Game 6 of the 2026 WNBA Finals will be played at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, 29 October, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries. CONFIRMED: the Golden State Valkyries lead the best-of-seven series 3–2 after winning Game 5 by 64–55 on Monday, 26 October, at Chase Center in San Francisco. A Valkyries win on Thursday would give them the championship in only their second season. An Atlanta win would force a deciding Game 7. REPORTED: the early start and the move to the larger arena follow a scheduling clash with the Atlanta Hawks, who play at the same arena on Thursday evening — a clash the Dream’s owners say they flagged months ago and the league says it managed to give thousands more fans a seat. This is a preview only. No Game 6 result is stated or implied.
The unusual timing has become the story around the game itself. A potential championship-clinching game, on a weekday, tipping off at lunchtime in Atlanta and at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time for viewers in the Bay Area, is not how a Finals series is normally staged.
The series so far: how the Valkyries reached 3–2
The Finals are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format: the first two games at the higher seed’s home, the next two at the other team’s home, then alternating. Golden State hosted Games 1, 2 and 5 at Chase Center; Atlanta hosted Games 3, 4 and 6; Golden State would host Game 7, if one is needed.
| Game | Date | Venue | Result | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | 17 Oct | Chase Center, San Francisco | Valkyries 68, Dream 64 | Valkyries 1–0 |
| Game 2 | 19 Oct | Chase Center, San Francisco | Dream 79, Valkyries 65 | Tied 1–1 |
| Game 3 | 21 Oct | State Farm Arena, Atlanta | Dream 97, Valkyries 71 | Dream 2–1 |
| Game 4 | 24 Oct | State Farm Arena, Atlanta | Valkyries 67, Dream 62 | Tied 2–2 |
| Game 5 | 26 Oct | Chase Center, San Francisco | Valkyries 64, Dream 55 | Valkyries 3–2 |
| Game 6 | 29 Oct | State Farm Arena, Atlanta | To be played, 12:30 p.m. ET | — |
| Game 7 (if necessary) | 31 Oct | Chase Center, San Francisco | Only if Atlanta wins Game 6, 8:00 p.m. ET | — |
Scores as listed in game listings for the series. Game 1 was the most-watched WNBA Finals Game 1 in league history, averaging 2.1 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, according to USA TODAY’s reporting of the viewing figures.
The series has swung sharply. Atlanta won Game 2 on the road and then won Game 3 by 26 points at home. Golden State then won Game 4 in Atlanta and Game 5 at home, both low-scoring, defensive games, to move within one win of the title. Home advantage has not decided this Finals on its own.
Game 5: defence, turnovers and a 64–55 win
Game 5, on Monday night at Chase Center, was the lowest-scoring game of the series. Golden State won 64–55, holding Atlanta to 55 points. The first half produced only 47 points between the two teams combined.
Kiah Stokes led Golden State with 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. Veronica Burton also scored 13 points, with eight rebounds. Tiffany Hayes — who played 10 seasons for Atlanta and came out of retirement two years ago — scored 12 points, as did Cecilia Zandalasini. Gabby Williams, Golden State’s leading scorer, finished with nine points on 3-for-14 shooting, but converted a three-point play with 9:08 remaining that put the Valkyries ahead 49–42.
For Atlanta, Angel Reese finished with seven points, 15 rebounds and five assists, a quieter scoring night than her two standout performances in the first two games at Chase Center. Atlanta hurt itself with 17 turnovers, which led to 21 points for Golden State, according to CNN. Coach Natalie Nakase had changed her starting line-up for Game 4, inserting Hayes and Kaila Charles, and stayed with that line-up for Game 5. After the game, Stokes summed up Golden State’s approach: “It doesn’t matter what time it is, at the end of the day we just need 94 feet, two hoops, and each other… we don’t wanna come back here. So we need to go in with the mentality that we have to win. It’s do or die.”
Why 12:30 p.m.? The arena, the Hawks and the double-header
The short answer is that Game 6 was originally scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, 29 October, and was moved to 12:30 p.m. ET to make room for the Atlanta Hawks’ home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the same arena that evening. The Hawks’ game is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET. The WNBA announced the change on Monday, 26 October, confirming both the venue and the new time at the same time.
The longer answer is about capacity. The Dream’s regular-season home is Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, which holds about 3,500 people. State Farm Arena holds roughly 17,000 — nearly five times as many, as USA TODAY put it. Games 3 and 4 were already played at State Farm Arena, and both drew sellout crowds. Without the earlier start, Game 6 would have gone back to Gateway Center, because the Hawks needed the larger arena in the evening.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert defended that choice when the change was announced, saying: “The sellout crowds and extraordinary atmosphere at State Farm Arena for Games 3 and 4 were a tremendous success, and we’re excited to give thousands more fans the opportunity to experience Game 6 with a championship on the line.”
