The WNBA playoff bracket is locked with the final seeds decided on Thursday, the final day of the regular season. Now, the focus turns to the postseason, where the league’s biggest stars will compete for the 2024 WNBA Championship.
A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces are aiming for their third-straight title, but the New York Liberty enter the postseason as the top seed, having led the league for the majority of the season. The now-defunct Houston Comets are the only team to win three consecutive WNBA titles, having won four straight from 1997 to 2000.
When Do The WNBA Playoffs Start?
The first of three rounds begins on Sunday, Sept. 22. It’s a best-of-three series with the home team hosting the first two games. Since the league began using this format in 2022, only three of the eight first-round series have gone three games, putting the pressure squarely on the road teams for these games.
The semifinals and the finals are both best-of-five. The semifinals will begin Sept. 29 and the WNBA Finals will start Oct. 10 with the potential for a winner-take-all game five on Oct. 20.
How Do The WNBA Playoffs Work?
Eight teams make the postseason and are seeded regardless of conference. After a nail-biter close to the regular season, here’s what the 2024 playoff bracket looks like:
- No. 1 New York Liberty vs. No. 8 Atlanta Dream
- No. 2 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Phoenix Mercury
- No. 3 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever
- No. 4 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm
The No. 1 seeded New York Liberty—who are still looking for their first championship after making the Finals on five occasions—clinched a playoff berth weeks ago. But, they had to wait until the last day of the regular season to find out their opponent as the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, and Washington Mystics were battling for the eighth seed. With a win over the Liberty on Thursday, the Dream secured a date facing off against the Liberty in the postseason.
The Liberty are the top seed, but the veteran-laden Minnesota is arguably rolling into the postseason with the most momentum. The Lynx square off against the Phoenix Mercury in what could be Diana Taurasi’s last hurrah in the WNBA.
The other question mark lingering on the last day of the regular season was whether the Connecticut Sun or the Las Vegas Aces would claim the No. 3 seed. Connecticut earned it with a win over the Chicago Sky, locking themselves into a first round matchup with the Indiana Fever, who return to the postseason for the first time in eight years, thanks in no small part to Caitlin Clark, the presumptive Rookie of the Year.
Connecticut earning the third seed sent the Las Vegas Aces to battle the Seattle Storm in the fourth vs. fifth seed matchup. Led by Wilson who is poised to claim third MVP award after becoming the first WNBA player to score more than 1,000 points in a season, the Aces project as the better team in this series, but the Storm are not an easy first-round matchup for the Aces to begin their quest for a three-peat against.
The winner of the Aces vs. Storm matchup then faces the winner of the Liberty vs. Dream series. On the other side of the bracket, the winner of Minnesota vs. Phoenix plays either the Sun or the Fever.
How Can I Watch My Favorite Team?
Below is the complete schedule for the playoffs, via WNBA.com. All the listed times are in EST.
First Round
Sunday, Sept. 22 (Game 1)
1 pm: No. 8 Atlanta Dream at No. 1 New York Liberty, ESPN
3 pm: No. 6 Indiana Fever at No. 3 Connecticut Sun, ABC
5 pm: No. 7 Phoenix Mercury at No. 2 Minnesota Lynx, ESPN
10 pm: No. 5 Seattle Storm at No. 4 Las Vegas Aces, ESPN
Tuesday, Sept. 24 (Game 2)
7:30 pm: No. 8 Atlanta Dream at No. 1 New York Liberty, ESPN
9.30 pm: No. 5 Seattle Storm at No. 4 Las Vegas Aces, ESPN
Wednesday, Sept. 25 (Game 2)
7:30 pm: No. 6 Indiana Fever at No. 3 Connecticut Sun, ESPN
9:30 pm: No. 5 Seattle Storm at No. 4 Las Vegas Aces, ESPN
Thursday, Sept. 26 (Game 3 if necessary)
Time TBD: No. 1 New York Liberty at No. 8 Atlanta Dream, ESPN2
Time TBD: No. 4 Las Vegas Aces at No. 5 Seattle Storm, ESPN2
Friday, Sept. 27 (Game 3, if necessary)
Time TBD: No. 3 Connecticut Sun at No. 6 Indiana Fever, ESPN2
Time TBD: No. 2 Minnesota Lynx at No. 7 Phoenix Mercury, ESPN2
Semifinals (Times TBD)
Game 1: Sunday, Sept. 29
Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 1
Game 3: Friday, Oct. 4
Game 4: Sunday, Oct. 6 (if necessary)
Game 5: Tuesday, Oct. 8 (if necessary)
Finals (Times TBD)
Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 10
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 13
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 16
Game 4: Friday, Oct. 18 (if necessary)
Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 20 (if necessary)