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WNBA playoffs: Seeding, matchups and full schedule

The Chicago Sky begin the WNBA playoffs looking to repeat as champions. (Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images)

The WNBA regular season closed out with a frantic final day of action Sunday. Now all eyes turn to the postseason.

Eight teams will face off in the WNBA playoffs, which are set to kick off on Aug. 17. The league’s postseason will feature three rounds, with best-of-three first-round series followed by best-of-five semifinals and finals.

Check out every team in the postseason, in order of seeding, as well as the matchups and the full WNBA playoff schedule.

WNBA playoff seeding

1. Las Vegas Aces

The Las Vegas Aces booked their tickets to the WNBA playoffs with an 84-66 blowout over the Los Angeles Sparks on July 23.

An explosive offense propelled the Aces to a postseason berth, with Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson leading the team’s scoring tear. Las Vegas’ perimeter presence has been overwhelming, leading the league in points per game and 3-pointers made.

First-round opponent: No. 8 Phoenix Mercury

2. Chicago Sky

The 2021 WNBA champions were the first team to clinch a postseason berth, securing their place in the playoffs with a 78-74 victory over the Seattle Storm on July 20.

Chicago’s dominant 2022 campaign is a far cry from the team’s 2021 season, which the Sky finished with a 16-16 record. Chicago finished the season with a franchise record .722 win percentage.

First-round opponent: No. 7 New York Liberty

3. Connecticut Sun

The Connecticut Sun clinched their spot with an 88-83 win over the Seattle Storm in what could be Sue Bird’s final game in Connecticut on July 28.

While the storyline for the game lent itself toward retiring legend Bird, Alyssa Thomas was the standout performer, notching 19 points, five rebounds and 11 assists while shooting 8-of-11 from the field.

The Sun have been red-hot since the All-Star break and they’ll look to carry that momentum into the postseason.

First-round opponent: No. 6 Dallas Wings

4. Seattle Storm

The Seattle storm sealed their postseason fate with an 82-77 win over the Washington Mystics on July 30, clinching the team’s 18th playoff appearance.

Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Tina Charles led the charge for the Storm, contributing 18, 17 and 16 points, respectively. Seattle will rely on their offensive trio in the postseason as the Storm looks to send Bird into retirement with a title.

First-round opponent: No. 5 Washington Mystics

5. Washington Mystics 

The Washington Mystics clinched a playoff berth behind the Atlanta Dream’s July 30 loss to the Dallas Wings.

The Mystics then charged to a 78-75 victory over Seattle Storm on July 31, but the Storm won the season series 2-1, which could bode well for Seattle in the best-of-three first round series.

First-round opponent: No. 4 Seattle Storm

6. Dallas Wings

The Wings clinched their postseason berth on Aug. 8 with an 86-77 win over the New York Liberty.

Despite being without Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally, the team stepped up. Marina Mabrey had 31 points in the win to help send Dallas to the playoffs.

First-round opponent: No. 3 Connecticut Sun

7. New York Liberty

For the second year in a row, the New York Liberty are in the WNBA playoffs after beating Atlanta 87-83 in their season finale to secure their spot. Natasha Howard and Marine Johannes combined for 36 points while Stefanie Dolson added 15 points and 12 rebounds.

First-round opponent: No. 2 Chicago Sky

8. Phoenix Mercury

With a Minnesota Lynx loss on Sunday, the Mercury clinched the eighth seed in the playoffs despite an 82-67 loss to the Chicago Sky to close out the season.

The availability of injured star Diana Taurasi remains up in the air for the first round, as does the availability of Skylar Diggins-Smith, who missed the last three games due to personal reasons.

