Welcome back! It’s been some weeks since the 2026 WNBA season was paused, but that doesn’t mean some of its main characters haven’t remained active in the meantime. A combined 70 current and former WNBA players were featured in the FIBA Women’s World Cup to help scratch the itch of the women’s basketball crowd during the W’s temporary pause. Ultimately, Team USA was the last one standing, beating France 97-79 in the championship game to capture a fifth straight gold medal and 12th overall in that specific tournament.
As the players head back from Germany to their respective WNBA cities to play the final portion of the regular season games, here’s a quick refresher on where things stand ahead of the postseason.
SCHEDULE: Check out the full WNBA on NBC, Peacock slate of games
The Top
All eight playoff teams have already been confirmed. The Minnesota Lynx own a 31-9 record and sit atop the WNBA standings, where they have resided for most of the season. They had built up a nice cushion in the middle of August after convincingly defeating the Golden State Valkyries in the Bay Area in a game that could have placed the two teams just inches apart from one another in the loss column with a Valkyries win. But the Valkyries (29-11) avenged their loss to the Lynx in a rematch a week later, and now own a four-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Lynx’s two straight losses going into the FIBA break have the two teams close enough in the standings again to make the final four regular-season games important.
The Middle
Seeds three through five share nearly identical records, as the Las Vegas Aces (27-13) are one game in the loss column above the fourth- and fifth-seeded Atlanta Dream (26-14) and Indiana Fever (26-14). The defending champion Aces realistically have a chance to climb the standings and catch the Valkyries, but it could be tough, given the similarly weak remaining schedule both teams face. The Dream and Fever have much tougher closes to the regular season that could affect the final standings. Atlanta closes with two straight games against the New York Liberty (more on them momentarily), while Indiana finishes the season with two straight against Minnesota, who may actually need to secure wins in those games to lock down the first overall seed.
The Bottom
“The bottom” isn’t meant to come off as a demeaning designation for New York, Washington, and Dallas. In fact, all three teams are potentially a good week of basketball away from improving their seed and possibly even jumping up into the middle portion of the standings we’ve already discussed. Each of the three teams — New York, Washington, and Dallas — is 24-16, but has different strengths of schedule to end the regular season. Making any jump in the standings won’t be easy for the Liberty, as they travel to Minnesota for a game against the Lynx in their first game back from the season’s temporary pause, and then finish with back-to-back games against the Dream. The Mystics have a big game against the Fever this upcoming weekend but otherwise will only face teams already eliminated from playoff contention. None of the Wings’ final four opponents will qualify for the postseason.
The scheduling details could matter a great deal as the home stretch approaches. As we focus on the now, let’s examine which upcoming matchups are worth circling.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Washington Mystics @ Chicago Sky
(Thursday, September 17 at 8 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass)
At first glance, this game isn’t one that immediately jumps out — Chicago has lost three consecutive games while Washington has been one of the WNBA’s best teams since the All-Star break. But when you take into consideration that two of the Mystics’ most important pieces, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, will have the disadvantage of tired legs and international travel from the FIBA World Cup in Germany, this game gets a little more interesting.
New York Liberty @ Minnesota Lynx
(Friday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ION)
Any hope New York has of climbing the standings and potentially battling for home-court advantage in the playoffs starts on Friday in Minnesota. They should have some confidence heading into this matchup, considering they’re responsible for one of the Lynx’s two double-digit losses on the season. Of course, that game came back in early July when Napheesa Collier had yet to make her season debut following offseason surgeries on both her left and right ankles. But now that Collier has been back for some time, Minnesota is close to as healthy as it can be headed into the playoffs. The No. 1 seed still isn’t locked down, but a win over New York on Friday would inch Coach Cheryl Reeve’s crew closer to doing so.
Phoenix Mercury @ Dallas Wings
(Saturday, September 19 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS/Paramount+)
It’s been months since the Mercury and Wings last shared the floor, with their lone matchup resulting in a 15-point win for Dallas back in June. The box score from that game mostly contains the names of players that’ll also likely appear on Saturday’s postgame report, the exception being DeWanna Bonner, who was recently waived before signing with the Dream, and Monique Akoa Makani, who was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in a trade that brought Kelsey Plum to Phoenix. Plum announced ahead of the FIBA World Cup that she’ll sit the rest of the season due to injury, leaving an already struggling Mercury team short on firepower. The Wings, meanwhile, found their footing and took a four-game winning streak into the break. If Alanna Smith has recovered from her World Cup injury, Dallas will be in a good spot to keep building momentum entering the playoffs.
Washington Mystics @ Indiana Fever
(Sunday, September 20 at 4 p.m. ET on NBA TV)
The WNBA’s only matchup of the weekend between playoff-clinched teams is this one between the Mystics and Fever. Their two previous meetings produced two-point wins for each team: one high-scoring game (104-102 OT win for Washington) and one low-scoring affair (78-76 victory for Indiana). Along with playoff seeding still being up for grabs, the Mystics’ defensive brilliance and the Fever’s offensive dominance should create another exciting duel between these two teams.
Seattle Storm @ Las Vegas Aces
(Sunday, September 20 at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network/CNBC)
I’m circling this game simply due to the clash between the Aces’ veteran talent — proven and highly regarded — and Seattle’s young and promising nucleus. What will we ultimately take away from Dominque Malonga and Awa Fam’s battle in the frontcourt against A’ja Wilson? How will Flau’jae Johnson battle on the perimeter against Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray? The two teams will have already played against one another three days earlier, but Sunday’s matchup is the better one to assess, as several of the major contributors in this matchup will have had time to find their legs after returning from the FIBA World Cup.
