The Golden State Valkyries now know who stands between them and a championship. They will play the Atlanta Dream in the 2026 WNBA Finals, a best-of-seven series that opens Saturday, Oct. 17, at Chase Center in San Francisco. Tipoff for Game 1 is 12:30 p.m. Pacific on NBC and Peacock.

Both teams swept their semifinal series on Friday night. Golden State beat the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 87-77 in overtime to finish a 3-0 series, while Atlanta edged the New York Liberty 85-83 to close out its own sweep.

A first title either way

Neither franchise has won a WNBA championship, so the trophy will go somewhere new. This is Atlanta's first trip to the Finals since 2013, according to CBS Sports, and the Dream have not lost a game this postseason, going 5-0. The Valkyries, in only their second season, are the first expansion team in league history to reach the Finals that fast, the team says.

Gabby Williams has led Golden State in scoring in both playoff series and is averaging 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4 assists this postseason, according to the team.

The schedule

The Valkyries host Games 1 and 2, Atlanta hosts Games 3 and 4, and Golden State would host Games 5 and 7 if the series goes that far. Here are the times the team lists, all Pacific:

  • Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 17, 12:30 p.m., Chase Center (NBC/Peacock)
  • Game 2: Monday, Oct. 19, 5 p.m., Chase Center (USA/Peacock)
  • Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 22, 5 p.m., in Atlanta (USA/Peacock)
  • Game 4: Saturday, Oct. 24, 12:30 p.m., in Atlanta (NBC/Peacock)
  • Game 5, if needed: Monday, Oct. 26, 5 p.m., Chase Center
  • Game 6, if needed: Thursday, Oct. 29, 5 p.m., in Atlanta
  • Game 7, if needed: Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 p.m., Chase Center

Radio coverage is on 95.7 The Game locally.

How to get tickets

Single-game tickets for the Chase Center games go on sale Monday, Oct. 12, only through the team's website. Season ticket and suite holders get first access at 10 a.m., followed by Warriors season ticket members and other plan holders at noon, Chase cardholders at 2 p.m., and the team's email and text subscribers at 4 p.m. The general public sale starts at 6 p.m.

Fans at Game 1 will get a free violet Finals t-shirt. For the road games, the team plans official watch parties inside Chase Center, with tickets available starting Thursday, Oct. 15. The team says part of the watch party proceeds will go to the Golden State Community Foundation for Bay Area education and youth programs.