Dream's WNBA Finals Home Venue Undecided — SkimNews
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- Atlanta Dream had not determined their home venue for the WNBA Finals as of Sunday night, with Games 3, 4, and 6 (if necessary) scheduled for Oct. 22, 24, and 29 against the Golden State Valkyries.
- Morgan Shaw Parker, the Dream's president and COO, told media the team was "finalizing details on their home venue," but the Dream and the WNBA offered no further information when contacted by ESPN.
- The Dream's regular home, Gateway Center Arena at College Park, holds only 3,500 fans — a capacity the source flags as a concern for hosting Finals games.
- State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta (17,044 capacity), where the Dream moved five regular-season games and three playoff games this year and which becomes their full-time home in 2027, is already booked on Oct. 22 (Sombr concert), Oct. 24, and Oct. 29 (Atlanta Hawks regular-season games).
- The Golden State Valkyries will host Games 1, 2, and 5/7 (if necessary) at Chase Center in San Francisco, which seats 18,064.
- WNBA Finals games have previously been held at alternate and college venues, including the 2013 Finals game at what is now Gas South Arena (~13,000 seats) in Duluth, Georgia, plus games at Eastern Michigan (2008), UIC (2014), USC (2016), Minnesota (2017), and George Mason (2018).
Why it matters: The Dream's Gateway Center Arena (3,500 seats) is too small for a Finals-caliber crowd, and their larger backup State Farm Arena is booked on all three home dates — meaning the team may need to relocate to a third venue or college facility, as has happened in past Finals. The Valkyries' 18,064-seat Chase Center gives the road team a major home-court and revenue advantage until the Dream resolve their site.
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