The 2026 WNBA Finals are set: the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream will battle for the title starting Saturday, October 17, after both teams swept their semifinal series.
Atlanta took out the New York Liberty 3-0, closing it out with an 85-83 win in Game 3. Golden State did the same to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, finishing them off 87-77 in overtime. As CBS Sports laid out, neither franchise has ever won a WNBA title, so somebody’s getting a first ring.
The IAHHM Take: New Blood, Real Stakes
Look at how these two got here. The Valkyries are only in their second season after debuting as an expansion team in 2025, and they’re already in the Finals. That’s not supposed to happen this fast. The Dream are back in the Finals for the first time since 2013, and they’re perfect in these playoffs at 5-0 after beating Washington 2-0 and sweeping New York.
Then there’s the star power. Angel Reese led Atlanta with 22 points and 9 rebounds in the Game 3 clincher against the Liberty, and the Dream did it without leading scorer Allisha Gray, who missed Games 2 and 3 with an injury. We broke down why Reese’s run has people rethinking all those hot takes elsewhere on IAHHM Sports.
For Carolina fans, Atlanta is the closest thing to a home team in this series. Expect a lot of Dream gear in the Charlotte and Raleigh group chats.
2026 WNBA Finals Schedule (All Times ET)
- Game 1: Sat., Oct. 17, 3:30 p.m. (NBC)
- Game 2: Mon., Oct. 19, 3:30 p.m. (USA)
- Game 3: Thu., Oct. 22, 8 p.m. (USA)
- Game 4: Sat., Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. (NBC)
- Game 5*: Mon., Oct. 26, 8 p.m. (USA)
- Game 6*: Thu., Oct. 29, 8 p.m. (USA)
- Game 7*: Sat., Oct. 31, 8 p.m. (USA)
*If necessary. The series is best-of-seven. Schedule per CBS Sports.
Your pick: does the expansion story keep rolling, or does Atlanta finish what it started? Let us know.
Source: CBS Sports, ClutchPoints