First-round opponent: No. 1 Las Vegas Aces

WNBA playoff schedule

First round:

  • Wednesday, Aug. 17:
    • (2) Chicago Sky vs. (7) New York Liberty @ 8 p.m. on ESPN2
    • (1) Las Vegas Aces vs. (8) Phoenix Mercury @ 10 p.m. on ESPN
  • Thursday, Aug. 18:
    • (3) Connecticut Sun vs. (6) Dallas Wings @ 8 p.m. on ESPNU/NBA TV
    • (4) Seattle Storm vs. (5) Washington Mystics @ 10 p.m. on ESPN2
  • Saturday, Aug. 20:
    • (2) Chicago Sky vs. (7) New York Liberty @ 12 p.m. on ESPN
    • (1) Las Vegas Aces vs. (8) New York Liberty @ 9 p.m. on ESPN2
  • Sunday, Aug. 21:
    • (3) Connecticut Sun vs. (6) Dallas Wings @ 12 p.m. on ABC
    • (4) Seattle Storm vs. (5) Washington Mystics @ 4 p.m. on ESPN
  • Tuesday, Aug. 23:
    • (2) Chicago Sky at (7) New York Liberty @ TBD*
    • (1) Las Vegas Aces at (8) Phoenix Mercury @ TBD*
  • Wednesday, Aug. 24:
    • (3) Connecticut Sun at (6) Dallas Wings @ TBD*
    • (4) Seattle Storm at (5) Washington Mystics @ TBD*

Semifinals:

  • Sunday, Aug. 28: Game 1 @ 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN2
  • Wednesday, Aug. 31: Game 2 @ 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on ESPN2
  • Sunday, Sept. 4: Game 3 @ 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on ESPN2 and ABC
  • Tuesday, Sept. 6: Game 4* @ 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on ESPN2
  • Thursday, Sept. 8: Game 5* @ 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on ESPN2

Finals:

  • Sunday, Sept. 11: Game 1 @ 3 p.m. on ABC
  • Tuesday, Sept. 13: Game 2 @ 9 p.m. on ESPN
  • Thursday, Sept. 15: Game 3 @ 9 p.m. on ESPN
  • Sunday, Sept. 18: Game 4* @ 3 p.m. on ESPN
  • Tuesday, Sept. 20: Game 5* @ 9 p.m. on ESPN

*If necessary. All times listed in ET.

Atlanta Dream Face Seattle Storm in 1st Regular-Season WNBA Canada Game

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner defends as Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams drives to the basket during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm head to Vancouver for the first-ever in-season WNBA Canada Game on Saturday. (Scott Eklund/NBAE via Getty Images)

The WNBA is taking a weekend road trip, as the No. 2 Atlanta Dream and No. 8 Seattle Storm head across the border to Vancouver, British Columbia, for the league's first-ever in-season Canada Game on Friday night.

The game features a rematch of Atlanta's 85-75 win over the Storm on Wednesday, with the win propelling the Dream up the WNBA standings — and threatening to drop Seattle out of postseason contention entirely.

"Time is running out, and the team knows it," Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn said earlier this week. "I didn't want to put so much pressure on them, but they know the situation, and they understand the urgency."

While Friday marks the first regular-season WNBA matchup played outside the US, the league has previously staged two preseason games in Canada, tipping off in Toronto in 2023 and Edmonton in 2024 — both in front of sold-out crowds.

Toronto's 2023 exhibition appeared to serve as a trial run for expansion, with the league awarding the Canadian city its first franchise — the 2026-incoming Toronto Tempo — earlier this year.

While plans for a formal move to Vancouver hasn't yet surfaced, the WNBA's explosive popularity and rapid growth outlook provide plenty of room for new markets to enter the conversation.

How to watch the 2025 WNBA Canada Game

The No. 8 Seattle Storm and No. 2 Atlanta Dream will square off inside Vancouver's Rogers Arena at 10 PM ET on Friday night.

Live coverage of the WNBA Canada Game clash will air on ION.

Washington Mystics Shift 2025 Season Strategy as WNBA Playoffs Near

The Washington Mystics huddle and celebrate a 2025 WNBA win.
The Washington Mystics have won just three of their last 10 games following a series of strategic trades. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

Coming off a series of strategic transactions, the No. 10 Washington Mystics will forge ahead on Friday night, taking on the short-staffed No. 6 Indiana Fever with a chance to play spoiler as they reshape their 2025 expectations from below the postseason cutoff line.

"There's just so many different success stories with this group," Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson said following Washington's 88-83 loss to the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday.

The Mystics have lost five of their last six games, and will take the court on Friday without injured new addition Jacy Sheldon and starting center Shakira Austin.

