WNBA Finals 2026 Guide: How to Follow Dream vs. Valkyries, Game by Game

The 2026 WNBA Finals pit the No. 2 seed Golden State Valkyries against the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream in a best-of-seven series. Golden State won Game 1 at Chase Center 68-64 on October 17, taking a 1-0 lead, according to ESPN's recap of the game and the official WNBA Finals preview. Neither franchise has ever won a championship.

How each team got here

Golden State finished the regular season 32-12, second in the league, and is making the Finals in its second year of existence after expanding into the WNBA, per WNBA.com. In the playoffs, the Valkyries beat the Dallas Wings in a three-game first-round series before sweeping defending champion Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals, despite an all-time 1-6 regular-season record against Las Vegas, ESPN reported.

Atlanta finished 30-14, fourth in the standings. The Dream swept the Washington Mystics in the first round, then swept the 2025 champion New York Liberty in the semifinals — a reversal of their 2024 playoff loss to New York, according to WNBA.com and ESPN. Atlanta's sweep of the Liberty extended a 10-game winning streak that Golden State snapped in Game 1.

Key players to watch

Golden State's attack centers on Gabby Williams, who led all scorers in the playoffs entering the Finals and scored a game-high 26 points in Game 1, including four free throws in the final 1:18, per ESPN. Kiah Stokes anchors Golden State's rebounding and interior defense, while Janelle Salaun, the league's Sixth Player of the Year, Veronica Burton and Tiffany Hayes add scoring depth, according to the WNBA.com preview.

Atlanta relies on three All-Stars: Angel Reese, the Defensive Player of the Year, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds in Game 1; Rhyne Howard; and Allisha Gray, Atlanta's leading scorer. Jordin Canada and DeWanna Bonner round out the rotation. Gray was day-to-day ahead of the series after an injury to her left hand, but played in Game 1, finishing with 19 points — though she did not score in the fourth quarter as the Dream shot 2-for-20 in that period, ESPN reported.

Full Finals schedule

Golden State holds home-court advantage and would host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, per WNBA.com. Games air on NBC or USA Network depending on the date.

How to follow the rest of the series

1. Check the updated schedule above before each game, since Finals start times rotate between daytime and evening slots on NBC and USA Network.
2. Track Allisha Gray's hand injury report; she played significant minutes and scored 19 points in Game 1, but her scoring dipped in the fourth quarter, per ESPN.
3. Watch the rebounding battle — Golden State won the boards 41-35 in Game 1, a category WNBA.com flagged as a series storyline given both teams' defensive identities.
4. Follow the venue switch: Games 3 and 4 move from Chase Center to State Farm Arena in Atlanta, which could shift crowd and travel dynamics.
5. If the series reaches a Game 5, 6 or 7, note those are only played 'if necessary' and dates can shift based on how the first four games unfold.

What analysts expected before Game 1

Before the series began, three of four ESPN analysts picked Golden State to win in seven games, while one picked Atlanta in seven; ESPN's win-probability model (BPI) gave the Valkyries a 62.4% chance to win the championship. Golden State's Game 1 win fits that favored-but-not-dominant framing, though a seven-game series remains possible given Atlanta's playoff defense, which ESPN noted had outperformed Golden State's in the postseason to that point.