The Atlanta Dream and Atlanta Hawks announced in a joint statement Tuesday that the Dream will be able to host Games 3 and 4 of the 2026 WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries at State Farm Arena after all. In order to avoid previous conflicts, Game 3 has been moved to Oct. 21, while Game 4 will now start at 1 p.m. ET instead of 3:30 p.m. ET.
Here is the full statement from the Dream and the Hawks:
Relocating Games 3 and 4 of the WNBA Finals from Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Arena was a complex undertaking that required extraordinary collaboration to navigate numerous challenges in a short time period. The Dream is grateful to the Golden State Valkyries, the Hawks, the NBA, the WNBA, and both league's broadcast partners. Without their focus and flexibility, this would not have happened.
Ensuring that Games 3 and 4 of the Finals will be played at State Farm Arena is an important moment for the Dream's players, fans, the organization and the city of Atlanta and is a testament to the extraordinary momentum of the team, women's basketball and the growing impact of women's sports.
The Dream's home gym, Gateway Center Arena in College Park, is the smallest venue in the WNBA with a capacity of just 3,500 -- not an ideal setting for the Finals. State Farm Arena, home to the Hawks, holds just under 18,000 and hosted five of the Dream's regular-season games and their first three playoff games.
But when the Dream reached the Finals for the first time since 2013 by sweeping the New York Liberty, it quickly became apparent that playing the Finals at State Farm Arena may not be possible due to schedule conflicts.
A Sombr concert is scheduled for Oct. 22, the original date of Game 3, while the Hawks are set to play the Houston Rockets on Oct. 24 (Game 4) and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 29 (Game 6).
Moving Game 3 to Oct. 21, an open date for State Farm Arena, avoided the concert conflict. Moving Game 4 or the Hawks' home opener to another date was not possible, and they will both remain on Oct. 24. Since that is a Saturday, though, it was possible to move the Finals game up and the Hawks game back to allow them to take place in the same arena on the same day. Game 4 will now tip at 1 p.m. ET, while the Hawks' home opener will tip at 8:30 p.m. ET.
"We are grateful for the efforts made by numerous stakeholders, including the Dream, the Valkyries, the Hawks, State Farm Arena, and NBC Sports and USA Sports," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. "The change of venue dramatically expands the seating capacity and ensures that the Dream will be able to provide an extraordinary atmosphere for the first WNBA Finals game to be played in the Atlanta market since 2013. We are pleased that thousands more fans across the Southeast region will have the opportunity to experience the ultimate WNBA action – the WNBA Finals – in person."
The announcement from the Dream and Hawks did not mention Game 6 of the Finals, which will only be played if necessary. That game is set for Oct. 29, a Thursday, which would make the Game 4 solution infeasible.
New Finals schedule, with Game 6 still up in the air
- Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET | Chase Center, San Francisco | NBC/Peacock
- Game 2: Monday, Oct. 19, 8 p.m. ET | Chase Center, San Francisco | USA/Peacock
- Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m. ET | State Farm Arena, Atlanta | USA/Peacock
- Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 24, 1 p.m. ET | State Farm Arena, Atlanta | NBC/Peacock
- Game 5*: Monday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m. ET | Chase Center, San Francisco | USA/Peacock
- Game 6*: Thursday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. ET | TBD | USA/Peacock
- Game 7*: Saturday, Oct. 31, 8 p.m. ET | Chase Center, San Francisco | USA/Peacock
*If necessary
The WNBA has often dealt with arena conflicts come playoff time when the NBA, NHL and college basketball are back in swing. Just last season, the Valkyries had to play the first playoff game in franchise history at the SAP Center in San Jose, rather than at their home arena, the Chase Center in San Francisco, which will host all of their Finals games this season.
In each of the last two Finals, NBA teams have adjusted their preseason schedule to accommodate WNBA Finals dates. The Minnesota Timberwolves changed the date of a preseason game in 2024 to make room for the Lynx, and in 2025 the Phoenix Suns played a preseason game in the afternoon to give the Mercury the arena at night.
Of course, it's much easier to move around a largely meaningless preseason game than it is to move a regular-season contest, especially the Hawks' home opener on Oct. 24. Plus, unlike many NBA and WNBA teams that play in the same city -- including the Timberwolves/Lynx and Suns/Mercury -- the Hawks and Dream are owned by separate groups, which means the Hawks did not have the same incentive to work around the Dream's schedule. As a result, this process required extensive collaboration.
Ironically, State Farm Arena -- then Philips Arena -- was the Dream's original home from 2008-16, and the last time they made the Finals, they were forced to move Game 3 of that series to the much-smaller Gas South Arena -- then the Arena at Gwinnet Center -- due to a conflict with Disney on Ice. Gas South Arena, which now has a capacity of 13,000, could be an option for Game 6.
