2026 WNBA Playoffs: Semifinals Matchups and Schedule
The Dream, Liberty, Valkyries, and Aces advance to the best-of-five semifinal round following a record-breaking 2026 season.
Quick Look
- The 2026 WNBA playoffs reach the semifinals as the Dream face the Liberty and the Valkyries challenge the Aces.
- The season, marked by a historic labor agreement and multiple individual performance records, concludes with the best-of-five series starting October 4.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The 2026 season followed a labor agreement that raised the salary cap from $1.5 million to $7 million. Multiple individual performance records were set throughout the regular season.
We're down to the final four in the 2026 WNBA playoffs. The semifinals tip off Sunday as the Dream host the Liberty and the Valkyries take on the Aces. Three of the top four seeds advanced in the first round, with one notable exception, as the eighth-seeded Liberty knocked out the top-seeded Lynx. New York will try to continue its run against the Dream in the best-of-five semis.
The Valkyries claimed the final semifinal spot on Friday night, overcoming a 16-point deficit to knock out the Wings. Golden State will now face the reigning champion Aces after Las Vegas took care of Caitlin Clark and the Fever in three games in the first round.
The thrilling start to the playoffs is fitting, since 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)
Sunday, Oct. 4
Game 1: Dream vs. Liberty, 2 p.m., ABC/fubo
Game 1: Valkyries vs. Aces, 4 p.m., NBC/fubo
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Game 2: Dream vs. Liberty, 7:30 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Game 2: Valkyries vs. Aces, 9:30 p.m., NBCSN
Friday, Oct. 9
Game 3: Dream vs. Liberty, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2/fubo
Game 3: Valkyries vs. Aces, 9:30 p.m., NBCSN
Sunday, Oct. 11
Game 4*: Dream vs. Liberty, TBD, ABC/fubo
Game 4*: Valkyries vs. Aces, TBD, NBC/fubo
Wednesday, Oct. 14
Game 5*: Dream vs. Liberty, TBD, ESPN/fubo
Game 5*: Valkyries vs. Aces, TBD, NBCSN
WNBA Finals
Saturday, Oct. 17
Game 1: TBD vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC/fubo
Monday, Oct. 19
Game 2: TBD vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Thursday, Oct. 22
Game 3: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Saturday, Oct. 24
Game 4: TBD vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m. ET | NBC/fubo
Monday, Oct. 26
Game 5*: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Thursday, Oct. 29
Game 6*: TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
Saturday, Oct. 31
Game 7*: TBD vs. TBD, 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
Game 3: No. 2 Valkyries 77, No. 7 Wings 73 (Golden State wins 2-1)
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Semifinal series will determine WNBA finalists.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Which teams will advance to the WNBA Finals?
