WNBA moves Dream's Finals home games to State Farm Arena for showdown with Valkyries
Second-year Golden State Valkyries face the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA Finals from Saturday, and the league has rearranged Games 3 and 4 so Atlanta can host them in a 17,000-seat NBA arena.
The WNBA has confirmed that Games 3 and 4 of the Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream will be played at State Farm Arena, the home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, after the league, the Hawks and broadcasters adjusted their schedules to make room.
The best-of-seven series begins at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday 17 October, US time. It brings together a franchise in only its second season and a Dream side chasing the first championship in its history.
What has changed
In its announcement on Tuesday, the WNBA said Game 3 has moved forward by a day, from Thursday 22 October to Wednesday 21 October at 8pm ET. Game 4 stays on Saturday 24 October but now tips off at 1pm ET instead of 3.30pm. To make that possible, the Hawks agreed to push back their regular-season home opener against the Houston Rockets that evening from 8pm to 8.30pm ET.
The league said the switch dramatically increases seating capacity. Front Office Sports reported that State Farm Arena holds about 17,000 for these games, compared with 3,500 at the Dream's usual home, Gateway Center Arena. Tickets for both Atlanta games go on general sale on Friday 16 October at 10am ET.
How the finalists got here
The Valkyries swept the defending champion Las Vegas Aces 3-0, winning 71-60 and 83-81 before completing the series with an 87-77 overtime victory in Las Vegas. Kayla Thornton scored 18 points in the decider and Gabby Williams added 16, eight of them in overtime. The WNBA said Golden State had become the quickest expansion team to reach the Finals. A'ja Wilson, honoured before the game for winning a fifth MVP award, had 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Aces, who had won three of the previous four titles.
Atlanta also swept their semi-final, beating the New York Liberty 92-82, 101-98 in overtime and 85-83. Angel Reese scored 22 points and Rhyne Howard 21 in the clinching game in New York, where Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart each scored 26 for the Liberty. The Associated Press noted that it is the Dream's first Finals appearance since 2013.
What happens next
The Valkyries have home-court advantage. The schedule, with Singapore times, is as follows. Game 1 in San Francisco: 03:30 SGT, Sunday 18 October. Game 2 in San Francisco: 08:00 SGT, Tuesday 20 October. Game 3 in Atlanta: 08:00 SGT, Thursday 22 October. Game 4 in Atlanta: 01:00 SGT, Sunday 25 October. If required, Game 5 would be at 08:00 SGT on Tuesday 27 October, Game 6 at 08:00 SGT on Friday 30 October and Game 7 at 08:00 SGT on Sunday 1 November.
Sources
WNBA (official), "WNBA Finals Games 3 and 4 to be Played at State Farm Arena", 13 October 2026: https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-finals-games3-and-4-to-be-played-at-state-farm-arena
CBS Sports, "2026 WNBA playoffs bracket: WNBA Finals schedule tweaked so Dream can use larger venue", 13 October 2026: https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/2026-wnba-playoffs-bracket-schedule/
Front Office Sports, "WNBA Moves Finals Dates So Dream Can Play in NBA Arena", 13 October 2026: https://frontofficesports.com/article/wnba-finals-games-move-dream/
WNBA (official), "Game Recap: Golden State Valkyries vs. Las Vegas Aces (Semifinals, Game 3)", October 2026: https://www.wnba.com/news/2026-playoffs-valkyries-aces-game-3-recap
Associated Press via ABC News, "Reese, Howard help the Dream sweep Liberty and advance to WNBA Finals for first time since 2013", 9 October 2026: https://abcnews.com/Sports/wireStory/reese-howard-dream-sweep-liberty-advance-wnba-finals-137150661