That reasoning has not satisfied everyone. A weekday afternoon tip-off means many fans will be at work or school, both in the arena and in front of televisions. The game will air on USA Network and stream on Peacock. For Golden State fans, the 9:30 a.m. Pacific tip-off is earlier still. Players, for their part, have largely said they will play whenever the game is scheduled. Atlanta guard Allisha Gray said: “I mean, it’s the (WNBA) Finals. You just got to do what you got to do… I don’t care playing at 8 a.m., 1 p.m., midnight. We got a championship to win.”
There is also a practical complication after the final buzzer. Reports have noted that if Golden State wins the title on Thursday, there may not be time for a full on-court championship celebration before the arena must be turned around for the Hawks game, and that a practice facility has been discussed as a possible celebration location. That is reported, not confirmed by the league in the sources checked for this article.
The Dream’s open letter: “our concerns did not receive the attention”
On Tuesday, 27 October, the Dream’s ownership group — Larry Gottesdiener, Robyn Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair and Renee Montgomery — released an open letter to Atlanta addressing the scheduling criticism. The letter said the Dream had raised concerns about conflicts between the Finals schedule and NBA games at State Farm Arena two months earlier, when the WNBA finalised playoff dates and times, and had repeated those concerns as the playoffs progressed.
“Our concerns did not receive the attention, nor the urgency that they deserved,” the letter said, as reported by CNN and USA TODAY. “Perhaps it was assumed that the Dream would not make it this far. Perhaps, our place in the Finals was not accounted for.”
The letter also said: “Playing a midday game on a Thursday is not what we would have chosen and not what we fought for.” USA TODAY reported that it had reached out to the WNBA for comment on the letter. A person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY that the Dream were the only playoff team scheduled opposite the NBA team in the same city, and that no other playoff team had a potential conflict with its “brother” team. That person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, so the claim should be read as an attributed report, not as a league statement.
The scheduling problems did not begin with Game 6. Games 3 and 4 were also rescheduled: Game 3 was played a day earlier than originally planned, and Game 4 tipped off in the early afternoon instead of the evening, because of conflicts with a concert and the Hawks’ home opener. Other options for Game 6 were reported to have been considered, including moving the game to Friday at State Farm Arena — which would have pushed a possible Game 7 to Tuesday, 3 November, Election Day — and using another Atlanta venue or rearranging the Hawks game. The league chose the Thursday matinee, keeping a possible Game 7 on Saturday, 31 October, at Chase Center.
What is at stake on Thursday
For Golden State, the prize is a first WNBA championship in the franchise’s second season. The Valkyries began play only last year, sold out every regular-season home game for a second consecutive year, and eliminated the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, in the semi-finals. Losing on Thursday would send the series back to San Francisco for a winner-takes-all Game 7, against an Atlanta team that has already won twice there in this series.
For Atlanta, the prize is survival — and then, potentially, a title. The Dream must win on Thursday to keep their season alive. They have already won at State Farm Arena in this series, by 26 points in Game 3. A win would force Game 7 on Saturday, 31 October, at 8:00 p.m. ET at Chase Center.
Tactically, the questions from Game 5 carry into Game 6. Can Atlanta protect the ball better than the 17 turnovers that cost it 21 points on Monday? Can Golden State again find scoring beyond Williams when her shot is not falling, as Stokes, Burton, Hayes and Zandalasini did in Game 5? Can Reese and Atlanta’s offence find a rhythm against a Golden State defence that has now held them to 62 and 55 points in consecutive games? Those are the questions the game itself will answer.
How to watch Game 6
Game 6 tips off at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. PT) on Thursday, 29 October, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. It will be televised on USA Network and streamed on Peacock. Tickets went on sale to the general public at 4:00 p.m. ET on Monday, 26 October.
This page will be updated on the same URL after Game 6 with the result and what it means for Game 7, rather than in a new post.
Frequently asked questions
When is WNBA Finals Game 6, and where is it played?
Thursday, 29 October 2026, at 12:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The game was moved from 8:00 p.m. ET and from the Dream’s regular home, Gateway Center Arena.
Why is Game 6 played at 12:30 p.m. in the afternoon?
To accommodate the Atlanta Hawks’ home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the same arena that evening, scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET. The earlier start allowed the game to be played at State Farm Arena (about 17,000 seats) instead of Gateway Center Arena (about 3,500 seats).
What is the series score going into Game 6?
Golden State leads 3–2 after winning Game 5 by 64–55 on 26 October. Golden State needs one win for the championship; Atlanta needs to win Game 6 to force Game 7.
When and where would Game 7 be played?
Only if Atlanta wins Game 6. Game 7 would be played at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, 31 October, at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Updated: 28 October 2026. This preview will be updated on the same URL after Game 6. For the official schedule, check the WNBA.
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