While Washington exceeded this year's early-season projections — skyrocketing above the playoff line behind leading scorer Brittney Sykes and the dynamic rookie duo of Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron — the now-fading Mystics chose to shift gears at the trade deadline, sending Sykes to the No. 8 Seattle Storm and shipping second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards off to the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.

With their natural 2026 draft pick secured, Washington has a shot at adding a top first-round prospect should they play out the rest of the regular season at the bottom of the WNBA standings — in other words, by strategically tanking the final weeks of 2025 play.

On the other hand, the injury-laden Indiana enters Friday's action eyeing a win after falling to the No. 11 Dallas Wings by just one point on Tuesday.

How to watch the Washington Mystics vs. Indiana Fever on Friday

The No. 10 Mystics will take on the No. 6 Fever in Indianapolis at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on ION.

No. 1 Kansas City Current Battles No. 2 Orlando Pride in a Clash of the NWSL Titans

Orlando Pride forward Ally Watt slide tackles Kansas City Current forward Nichelle Prince during a 2025 NWSL match.
The No. 1 Kansas City Current will enter Saturday's match against No. 2 Orlando with a 12-point lead over the Pride. (Dustin Markland/NWSL via Getty Images)

A top-table battle headlines the NWSL this weekend, as the No. 1 Kansas City Current hosts the No. 2 Orlando Pride for a possible postseason rehearsal on Saturday.

Led by Golden Boot frontrunner Temwa Chawinga, the Current enter the weekend with a full 12-point lead over the rest of the league, as reigning NWSL Shield and Championship winners Orlando push to make a statement.

"We are resilient. That is part of our identity. We never give up and we are always playing to win, and we always believe in ourselves," Pride defender Kylie Nadaner said following last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville.

More than just a clash between the top two teams in the NWSL standings, history shows very little love lost between these perennial heavy-hitters.

Last season, Orlando snapped KC's NWSL-record 17-game unbeaten streak on the Current's home turf, then took Kansas City down again in the pair's 2024 semifinal playoff match.

"We will remember the way they acted after the cameras were off," Current forward Michelle Cooper posted to social media after their July 2024 loss.

Kansas City has already issued some regular-season revenge on their way up the table this year, defeating the Pride 1-0 back in May.

How to watch Kansas City vs. Orlando this NWSL weekend

The No. 1 Current will kick off against the No. 2 Pride at 4 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on CBS.

NBA 2K26 Adds WNBA Players to MyTEAM Mode

Avatars of WNBA star Angel Reese and former NBA icon Shaq play together in the NBA2K video game.
Video game NBA2K incorporated WNBA players into MyTEAM mode for the first time this week. (NBA 2K26)

NBA 2K is going all in on the WNBA, with the popular video game expanding its MyTEAM mode this week to allow athletes from both leagues to star on the same team when the 2K26 edition drops next month.

"MyTEAM is where competition meets a basketball fan's wildest imagination," explained Visual Concepts VP of NBA development Erick Boenisch. "By integrating the WNBA into one of our most popular modes, we're not only giving players the opportunity to customize their all-time dream rosters but shining a spotlight on some of the game's most iconic hoopers. We're looking forward to giving our players a new and deeper way to engage with the WNBA."

"Players can now mix and match current superstars and legends from both leagues, and compete with more dream lineup combinations than ever before," NBA 2K said in Thursday's release.

"Pair Paige Bueckers with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, throw a lob from Sheryl Swoopes to Shaquille O'Neal, or run a pick-and-roll with Angel Reese and Carmelo Anthony," the franchise continued.

NBA 2K has ramped up its WNBA integration significantly since the league's debut in the 2K20 edition, expanding from Play Now and Season modes to the upcoming 2K26 version's virtual press conferences, pre-draft interviews, social media refreshes, and Top-10 player ratings.

How to buy the WNBA Edition of NBA 2K26

With Chicago Sky sophomore Angel Reese playing cover star, the WNBA Edition of NBA 2K26 will be sold exclusively in physical form at GameStop, dropping along with the other versions of the popular video game on September 5th.

Fans can purchase the WNBA version through the gaming retailer's presale now.

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