Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The WNBA Commissioner's Cup final is set for June 30 between two conference leaders with identical stakes.
- This year's game marks the first time in tournament history that one team could win the Cup for a second time.
- A preview match between the same teams on June 23 will offer early clues to the final's outcome.
The 2026 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final is fast approaching. With the qualifying games concluded, the top two teams are set to meet on June 30 to decide the winner. Will it be New York Liberty or the Las Vegas Aces that come away as the winner?
But wait — what is the Commissioner's Cup? How long has it been around? Who's won it in the past? You probably have a lot of questions, and I have some answers.
WNBA Commissioner's Cup winners
Season | Winner |
|---|---|
2021 | Seattle Storm |
2022 | Las Vegas Aces |
2023 | New York Liberty |
2024 | Minnesota Lynx |
2025 | Indiana Fever |
Two things to note here: No team has ever won the Commissioner's Cup more than once, and in 2026 that will finally change as the Aces take on the Liberty.
This year's game will be a rematch of the 2023 Commissioner's Cup final, which saw New York defeat Vegas in an 82-63 blowout as Jonquel Jones took home Cup MVP with 16 points and 15 rebounds. The Aces were the hosts for that year's game.
Blowouts have been the norm over the history of this competition. In five previous finals, just once has the game been decided by single digits. That was the 2024 edition, which saw the Minnesota Lynx beat the Liberty 94-89.
What is the Commissioner's Cup?
Okay, so we know who has won it in the past, but what is the Commissioner's Cup? Is it just, like, a game that pits whatever two teams Cathy Engelbert wants to watch against each other?
No. It's not that. It's just an in-season tournament where each team plays its conference foes early in the season in games that count both toward the regular season and the Commissioner's Cup standings. At the end of this qualifying period, the best team from each conference meets in the final. It's really pretty simple.
As far as which team will host the Commissioner's Cup final, that right goes to whichever of the final two teams has the highest overall winning percentage through the final night of Commissioner's Cup play.
When is the 2026 Commissioner's Cup final?
The New York Liberty went 6-0 in Commissioner's Cup games this season, while the Aces went 6-1. Vegas actually tied with Minnesota for the best Commissioner's Cup record in the Western Conference, but the Aces advanced because of their head-to-head win over the Lynx.
The New York Liberty will be host team for this year's game. which will take place Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00 p.m. ET, The game will be broadcast exclusively on Prime.
One of these two teams will become the first in Commissioner's Cup history to hoist the trophy for a second time, while the loser will become the first team to have lost this game twice.
Want to know who should be favored? Well, we get a preview on Tuesday, June 23, as the Aces will host the Liberty in regular-season action. That game should give us insight into the Commissioner's Cup final. The Aces currently look like the league's best team, but the Liberty are capable of taking down anyone.
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