Overview
Fifteen clubs, a 44-game summer season, and a best-of-seven Finals — the longest-running women's professional league in the United States.
The Women's National Basketball Association is the premier women's professional basketball league in the world. Fifteen clubs play a 44-game regular season through the northern summer, from May to September, with the playoffs running into October.
Eight teams reach the postseason, seeded by overall record rather than by conference. The first round is best-of-three, the semi-finals best-of-five, and the Finals moved to a best-of-seven format in 2025. The league has expanded rapidly in the 2020s: Golden State joined in 2025, Toronto and Portland in 2026, and further clubs in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia are scheduled through 2030.
2026 Final Standings
Final regular-season standings by conference. The playoff results are in the next section. GB = games behind the conference leader. 15 teams. Captured 6 October 2026 from the ESPN public standings feed.
Eastern Conference
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | AWAY | L10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta Dream | 30 | 14 | .682 | - | 15-7 | 15-7 | 9-1 |
| 2 | Washington Mystics | 28 | 16 | .636 | 2 | 15-7 | 13-9 | 8-2 |
| 3 | Indiana Fever | 28 | 16 | .636 | 2 | 15-7 | 13-9 | 6-4 |
| 4 | New York Liberty | 26 | 18 | .591 | 4 | 14-8 | 12-10 | 6-4 |
| 5 | Chicago Sky | 16 | 28 | .364 | 14 | 11-11 | 5-17 | 4-6 |
| 6 | Toronto Tempo | 11 | 33 | .250 | 19 | 7-15 | 4-18 | 1-9 |
| 7 | Connecticut Sun | 11 | 33 | .250 | 19 | 8-14 | 3-19 | 2-8 |
Western Conference
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | AWAY | L10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Lynx | 33 | 11 | .750 | - | 15-7 | 18-4 | 6-4 |
| 2 | Golden State Valkyries | 32 | 12 | .727 | 1 | 17-5 | 15-7 | 7-3 |
| 3 | Las Vegas Aces | 31 | 13 | .705 | 2 | 15-7 | 16-6 | 8-2 |
| 4 | Dallas Wings | 27 | 17 | .614 | 6 | 16-6 | 11-11 | 7-3 |
| 5 | Portland Fire | 17 | 27 | .386 | 16 | 9-13 | 8-14 | 3-7 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Sparks | 16 | 28 | .364 | 17 | 8-14 | 8-14 | 4-6 |
| 7 | Phoenix Mercury | 16 | 28 | .364 | 17 | 7-15 | 9-13 | 4-6 |
| 8 | Seattle Storm | 8 | 36 | .182 | 25 | 6-16 | 2-20 | 2-8 |
2026 Postseason
Golden State Valkyries lead Atlanta Dream 3-2. Golden State won Game 1 68-64 at Chase Center; Atlanta took Game 2 79-65 and Game 3 97-71; Golden State levelled with a 67-62 win in Game 4 at State Farm Arena and won Game 5 64-55 at Chase Center. Game 6 is at State Farm Arena on Thursday 29 October. Either club would be a first-time champion. Schedule and box-score leaders: WNBA Finals 2026.
Finals · Best of seven
| Series | Result | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Finals Golden State Valkyries lead Atlanta Dream | Lead 3-2 | GS 68-64 · ATL 79-65 · ATL 97-71 · GS 67-62 · GS 64-55 · Game 6 on 29 October in Atlanta |
Semi-finals · Best of five
| Series | Result | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-final Atlanta Dream def. New York Liberty | 3-0 | ATL 92-82 · ATL 101-98 (OT) · ATL 85-83 |
| Semi-final Golden State Valkyries def. Las Vegas Aces | 3-0 | GS 71-60 · GS 83-81 · GS 87-77 (OT) |
First round · Best of three
| Series | Result | Games |
|---|---|---|
| First round Atlanta Dream def. Washington Mystics | 2-0 | ATL 92-77 · ATL 93-75 |
| First round New York Liberty def. Minnesota Lynx | 2-0 | NY 91-75 · NY 87-71 |
| First round Las Vegas Aces def. Indiana Fever | 2-1 | LV 102-85 · IND 99-89 · LV 94-83 |
| First round Golden State Valkyries def. Dallas Wings | 2-1 | GS 104-80 · DAL 108-100 (OT) · GS 77-73 |
Minnesota, who had the best regular-season record (33-11), were swept by New York in the first round. Scores are listed in the order the games were played; the abbreviation is the winning team. Results from the ESPN public WNBA scoreboard, captured 29 October 2026.
Clubs
Every club in the league. Tap a name for its page.
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Season Format
Recent Champions
Most recent first. Seasons still in progress are marked.
History
The WNBA was approved by the NBA Board of Governors in 1996 and played its first season in 1997 with eight teams, riding the attention generated by the United States' gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. It outlasted the rival American Basketball League, which folded in 1998.
For two decades the league was stable but small, sustained by NBA ownership and by players who spent their off-seasons in Europe and Asia. The 2020 collective bargaining agreement raised maximum salaries sharply and added paid maternity leave and childcare; the 2020 season, played in a Florida bubble, also became a platform for the players' political organising.
Attention and revenue rose steeply from 2024, when Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese arrived from a record-breaking college season. Attendance, viewership and franchise valuations all reached highs, and the league entered a period of expansion for the first time since 2008.
Governance
The WNBA is owned jointly by the NBA, its team owners and a group of outside investors following a 2022 capital raise. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has led the league since 2019. Players are represented by the Women's National Basketball Players Association.
The league operates under USA Basketball and FIBA for international matters, and pauses its season in Olympic years so that players can represent their countries.