WNBA playoff schedule: League releases dates for 2026 postseason — SkimNews
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- WNBA released its 2026 playoff schedule, with the best-of-three first round opening Sunday across four games and the best-of-five semifinals tipping off Oct. 4.
- First-round matchups were set: (1) Minnesota Lynx vs. (8) New York Liberty; (2) Golden State Valkyries vs. (7) Dallas Wings; (3) Las Vegas Aces vs. (6) Indiana Fever; and (4) Atlanta Dream vs. (5) Washington Mystics.
- Home-court advantage follows a 1-1-1 first-round format with the higher seed hosting Games 1 and 3, while the semifinals use a 2-2-1 format and the Finals a 2-2-1-1, with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2, and the decisive ones.
- WNBA Finals will be a best-of-seven series starting Oct. 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock, with potential Game 7 on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. ET on USA/Peacock.
- Semifinals broadcasts are split across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NBC/Peacock, and NBCSN, while every Finals game airs on either NBC/Peacock or USA/Peacock.
Why it matters: The 2-2-1-1 Finals format hands the higher seed home court for two of the three possible decisive games, giving regular-season performance direct postseason weight. A potential Game 7 on Halloween would cap a five-week postseason distributed across ABC, ESPN, NBC/Peacock, and USA/Peacock.
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