Led by Paige Bueckers, the Dallas Wings clinched the eighth and final spot in the 2026 WNBA playoffs. Dallas joined the Washington Mystics, New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream, Indiana Fever, Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces and Minnesota Lynx on the list of teams that earned a postseason berth.
Check out key facts about the 2026 WNBA postseason below:
When do the WNBA playoffs begin?
The WNBA playoffs begin Sept. 27 and will run through the end of September and into mid-October.
How do the WNBA playoffs work?
The top eight teams in the WNBA standings at the end of the regular season qualify for the playoffs. The teams are seeded based on their records, so the club with the best record earns the No. 1 seed, and the team with the eighth-best record is the No. 8 seed.
The playoffs are structured like a traditional eight-team bracket. The top seed hosts the No. 8 seed, the No. 2 seed hosts the seventh seed, the No. 3 seed hosts the sixth seed, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth seed.
The first round features four best-of-three series, with the winners advancing to the semifinals. The semifinals consist of two best-of-five series. The winner of each semifinal advances to the WNBA Finals.
The 2026 WNBA Finals will be a best-of-seven series for the second time in league history. The series will have a 2-2-1-1-1 structure in which the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, and its opponent hosts Games 3, 4 and 6. The first team to win four games in the series is the 2026 WNBA champion.
Which team won the 2025 WNBA championship?
The Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury 4-0 in the 2025 WNBA Finals to win their third WNBA championship in four years. A'ja Wilson was named Finals MVP for the second time in her career (2023).
Who won the past five WNBA championships?
2025: Las Vegas Aces
2024: New York Liberty
2023: Las Vegas Aces
2022: Las Vegas Aces
2021: Chicago Sky
Check out the ESPN WNBA hub page for scores, stats, schedules and more.