Golden State eliminated defending champion Las Vegas 87-77 in overtime on Friday, October 9, while Atlanta closed out New York 85-83 the same night, setting up a Valkyries-Dream matchup for the WNBA Finals.
New York, Las Vegas and Golden State all grabbed 1-0 leads in their best-of-three First Round series on Sunday, September 27, 2026, as Breanna Stewart's 34 points powered the Liberty past the Lynx in Minneapolis, A'ja Wilson's 38-point outburst carried the Aces over the Fever in Las Vegas, and the Valkyries routed the Wings behind Tiffany Hayes and Gabby Williams at Chase Center.
The Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces and Atlanta Dream headline a best-of-three opening round that tipped off Sunday, September 27, with injury questions shadowing several top contenders.
Sixteen teams, one host city and a Team USA banking on depth to chase a fifth straight title in Berlin, Germany, where the tournament opens September 4 and runs through September 13.