WNBA groups will play a report 44 video games throughout the 2025 common season, which begins with a Friday, May 16 slate that features the Golden State Valkyries’ residence debut.
The league launched the total schedule Monday. The extra 4 video games (up from 40 in 2024) come because of the Valkyries coming into the WNBA as its thirteenth crew.
“We sit up for tipping off the WNBA’s twenty ninth season in May of 2025 and persevering with to construct on the success of final season, when the WNBA delivered its most-watched Draft and All-Star Game, and set data for viewership, attendance, digital consumption and merchandise gross sales,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert stated in a press release.
In addition to the Valkyries’ first sport, the opening weekend of the season options the Indiana Fever internet hosting the Chicago Sky, the New York Liberty internet hosting the Las Vegas Aces and the Minnesota Lynx internet hosting the Dallas Wings.
The Fever will host the All-Star Game for the primary time in franchise historical past on July 19.
The common season will conclude Sept. 11.
2025 opening weekend highlights
Atlanta vs. Washington — May 16, 7:30 p.m. ET
Minnesota vs. Dallas — May 16, 7:30 p.m. ET
Golden State vs. Los Angeles – May 16, 10 p.m. ET
Indiana vs. Chicago — May 17, 1 p.m. ET
New York vs. Las Vegas — May 17, 3 p.m. ET
Seattle vs. Phoenix — May 17, 10 p.m. ET
Washington vs. Connecticut — May 18, 1 p.m. ET
Schedule highlights
Chicago vs. Indiana (June 7) — This would be the second of 5 conferences between the Fever and Sky this season. Last season, Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Chicago’s Angel Reese completed 1-2 in Rookie of the Year voting, with the Fever defeating the Sky in three of their 4 regular-season video games. In addition to their opening weekend matchup and aforementioned sport on June 7, the 2 groups may even play July 26, Aug. 9 and Sept. 5.
Atlanta vs. Chicago (June 13) — This Commissioner’s Cup sport between the Dream and Sky will characteristic two of the league’s new head coaches, with former Florida Gulf Coast coach Karl Smesko taking the Atlanta job and former Aces assistant Tyler Marsh now main the Sky.
Indiana vs. Dallas (June 27) — The Fever and Wings will meet 4 occasions throughout the common season with this matchup being the primary. It’s doable the sport will characteristic Clark and Paige Bueckers dealing with off towards one another for the primary time — that’s, if Bueckers declares and the Wings choose her with the No. 1 choose within the 2025 WNBA Draft.
New York vs. Las Vegas (July 8) — This would be the second of three conferences between the league’s final two WNBA MVPs, the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart and the Aces’ A’ja Wilson. After assembly throughout the opening weekend and on July 8, the 2 groups will play in Las Vegas on Aug. 13. Last season, the Liberty knocked the Aces out of the WNBA postseason within the semifinals, avenging their finals defeat from 2023. The Liberty and Aces additionally solely performed 3 times throughout the 2024 common season, with two of these video games being in Las Vegas.
Phoenix vs. Minnesota (July 16) — Whether Diana Taurasi retires or not stays unsure, however Phoenix can be taking part in host to final 12 months’s finals runner-up Minnesota on July 16, the ultimate day of the season’s first half. The Mercury will play eight of its first 11 video games at residence earlier than taking part in 12 of the subsequent 17 on the highway.
Connecticut vs. Washington (Aug. 21) — The Sun and Mystics are two of the three WNBA franchises but to rent a brand new head coach. This would be the final of 4 matchups between the Eastern Conference foes. Interestingly, earlier within the season, each Connecticut and Washington will play video games away from their regular enviornment. The Sun will host the Fever in Boston’s TD Garden on July 15, whereas the Mystics will play the Sky in Fairfax, Va. on July 8 of their annual camp day sport.
Storm vs. Valkyries (Sept. 9) — Seattle closes out its season with a four-game homestand, the final of which can be towards Golden State. The Storm want to but once more make the postseason for consecutive seasons, whereas that is one among Golden State’s remaining alternatives to probably clinch a spot within the playoffs of their first season.
Sparks vs. Aces ( Sept. 11) — The Sparks employed former Utah coach Lynne Roberts this offseason as they appear to return to the playoffs for the primary time since 2020. Los Angeles options an thrilling younger core, led by Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson and the No. 2 choose within the upcoming draft. Their regular-season finale may function a postseason tune-up towards the Aces, who characteristic Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum.
How the 2025 schedule varies from final 12 months
Players and followers will really feel a distinction between the 2 schedules in mid-to-late July. A 12 months in the past, the WNBA condensed its 40-game slate due to the Olympic break and had a greater than three-week stoppage because of the Paris Games. The All-Star break will final lower than every week this season, with the second half resuming on July 22.
Other adjustments are extra refined. Because of the Valkyries, the Commissioner’s Cup will characteristic an extra sport for Western Conference groups. Each of the Western Conference groups will play six video games, up from 5 final season, whereas these within the Eastern Conference will nonetheless play 5. Additionally, due to the added video games, the Fever and Sky will face off 5 occasions, as will the Dream and Sun.
The Commissioner’s Cup will run from June 1-17, with a $500,000 prize pool awarded to the winner. The title sport can be performed on Tuesday, July 1, hosted by the crew with the perfect profitable share in Cup play.
The playoffs may even characteristic a revised format, as the primary spherical will embrace a 1-1-1 setup for the best-of-three collection, with the upper seed internet hosting Games 1 and three, if obligatory, and its opponent internet hosting Game 2. It’s a change from the present format, which has the very best seed internet hosting the primary two video games and its opponent internet hosting Game 3 if the collection extends.
The WNBA Finals may even be longer, because the league goes to a best-of-seven format. The finals can have a 2-2-1-1-1 construction during which the upper seed will host Games 1, 2, 5 and seven, and its opponent will host Games 3, 4 and 6.
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(Photo: tktk)
