The 2025 WNBA Finals are set: it’ll be the No. 4 Phoenix Aces taking on the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces for this season’s championship. The Aces are no strangers to the Finals — before losing in last year’s semifinals, they won back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023. The Mercury last appeared in the 2021 Finals, ultimately falling to the Chicago Sky.
Neither team’s path to the Finals was easy. Both were pushed to Game 3s in the first round, with the Mercury ultimately eliminating the 2024 champion New York Liberty, and the Aces overcoming the Seattle Storm. In the semifinals, Phoenix took down the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx in four games, while Las Vegas barely escaped a tight series with the scrappy Indiana Fever, which culminated in a tight Game 5 overtime win.
The postseason opened with four first-round games on Sunday, Sept. 14, and concludes on or before Friday, Oct. 17, when a potential Finals Game 7 would occur.
WNBA postseason format
The top eight teams (by record) in the 13-team league make the playoffs, with the top four seeds earning home-court advantage in the first round. This season, the first round will feature a 1-1-1 format, with the higher seed hosting Game 1 and a potential Game 3, and the lower seed hosting Game 2. The semifinals are best of five, while the WNBA Finals are best of seven for the first time, in a 2-2-1-1-1 format. Last year’s Finals went the distance, with the New York Liberty defeating the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5.
WNBA title odds
All odds via BetMGM, as of Tuesday night:
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Las Vegas Aces: -130
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Phoenix Mercury: +110
WNBA Finals schedule
Friday, Oct. 3
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Finals Game 1: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Sunday, Oct. 5
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Finals Game 2: 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
Wednesday, Oct. 8
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Finals Game 3: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Friday, Oct. 10
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Finals Game 4: 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Sunday, Oct. 12
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Finals Game 5 (if necessary): 3 p.m. ET (ABC)
Wednesday, Oct. 15
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Finals Game 6 (if necessary): 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Friday, Oct. 17
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Finals Game 7 (if necessary): 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
First-round, semifinal scores
Sunday, Sept. 14
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Game 1: No. 1 Minnesota Lynx 101, No. 8 Golden State Valkyries 72
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Game 1: No. 3 Atlanta Dream 80, No. 6 Indiana Fever 68
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Game 1: No. 5 New York Liberty 76, No. 4 Phoenix Mercury 69 (OT)
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Game 1: No. 2 Las Vegas Aces 102, No. 7 Seattle Storm 77
Tuesday, Sept. 16
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Game 2: No. 6 Indiana Fever 77, No. 3 Atlanta Dream 60
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Game 2: No. 7 Seattle Storm 86, No. 2 Las Vegas Aces 83
Wednesday, Sept. 17
Thursday, Sept 18
Friday, Sept. 19
Sunday, Sept. 21
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Semifinals Game 1: No. 6 Indiana Fever 89, No. 2 Las Vegas Aces 73
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Semifinals Game 1: No. 1 Minnesota Lynx 82, No. 4 Phoenix Mercury 69
Tuesday, Sept. 23
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Semifinals Game 2: No. 4 Phoenix Mercury 89, No. 1 Minnesota Lynx 83 (OT)
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Semifinals Game 2: No. 2 Las Vegas Aces 90, No. 6 Indiana Fever 68
Friday, Sept. 26
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Semifinals Game 3: No. 2 Las Vegas Aces 84, No. 6 Indiana Fever 72
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Semifinals Game 3: No. 4 Phoenix Mercury 84, No. 1 Minnesota Lynx 76
Sunday, Sept. 28
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Semifinals Game 4: No. 6 Indiana Fever 90, No. 2 Las Vegas Aces 83
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Semifinals Game 4: No. 4 Phoenix Mercury 86, No. 1 Minnesota Lynx 81
Tuesday, Sept. 30
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Semifinals Game 5: No. 2 Las Vegas Aces 107, No. 6 Indiana Fever 98 (OT)
How to watch the WNBA playoffs
The WNBA playoffs will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.
