We're down to the final four in the 2026 WNBA playoffs. The semifinals tipped off Sunday, with both home teams getting big wins over their more proven opponents: the Dream defeated the Liberty 92-82 and the Valkyries' defense dominated the Aces' offense for a 71-60 win. All four teams now have a couple of days off, as both Game 2s of the best-of-five series won't tip off until Wednesday night. That delay could be important for the Dream and Aces, as they both saw key players leave their games on Sunday with health concerns -- Allisha Gray with a hand injury and Jewell Loyd with a left leg injury.
Three of the top four seeds advanced past the first round, with one notable exception, as the eighth-seeded Liberty knocked out the top-seeded Lynx. The Dream advanced to their first semifinal since 2018 with a sweep of the Mystics, the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces took care of Caitlin Clark and the Fever in three games and the Valkyries overcame a 16-point deficit in an elimination game to knock out the Wings.
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)
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
Wednesday, Oct. 14
- Game 5*: Dream vs. Liberty, TBD, ESPN/fubo
- Game 5*: Valkyries vs. Aces, TBD, NBCSN
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
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)
