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Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries Set for 2026 WNBA Finals
Confirmed
In Short: The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries will face off in the 2026 WNBA Finals, with the Dream moving their home games to State Farm Arena.
The Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries will compete in the 2026 WNBA Finals, with the Dream's home games shifting to State Farm Arena to accommodate fan demand.
The Dream's regular season home opener, originally scheduled for Oct. 24, has been pushed back to make way for the Finals.
The move to State Farm Arena, which seats nearly 17,000 fans, comes after concerns that the Dream's usual venue, Gateway Center Arena, with a capacity of 5,000, was too small.
The first two games of the Finals will be held at Chase Center in San Francisco, with the Dream hosting Games 3 and 4 at State Farm Arena.
Game 3, the first home game for the Dream, will be played on Thursday, Oct. 15, a day earlier than initially planned.
Larry Gottesdiener, the Atlanta Dream's majority owner, expressed gratitude for the decision, stating, 'This is what the players and the fans deserve.'
Joe Lacob, governor of the Golden State Valkyries, played a role in the decision, emphasizing the importance of the league's image.
The Valkyries' team president, Jess Smith, confirmed that all Valkyries' postseason games will be played at Chase Center.
The Dream's season ticket membership has grown by 400% over the past four years, highlighting the team's increasing popularity.
The Valkyries, in their second year, have broken the record for the quickest expansion team to reach the Finals.
The Finals will begin on Oct. 17, with Game 1 at Chase Center and Game 2 on Oct. 19.
Gabby Williams, a new addition to the Valkyries, has been a significant impact player this season.
What this adds
The Valkyries' governor, Joe Lacob, influenced the decision to move the Dream's home games to State Farm Arena.
The Valkyries became the quickest expansion team to reach the Finals, breaking the record set by the Dream in 2010.
Background
Atlanta Dream star Allisha Gray underwent a minor procedure on her left hand and her status for the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries is uncertain.
The Valkyries became the quickest expansion team to reach the WNBA Finals, breaking the record pace set by the Dream, who did it in their third year in 2010.
What's confirmed
- The team said in its announcement at the time that it has seen a 400% growth in season ticket members over the past four years. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events The Atlanta Dream's home games during the 2026 WNBA Finals will be played at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta, the WNBA announced Tuesday.
- “This is what the players and the fans deserve,” Larry Gottesdiener, Atlanta Dream majority owner, said in a statement about the move to State Farm.
- "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 and Hawks said in a joint statement released Tuesday.
- The 2026 WNBA Finals are set to begin on Oct. 17.
- “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,” Engelbert said in a statement.
- On Tuesday, that scenario was avoided when the WNBA and the NBA announced that after several logistical fixes, the Dream will host Games 3 and 4 of their WNBA Finals matchup against the Golden State Valkyries at Atlanta’s 17,004-seat State Farm Arena, rather than a 3,500-seat venue south of downtown.
- The top eight teams – the Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, Indiana Fever, New York Liberty, Washington Mystics and Dallas Wings – are locked into the postseason.
What's still developing
- Last week, the Dream announced a multi-year agreement with State Farm Arena that will see them playing all home games there starting next season.
- "I felt, look, it's not really about us it's about the league. The look would not be too good to have Ballhalla and 18,000 fans here and 3,500 over there."
- "I put quite a bit of pressure on the commissioner of the NBA and the WNBA," Lacob told Janie McCauley of the Associated Press.
- Managing Sports Editor Joey Supik ’27 tells you everything you need to know about the Dream and Valkyries ahead of the 2026 WNBA finals.
- “To be here in this moment, we’re making history and it’s like so unimaginable, but for us it’s so realistic,” said Veronica Burton, who played all of the fourth quarter and overtime despite carrying five fouls during most of that critical stretch.
- The Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson expects to have Elena Delle Donne for Game 1 of the playoffs against the Atlanta Dream on Sept. 27, while Fever guard Ty Harris has been ruled out for the remainder of the game against the Lynx.
- Here are the four series that begin Sunday, Sept. 27: At the time of publication, the WNBA has yet to assign television slots for the Game 1s.
- The Valkyries, Aces, Fever and Mystics are looking to solidify their playoff seeding.
- A monumental night in the WNBA concluded with two clean sweeps on Friday, establishing a dramatic matchup for the 2026 WNBA Finals.
Sources
- ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videoslink
- Bleacher Reportlink
- CBS Sportslink
- NBC 6 South Floridalink
- NBC Newslink
- The Amherst Studentlink
- The Atlanta Voicelink
- Sfchroniclelink
- Espnlink
- Warpbeatlink
- Swishappeallink
- CBS Sportslink
- USA Todaylink
- Nbcdfwlink
- Centraloregondailylink
- Nbcsportslink
- Malika Andrews - ESPN — video link