WNBA Playoffs 2026: Schedule, Teams and How to Watch

The 2026 WNBA Playoffs start on Sunday, Sept. 27. Eight teams remain. The Minnesota Lynx hold the No. 1 seed, while the Las Vegas Aces enter as the defending champions, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The field is the Lynx, Aces, New York Liberty, Atlanta Dream, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Washington Mystics and Golden State Valkyries. The postseason is organised in three stages: a best-of-three first round, meaning first to two wins, followed by best-of-five semi-finals and a best-of-seven Finals.

The full run is scheduled for Sept. 27 to Oct. 31, if the Finals goes the distance. Opening day brings an ABC double-header. ESPN lists New York Liberty against Minnesota at 2 p.m. ET, then Indiana Fever against Las Vegas at 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 27, with all times given in Eastern Time.

On television, games are spread across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NBC, NBC Sports Network, USA Network and CNBC. That mix covers free-to-air broadcast and cable. Check local listings for each tip, because no single channel carries every game.

Streaming offers more routes in. The listed options are DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, Fubo, Prime Video, Peacock, ESPN Unlimited and WNBA League Pass, the league's own streaming service. PCMag puts Hulu + Live TV at $90 per month, with ABC, ESPN, NBC and USA included for playoff coverage.

Sling is pitched as one of the more affordable live TV options for new subscribers who want ABC, ESPN, NBC and USA. That detail comes from the regular-season viewing guide published in May. Minnesota arrived with a heavy national footprint, with 28 nationally televised games in the 2026 season across ABC, CBS, ESPN, ION, NBA TV, NBC, Peacock, Prime Video and USA Network.

Select semi-final and final games also stream on Peacock, with the WNBA listing Oct. 4-24 for that window. Game 1 of the Finals is pencilled in for Saturday, Oct. 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET, or 12:30 p.m. PT. If you miss a nationally televised game live, meaning a game shown on one US-wide feed, it becomes available on WNBA League Pass at 6 a.m. ET the next day, according to WNBA League Pass.

For viewers, this means planning by tip time. Note the channel, note the streaming login, and note the date. The early rounds move fast.