There are two more days of regular season action in the WNBA. The eight-team postseason field has already been decided, although seeding can still change over the next two days. So, what teams are in, and what can fans expect from the 2025 WNBA playoffs?
WNBA playoffs bracket
No. 1 seed: Minnesota Lynx
No. 2 seed: To be determined
No. 3 seed: To be determined
No. 4 seed: Phoenix Mercury
No. 5 seed: New York Liberty
No. 6 seed: To be determined
No. 7 seed: To be determined
No. 8 seed: To be determined
Other clinched teams: Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, Indiana Fever, Golden State Valkyries, Seattle Storm
Teams eliminated from playoff contention: Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky, Dallas Wings
WNBA playoffs schedule
Note: All times are listed in the Eastern time zone. A * signals a game that will occur only if necessary.
First round:
Sunday Sept. 14
Game 1: 1 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 1: 3 p.m. (ABC)
Game 1: 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 1: 10 p.m. (ESPN)
Tuesday, Sept. 16
Game 2: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2: 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Wednesday, Sept. 17
Game 2: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2: 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Thursday, Sept. 18
Game 3*: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN 2)
Game 3*: 9:30 p.m. (ESPN 2)
Friday Sept. 19
Game 1: 3 p.m. (ABC)
Game 1: 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Tuesday, Sept. 23
Game 2: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2: 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, Sept. 26
Game 3: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 3: 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Sunday, Sept. 28
Game 4*: 1 or 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 4*: 3 p.m. (ABC)
Tuesday, Sept. 30
Game 5*: TBD
Game 5*: TBD
WNBA Finals
Friday, Oct. 3
Game 1: 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Oct. 5
Game 2: 3 p.m. (ABC)
Wednesday, Oct. 8
Game 3: 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, Oct. 10
Game 4: 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Sunday, Oct. 12
Game 5*: 3 p.m. (ABC)
Wednesday Oct. 15
Game 6*:8 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, Oct. 17
Game 7*: 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Predictions
Only one matchup is set in stone for the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Despite the Phoenix Mercury's home-court advantage, the New York Liberty are in a prime position to complete the upset. Of course, the Liberty are the defending champions. Their championship experience will pay off in dividends, and the team is now finally completely healthy.
The Liberty won't get back into the WNBA Finals, though. Instead, the Minnesota Lynx and the Las Vegas Aces will be the two teams duking it out to win the championship. Led by Napheesa Collier, the Lynx have been far and away the best team in the WNBA this season. Minnesota could have benefited from a seven-game championship series when they played the Liberty in the WNBA Finals last year. This is the first season where it will take four wins to take home the championship.
The Aces will orchestrate another Minnesota heartbreak, though. A'ja Wilson is still the best player in the WNBA, and she has led her team to championship appearances in three of the last five seasons. Wilson is joined by Jackie Young, Jewell Loyd, and Chelsea Gray, and together, they could win Las Vegas their third ring in four years.
The Golden State Valkyries became the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season, but they could struggle in the postseason. The team has dropped games recently, and leading scorer Kayla Thornton is out for the year with an injury. Likewise, the Indiana Fever have been ravaged by injuries. Most notably, Caitlin Clark won't be playing in these playoffs.
The Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm are sneaky sleeper picks to make a deep postseason run. Both teams have depth and somewhat unheralded superstar talent. With more games than ever before, this is arguably the most anticipated WNBA postseason to date.
