New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream meet in 2026 WNBA semifinals
The No. 8-seeded New York Liberty face the No. 4 Atlanta Dream in the 2026 WNBA semifinals following a historic first-round sweep of the Minnesota Lynx. The best-of-five series opens on October 4, 2026, with games airing across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN 2.
Liberty Make History Against Minnesota
New York advanced to the semifinals after defeating the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in a first-round sweep, marking the first time in league history that a No. 8 seed eliminated a No. 1 seed. Breanna Stewart powered the effort with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in a Game 1 road victory. In the series-clinching win, Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones combined for 60 points. Stewart averaged 27.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, five assists, and four stocks across the series.
Atlanta Reaches Semifinals Behind Strong Defense
The Atlanta Dream reached the semifinals for the first time since 2018 by sweeping the No. 5 Washington Mystics. Atlanta enters the series with home-court advantage as the higher seed, having finished the regular season with a 30-14 record compared to New York’s 26-18 mark. The Dream handed the Liberty their two most recent losses by closing out the regular season with back-to-back double-digit victories in Brooklyn. Atlanta’s roster features WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese, alongside DeWanna Bonner and Rhyne Howard.
Atlanta and New York Semifinal Games Air on ABC and ESPN
Because Atlanta secured the higher seed, they host Games 1 and 2, while New York hosts Games 3 and 4 if necessary. The complete broadcast schedule for the matchup is:
- Game 1: Liberty at Dream — Oct. 4, 2 p.m. ET (ABC)
- Game 2: Liberty at Dream — Oct. 7, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Game 3: Dream at Liberty — Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN 2)
- Game 4 (if necessary): Dream at Liberty — Oct. 11, time TBD (ABC)
- Game 5 (if necessary): Liberty at Dream — Oct. 14, time TBD (ESPN)
All games in the series are also available to stream live online through ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
Winner Advances to Face Las Vegas or Golden State
The winner of this series advances to the WNBA Finals to face the victor of the semifinal matchup between the Las Vegas Aces and the Golden State Valkyries. New York is seeking its third Finals appearance in four years, having won the championship in 2024 before a first-round exit against the Phoenix Mercury in 2025. Meanwhile, Atlanta aims to reach the Finals for the first time since 2013, leaning on a rotation that successfully adjusted across different players during the opening round.
Aces and Valkyries Clash on the Other Side of the Bracket
The Las Vegas Aces enter the semifinals as the No. 3 seed with a 31-13 record and +200 odds to win the WNBA title, following an opening-round victory over the Indiana Fever. Support came from Jackie Young, who posted 23.3 points and 7.3 assists per game, and Chelsea Gray, who added 15.7 points and 6.7 dimes, prompting Hammon to state: I needed them to go be the Big 3 that I’ve always known them to be and they deliver in big moments.
Vegas now draws a matchup against the No. 2-seeded Golden State Valkyries, whose WNBA expansion debut last year led into a Game 3 wild win over the Dallas Wings.
How the Liberty’s perimeter offense will perform against Atlanta’s Defensive Player of the Year remains open as the series gets underway.