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2026 WNBA Finals schedule: Dream vs. Valkyries Game 6 gets moved up to afternoon tip

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2026 WNBA Finals schedule: Dream vs. Valkyries Game 6 gets moved up to afternoon tip

The WNBA Finals are knotted at two apiece after the Golden State Valkyries held on for a Game 4 win on Sunday over the Atlanta Dream. Defense stole the show for Golden State, aided by a poor showing from Dream star Angel Reese, in a 67-62 final.

The series resumes on Monday in San Francisco as the Valkyries host Game 5. Both teams are looking to win a title for the first time in franchise history.

Whoever wins on Monday will be playing for a title on Thursday ... and they'll be doing it with an early start time. The WNBA announced Monday that Game 6 was being moved up to 12:30 p.m. ET so it could be played at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The league chose to have the matinee at the larger arena rather than play an originally scheduled night game at Gateway Center Arena -- the Dream's 3,500-seat regular-season home.

The Dream and Valkyries both completed semifinal sweeps, giving them a week off before the Finals. Atlanta knocked out the New York Liberty, while Golden State ousted the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces. 

The Dream knocked the Washington Mystics out in the first round and are a perfect 5-0 in the playoffs. The Valkyries defeated the Dallas Wings in the first round, needing all three games to do so. The Finals, for the second season ever, are a best-of-seven series in 2026.

The 2026 WNBA season has been groundbreaking, on and off the court. It launched on the heels of a contentious and extended labor battle that resulted in a historic raise for the players (the salary cap increased from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in 2026), and in return, the players raised the bar on a weekly basis. Multiple regular-season records fell this year, from Clark becoming the first player in WNBA history with a 40-point, 10-assist game, to Angel Reese breaking the single-game rebounding record with 26 to Kelsey Mitchell passing A'ja Wilson's single-season points record.

2026 WNBA playoff bracket

2026 WNBA Finals scores and schedule

(All times Eastern)

Saturday, Oct. 17

  • Game 1: Valkyries 68, Dream 64
  • Monday, Oct. 19

  • Game 2: Dream 79, Valkyries 65
  • Wednesday, Oct. 21

  • Game 3: Dream 97, Valkyries 71
  • Saturday, Oct. 24

  • Game 4: Valkyries 67, Dream 62 (Series tied 2-2)
  • Monday, Oct. 26

  • Game 5: Valkyries vs. Dream, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
  • Thursday, Oct. 29

  • Game 6: Dream vs. Valkyries, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
  • Saturday, Oct. 31

  • Game 7*: Valkyries vs. Dream, 8 p.m. ET | USA/fubo
  • * - denotes if necessary

    First-round scores

    Sunday, Sept. 27

  • Game 1: No. 8 Liberty 91, No. 1 Lynx 75
  • Game 1: No. 3 Aces 102, No. 6 Fever 85
  • Game 1: No. 4 Dream 92, No. 5 Mystics 77
  • Game 1: No. 2 Valkyries 104, No. 7 Wings 80
  • Tuesday, Sept. 29

  • Game 2: No. 6 Fever 99, No. 3 Aces 89
  • Game 2: No. 8 Liberty 87, No. 1 Lynx 71 (New York wins 2-0)
  • Wednesday, Sept. 30

  • Game 2: No. 4 Dream 93, No. 5 Mystics 75 (Atlanta wins 2-0)
  • Game 2: No. 7 Wings 108, No. 2 Valkyries 100 (OT)
  • Thursday, Oct. 1

  • Game 3: No. 3 Aces 94, No. 6 Fever 83 (Las Vegas wins 2-1)
  • Friday, Oct. 2

  • Game 3: No. 2 Valkyries 77, No. 7 Wings 73 (Golden State wins 2-1)
  • Semifinals scores

    Sunday, Oct. 4

  • Game 1: No. 4 Dream 92, No. 8 Liberty 82 
  • Game 1: No. 2 Valkyries 71, No. 3 Aces 60
  • Wednesday, Oct. 7

  • Game 2: No. 4 Dream 101, No. 8 Liberty 98 (OT)
  • Game 2: No. 2 Valkyries 83, No. 3 Aces 81
  • Friday, Oct. 9

  • Game 3: Dream 85, Liberty 83 (Atlanta wins series 3-0)
  • Game 3: Valkyries 87, Aces 77 (OT) (Golden State wins series 3-0)
  • 2026 WNBA playoffs bracket: Game 6 tip time moved up

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