2026 WNBA playoffs bracket, schedule: Valkyries and Dream advance to WNBA Finals with semifinal sweeps

The Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries will square off in the 2026 WNBA Finals. The Dream and Valkyries both completed semifinal sweeps on Friday night. Atlanta knocked out the New York Liberty, while Golden State ousted the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces. The 2026 WNBA Finals are set to begin on Oct. 17.

Neither the Dream nor the Valkyries has ever won a WNBA championship. It's Atlanta's first Finals appearance since 2013. It's the first for the Valkyries, who are just in their second season as a franchise after debuting as an expansion team in 2025.

The Dream knocked the Washington Mystics out in the first round and are a perfect 5-0 in the playoffs. The Valkyries defeated the Dallas Wings in the first round, needing all three games to do so.

The Finals, for the second season ever, are a best-of-seven series in 2026.

The 2026 WNBA season has been groundbreaking, 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), and in return, the players raised the bar on a weekly basis. Multiple regular-season records fell this year, from Clark becoming the first player in WNBA history with a 40-point, 10-assist game, to Angel Reese breaking the single-game rebounding record with 26 to Kelsey Mitchell passing A'ja Wilson's single-season points record.

Here's how you can follow the playoffs.

2026 WNBA playoff bracket

2026 WNBA playoff schedule

Semifinals schedule

(All times Eastern)

Friday, Oct. 9

Game 3: Dream 85, Liberty 83 (Atlanta wins series 3-0)

Game 3: Valkyries 87, Aces 77 (OT) (Golden State wins series 3-0)

Semifinals scores

Sunday, Oct. 4

Game 1: No. 4 Dream 92, No. 8 Liberty 82

Game 1: No. 2 Valkyries 71, No. 3 Aces 60

Wednesday, Oct. 7

Game 2: No. 4 Dream 101, No. 8 Liberty 98 (OT)

Game 2: No. 2 Valkyries 83, No. 3 Aces 81

WNBA Finals

Saturday, Oct. 17

Game 1: Valkyries vs. Dream, 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC/fubo

Monday, Oct. 19

Game 2: Valkyries vs. Dream, 3:30 p.m. ET | USA/fubo

Thursday, Oct. 22

Game 3: Dream vs. Valkyries, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo

Saturday, Oct. 24

Game 4: Dream vs. Valkyries, 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC/fubo

Monday, Oct. 26

Game 5*: Valkyries vs. Dream, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo

Thursday, Oct. 29

Game 6*: Dream vs. Valkyries, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo

Saturday, Oct. 31

Game 7*: Valkyries vs. Dream, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo

* - denotes if necessary

First-round scores

Sunday, Sept. 27

Game 1: No. 8 Liberty 91, No. 1 Lynx 75

Game 1: No. 3 Aces 102, No. 6 Fever 85

Game 1: No. 4 Dream 92, No. 5 Mystics 77

Game 1: No. 2 Valkyries 104, No. 7 Wings 80

Tuesday, Sept. 29

Game 2: No. 6 Fever 99, No. 3 Aces 89

Game 2: No. 8 Liberty 87, No. 1 Lynx 71 (New York wins 2-0)

Wednesday, Sept. 30

Game 2: No. 4 Dream 93, No. 5 Mystics 75 (Atlanta wins 2-0)

Game 2: No. 7 Wings 108, No. 2 Valkyries 100 (OT)

Thursday, Oct. 1

Game 3: No. 3 Aces 94, No. 6 Fever 83 (Las Vegas wins 2-1)

Friday, Oct. 2