on Oct. 9.
When do the 2026 WNBA Finals start? Game 1 is Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. If the series goes seven, Game 7 is Saturday, Oct. 31.
Who has home court in the WNBA Finals? Golden State, the better seed, hosts Games 1, 2 and, if necessary, 5 and 7 in a 2-2-1-1-1 format.
Has either team won a WNBA title? No. The Dream are 0-3 in previous Finals trips, and the Valkyries are in their second season, so the 2026 champion will be a first-time winner.
The WNBA playoffs 2026 bracket is down to one series. Chad tracks every Finals line and matchup inside the StatSniper app.
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