The WNBA regular season is rapidly drawing to a close, and with it comes heightened anticipation for the 2025 playoffs.
This year’s postseason officially tips off on Sunday, September 14, 2025, just three days after the conclusion of the regular schedule on September 11.
Fans will be able to follow every game on ESPN networks and ABC, marking another year of strong national coverage for the league.
The first round once again begins as a best-of-three series. Unlike earlier formats, however, the matchups now follow a 1-1-1 structure, ensuring that each participating team gets at least one home game.
This small adjustment helps level the playing field for lower-seeded squads while still rewarding the higher seeds with the decisive home-court edge in a potential Game 3.
The semifinals that follow will expand to a best-of-five format, while the biggest change comes in the championship round: the WNBA Finals will now be a best-of-seven series. That shift gives contenders a longer runway to prove themselves and offers fans more chances to watch the league’s stars compete on the biggest stage.
How the format changes reshape the postseason
The decision to lengthen the Finals has been described by league officials as a way to “mirror other professional championships” while rewarding season-long excellence.
The 2-2-1-1-1 structure, in which the higher seed opens with two games at home before alternating venues, means that regular-season dominance is more valuable than ever.
It is a format intended to strike a balance between fairness and competitiveness, ensuring that no team can claim the road to a title is anything less than rigorous.
The playoff field itself is beginning to take shape. The Minnesota Lynx have already clinched the No. 1 seed and, with it, home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
The Las Vegas Aces and Atlanta Dream are not far behind, while the Phoenix Mercury, New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, and the expansion Golden State Valkyries have all secured their places as well.
The Valkyries‘ berth is particularly notable, as they have become the first expansion franchise since 2008 to reach the playoffs in their inaugural season-a remarkable achievement that adds extra intrigue to this year’s bracket.
For the Indiana Fever, a second straight playoff appearance has been especially satisfying. Despite losing star guard Caitlin Clark to injury, the team clinched their spot in emphatic fashion with a 94-65 rout of the Washington Mystics.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Storm and Los Angeles Sparks are still vying for the final postseason positions. The Sparks remain on the outside looking in, needing a late surge and some help from other results, while the Storm currently hold the eighth and final slot.
At the same time, the Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky, and Dallas Wings have already been mathematically eliminated from contention.
As the postseason nears, the storylines are plentiful: Will the Lynx‘s dominance carry through to a championship run? Can the Aces reclaim the crown after last season’s disappointment?
And how far can the upstart Valkyries go in their very first year? With the new playoff format promising even more intensity, the answers will soon unfold on courts across the country.
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