The WNBA regular season is barreling toward its dramatic conclusion, and the playoff picture has never looked more intriguing. With less than two weeks left before the postseason tips off, fans are watching every game with bated breath, knowing that each result could shuffle the standings and set the stage for a thrilling playoff run. Five teams have already punched their tickets to the postseason, but the battle for the final three spots is heating up, with four squads still fighting tooth and nail for their chance at glory.
On September 2, 2025, the New York Liberty secured their spot in the playoffs, but not in the fashion they might have hoped. Despite dropping a hard-fought contest to the Golden State Valkyries, the Liberty’s overall record was enough to guarantee a postseason berth. It’s a bittersweet moment for the reigning champions, who have now lost two in a row and seven of their last eleven games. Their recent skid has seen them slip from the heart of the race for a top seed to a precarious fifth place, closer to sixth than to fourth, and with only three games left to right the ship.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Valkyries have been the talk of the league. The expansion team continued their impressive debut campaign by defeating the Liberty on September 2, extending their winning streak to four games. With a 22-18 record and four games left, the Valkyries are tantalizingly close to making history as the first expansion franchise to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season. They’re 2.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks and hold the crucial tiebreaker, making their postseason dream more realistic with every passing game.
But don’t count out the Sparks just yet. After appearing to fade from contention as September began, Los Angeles pulled off a stunning 17-point comeback against the Seattle Storm on Monday, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Now just one game behind the Indiana Fever and 1.5 games back of the Storm, the Sparks have five games left to make a final push. They also hold tiebreakers over both the Storm and Fever, adding even more intrigue to the race for the last playoff spots.
The Indiana Fever, on the other hand, are feeling the pressure. Their narrow loss to the Phoenix Mercury on September 2 dropped them to eighth place with a 21-20 record. With only three games remaining—against the Sky, Mystics, and Lynx—the Fever must regroup quickly if they hope to avoid a late-season collapse that could cost them a postseason appearance. The Mercury, for their part, have solidified their own standing in the playoff race, now sitting at 26-14 and tied with both the Las Vegas Aces and Atlanta Dream for the coveted No. 2 seed.
The Minnesota Lynx have already clinched the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs after demolishing the Connecticut Sun on August 30. That victory marked their 31st win of the season, a new franchise record, and with four games left on their schedule, they still have a shot at breaking the WNBA’s all-time single-season win record of 34, set by the Aces in 2023. The Lynx’s dominance has been undeniable, and they’re now the team everyone else is chasing as the postseason approaches.
Speaking of the Aces, Dream, and Mercury, these three powerhouses are locked in a dead heat with identical 26-14 records. With four games left for each, the battle for the No. 2 seed is shaping up to be a photo finish, likely coming down to the very last day of the regular season. The Dream’s upcoming matchups against the Sparks could prove decisive, while the Mercury and Aces will also be watching the scoreboard closely, knowing that every win or loss could alter their playoff path.
Let’s not forget the Seattle Storm, currently clinging to a 22-20 record with only two games left. Their recent defeat at the hands of the Sparks has put them in a precarious position, and with games against the Liberty and Aces still to come, the Storm’s postseason fate is far from certain. The pressure is on for Seattle to deliver in crunch time, especially with the Sparks breathing down their neck.
As for the teams on the outside looking in, the Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky, and Dallas Wings are officially out of playoff contention and are now focused on the upcoming draft lottery. The Mystics, who traded away All-Star guard Brittney Sykes for a first-round pick, ultimately couldn’t maintain their early-season momentum and fell apart down the stretch. The Sun, Sky, and Wings have struggled all season, and their attention has already shifted to rebuilding for 2026.
With the regular season set to conclude on September 11, the next week promises a flurry of critical games. The Valkyries face the Wings on September 4, the Lynx on September 6 and 11, and the Storm on September 9. The Storm’s own destiny will be decided in matchups against the Liberty on September 5 and the Aces on September 9. The Fever, desperate to hold onto their playoff spot, will take on the Sky, Mystics, and Lynx in their final stretch. The Sparks, the wild card in all this, still have five games to play, including two against the Dream, one against the Mystics, and high-stakes showdowns with the Mercury and Aces.
The playoff format this year remains unchanged: the top eight teams, regardless of conference, are seeded into a standard bracket. The first round is a best-of-three series, the semifinals are best-of-five, and the Finals—a true test of endurance—are best-of-seven. The postseason begins on September 14, with the Finals scheduled to wrap up by October 19 at the latest.
As it stands today, if the playoffs began immediately, the first-round matchups would be: Lynx vs Fever, Aces vs Storm, Dream vs Valkyries, and Mercury vs Liberty. But with so many games left and so much at stake, those pairings are anything but set in stone. The next several days will almost certainly bring more twists and turns.
So, who will rise to the occasion? Can the Valkyries make history in their first year? Will the Sparks complete their comeback and snatch a playoff spot? Can the Liberty regain their form and defend their title, or is a new champion waiting in the wings? One thing’s for sure: the final week of the WNBA regular season is shaping up to be an absolute rollercoaster, and fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
With every game now carrying playoff implications, the stage is set for a memorable finish to the 2025 WNBA season. The action resumes tonight, and the playoff contenders know what’s on the line. Buckle up—this race isn’t over yet.
