Even though it feels like the 2025 WNBA just began, it’s already time to start thinking about the postseason.
We’re about three months out from the start of the WNBA playoffs.
How do the WNBA playoffs work?
The first round of the playoffs, scheduled to begin on Sep. 14, features the top eight teams based on regular-season records.
Each team will play 44 games this season — a record high for the league due to the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, the first expansion team since 2008.
The regular season ends on Sep.11. Oct. 19 is the last possible finals date, according to the WNBA.
The first round will feature best-of-three series, followed by best-of-five series for the semifinals and finals. The higher seed in each matchup will have home-court advantage for the first two games in the best-of-three series.
If the WNBA playoffs started today
If the regular season ended right now, here’s how the teams would shake out, per official WNBA standings.
- Minnesota Lynx (12-2)
- New York Liberty (11-3)
- Phoenix Mercury (11-4)
- Atlanta Dream (10-5)
- Seattle Storm (9-6)
- Golden State Valkyries (7-7)
- Washington Mystics (8-8)
- Las Vegas Aces (7-8)
The Lynx (No. 1), who lost the WNBA championship to the Liberty last season, would face the Aces (No. 8). That would pit MVP-favorite Napaheesa Collier against last year’s MVP A’ja Wilson — a delectable matchup.
The Aces won the WNBA championship in 2022 and 2023, making them the first team to win back-to-back titles in 21 years. Last season, their championship streak ended after losing to the Liberty in the semifinals.
The defending champion Liberty (No. 2) would play the Mystics (No. 7), who last made the playoffs in 2023, when they lost the first round.
The Mercury (No. 3) would play the Valkyries (No. 6). The last expansion team was in 2008, when the Dream joined the league and went 4-30 and did not qualify for the playoffs. The Valkyries would be the first team in WNBA history to make the playoffs in their inaugural season.
The Dream (No. 4) would square off against the Storm (No. 5).
What about Caitlin Clark?
The 2024 Rookie of the Year, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, is forever in the news cycle. The Fever are currently sitting ninth in the league with a 7-8 record, the same as the Aces.
But the Aces currently hold the tiebreaker over the Fever, beating them in their one matchup so far this season, 89-81 on June 22. They next play on July 3 and July 24.
So, it may come down to the Fever and Aces' next two matchups for the final playoffs spot.
Clark’s name has also been in discussion for MVP this season alongside Collier’s, despite being five games with a leg injury and the Fever’s overall struggles.
The WNBA undoubtedly wants both Wilson and Clark, two of the league’s star faces, to make the playoffs. But the Fever still have some serious work to do.