Atlanta Dream, Golden State Valkyries to play first Game 7 in WNBA history

Nairavoice | Oct 29, 2026 2h ago 18 0 4 min read

Atlanta Dream, Golden State Valkyries to play first Game 7 in WNBA history

For the first time in history, the WNBA Finals will be decided in a winner-take-all Game 7 when the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream play for the championship on Saturday, Oct. 31 at Chase Center in San Francisco.

The Valkyries and the Dream are both seeking their franchise’s first WNBA championship, adding to the drama of a Game 7. This is only the second season that the WNBA Finals has featured a best-of-seven series format. In 2025, the first best-of-seven series, the Las Vegas Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury in four games.

The Valkyries had a chance to clinch the title with a win in Game 6 on Oct. 29 in Atlanta, but the Dream stormed to an 80-69 win and forced the series back to San Francisco.

“The job is not done, and I’m looking forward to it,” Dream star Angel Reese said. “One more.”

The WNBA has utilized several different championship formats throughout the league’s history. During the WNBA’s inaugural 1997 season, the Houston Comets won a single championship game against the New York Liberty. In 1998, the WNBA switched the championship series to a best-of-three format. It stayed that way until 2005, when the WNBA Finals became a best-of-five series through the 2024 season.

WNBA Finals Game 7 history

Although there’s never been a Game 7 before in the WNBA, here’s a look at the results of past winner-take-all WNBA Finals games:

1998 Game 3 (best-of-three series): Houston Comets 80, Phoenix Mercury 71. The Comets overcame a 1-0 series deficit and won the franchise’s second WNBA title.
1999 Game 3 (best-of-three): Houston Comets 59, New York Liberty 47. The Comets and Liberty each won a game on the road before the series returned to Houston for a final game. The Comets won the title on their home court, fueled by 24 points from Finals MVP Cynthia Cooper.
2003 Game 3 (best-of-three): Detroit Shock 83, Los Angeles Sparks 78. Shock center Ruth Riley scored a career-high 27 points and Detroit won the first of its three WNBA titles by defeating the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Sparks.
2004 Game 3 (best-of-three):Seattle Storm 74, Connecticut Sun 60. The Storm won their first championship by defeating the Sun 2-1 in the Finals series. Although the Storm had Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, Seattle guard Betty Lennox won Finals MVP after averaging 22.3 points in the series.
2006 Game 5 (best-of-five): Detroit Shock 80, Sacramento Monarchs 75. The Shock denied the Monarchs’ attempt at a three-peat by winning the final two games of the Finals series.
2007 Game 5 (best-of-five): Phoenix Mercury 108, Detroit Shock 92. Phoenix won Game 5 on the road in Detroit, marking the first time in WNBA history that a team won a championship on the opponent’s home court.
2009 Game 5 (best-of-five): Phoenix Mercury 94, Indiana Fever 86. Diana Taurasi led the Mercury to the team’s second title in three years.
2015 Game 5 (best-of-five): Minnesota Lynx 69, Indiana Fever 52. After trading midseason to acquire Sylvia Fowles, the Lynx became the third WNBA franchise to win three titles.
2016 Game 5 (best-of-five):Los Angeles Sparks 77, Minnesota Lynx 76. Nneka Ogqumike hit the game-winning shot for the Sparks and Candace Parker won Finals MVP as Los Angeles claimed the championship in an instant classic.
2017 Game 5 (best-of-five):Minnesota Lynx 85, Los Angeles Sparks 76. In a rematch of the previous year’s Finals matchup, Minnesota came out on top. It was the fourth title in six years for the Lynx.
2019 Game 5 (best-of-five):Washington Mystics 89, Connecticut Sun 78. Elena Delle Donne and Emma Meesseman combined for 43 points and powered the Mystics to the franchise’s first championship.
2024 Game 5 (best-of-five):New York Liberty 67, Minnesota Lynx 62. Overtime was required in the deciding game of this series, with the Liberty emerging victorious and winning the franchise’s first WNBA title in their sixth Finals appearance.