2026 WNBA Playoff Predictions: Expert Forecasts and Unanimous Champion Pick

Up until the final seconds of the final game on the final day of the regular season, two playoff seeds and two of the four first-round matchups hung in the balance. For a long stretch late on Thursday night, it seemed the Las Vegas Aces would leap the Golden State Valkyries for the No. 2 seed. But with 20 seconds to play in Los Angeles, Gabby Williams hit a game-winning 3-pointer to complete the Valkyries' stunning 13-point fourth-quarter comeback, which kept Golden State in second and Las Vegas in third.

With that, the bracket for the 2026 WNBA playoffs was set. Here are the first-round matchups:

- No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 8 New York Liberty - No. 2 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 7 Dallas Wings - No. 3 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever - No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 5 Washington Mystics

The Lynx are the favorites, but this is a wide-open race. Nothing signifies that more than the fact that the Liberty, the preseason favorites, are their opponent in the first round.

So, which team will win it all? Ahead of Sunday's quadruple header featuring Game 1 of every first-round series, we asked our experts.

Lindsay Gibbs' bracket

First round

- No. 1 Lynx over No. 8 Liberty - No. 2 Valkyries over No. 7 Wings - No. 6 Fever over No. 3 Aces - No. 5 Mystics over No. 4 Dream

Semifinals

- No. 1 Lynx over No. 5 Mystics - No. 2 Valkyries over No. 6 Fever

WNBA Finals pick:  No. 1 Lynx over No. 2 Valkyries

The gap between the top eight teams and the rest of the league in the regular season was so vast that we're left with eight elite teams in the postseason, with only seven games separating the Lynx at the top and the Liberty at No. 8. Last year, there was a seven-game gap between the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds. Truly, picking most of these series, especially in the first round, feels like flipping a coin.

Let's start with the top half of the bracket. Lynx vs. Liberty is a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals that the Liberty took in a controversial Game 5 overtime that has no doubt kept the Lynx up at night for the past two years. On one hand, the Liberty won the season series 2-1 while the Lynx have lost four of their last six and wunderkind Olivia Miles sat out the last two games of the regular season due to a left calf injury. So, I'm picking a Liberty upset, right? Well, no. Ultimately, the Lynx have too much depth and, most importantly, a big advantage on the sidelines -- which isn't as much a dig on Chris DeMarco as it is a compliment of Cheryl Reeve. I've gone back and forth on who their semifinal opponent could be -- the Dream or Mystics -- but ultimately chose the Mystics to get the upset. Washington won the season series over Atlanta and has a frontcourt that can shut down the Dream in the paint. Either way that series goes, I see the Lynx getting back to the Finals.

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In the bottom half, I'm giving the Valkyries the nod over the Wings in what I predict could be the only sweep in the first round. Golden State's defense is just too tough for even a Paige Bueckers-led squad. Again, I struggled to decide who their opponent would be, but ultimately chose the Fever. Picking against the Aces in the playoffs is bound to make me look foolish, but I'm making the call for a couple of reasons -- Aliyah Boston, even a slightly injured version, is one of the best players in the league at guarding A'ja Wilson, and the Aces have not faced a single playoff team since losing NaLyssa Smith for the season. The Fever offense is going to be too much for them.

The Valkyries will certainly be hoping the Fever get the upset, because they match up much better with the Fever than the Aces. So, in this scenario, I see defense beating offense and the Valkyries making it to the WNBA Finals in just their second season in the league.

A seven-game series between Reeve and Natalie Nakase will be a must-watch, but ultimately, nobody is stopping the Lynx this year.

Isabel Gonzalez's bracket

First round

- No. 1 Lynx over No. 8 Liberty - No. 2 Valkyries over No. 7 Wings - No. 3 Aces over No. 6 Fever - No. 4 Dream over No. 5 Mystics

Semifinals

- No. 1 Lynx over No. 4 Dream - No. 3 Aces over No. 2 Valkyries

WNBA Finals pick:  No. 1 Lynx  over No. 3 Aces

Although the Lynx kind of stumbled at the end of the regular season, I think they can use their recent " disappointment and embarrassment " as motivation -- especially since their past two years have ended in heartbreak. The Lynx already showed some of that spark in their season finale against the Fever. As the top team in the standings all season, this one is theirs to lose.

Despite Breanna Stewart's efforts, this just hasn't been the Liberty's year, so I don't see New York beating Minnesota in the first round. Mystics vs. Dream was a bit of a toss-up because it could be an exciting series. I gave Atlanta the edge because Angel Reese is playing great basketball and perhaps DeWanna Bonner's history in the postseason could come in handy against a more inexperienced team.

On the other side of the bracket, the Valkyries swept the Wings 3-0 during the regular season, so I expect them to win this series, too. Meanwhile, what Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark have done in Indiana is fantastic, but Las Vegas has the most momentum right now. If 2025 taught us anything, it is that the Aces are difficult to stop once they get going.

MVP candidate A'ja Wilson certainly wouldn't make the Finals easy for Minnesota, but the Lynx already figured out how to beat the Aces twice in the regular season, meaning this wouldn't be an impossible task.

Jack Maloney's bracket

First round

- No. 1 Lynx over No. 8 Liberty - No. 2 Valkyries over No. 7 Wings - No. 3 Aces over No. 6 Fever - No. 4 Dream over No. 5 Mystics

Semifinals

- No. 1 Lynx over No. 4 Dream - No. 3 Aces over No. 2 Valkyries

WNBA Finals pick:  No. 1 Lynx over No. 3 Aces

This is the most wide-open postseason in recent memory.  The top four seeds are separated by just four games, while the No. 1 seed Lynx are seven games better than the No. 8 seed Liberty. Since the WNBA removed conference affiliation from playoff consideration in 2016, this is the closest the No. 1 and No. 8 seeds have been. The only other time the gap was even in the single digits was during the "Wubble" season in 2020, which lasted just 22 games.

While the parity should make for tremendous drama, it also makes this exercise far more difficult. I don't think the Wings can win the title, especially after they drew the Valkyries in the first round, but I can see a path for every other team. That certainly does not mean I trust every team, however. In fact, I'm not sure I trust any of them.

In any case, let's start with the first round. I'll take the Lynx over the Liberty. The Liberty play the Lynx tough, but they've been far too inconsistent this season and Sabrina Ionescu has really struggled. I'll take the Valkyries over the Wings. The Valkyries' offense is liable to go ice-cold for concerningly long stretches, but they have the best defense and best homecourt advantage in the league. I'll take the Aces over the Fever. The Aces are the only team in the top four that the Fever had a winning record against this season, but Aliyah Boston isn't fully healthy and the Fever's defense is a mess. Plus, I'm not betting against A'ja Wilson . Finally, I'll take the Dream over the Mystics. This is a fascinating matchup between two extremely similar teams. In that case, I'll take the one with more experience and homecourt advantage, and that's Atlanta.

Let's assume I somehow get all of those picks correct. In the first semifinal series, I'll take the Lynx over the Dream. Two top-five offenses and top-five defenses. The Dream would have a big advantage in the paint in this series, and Angel Reese could run wild on the glass, but I have far more faith in the Lynx's shooting and overall offense. The Mystics are the only team that shoots worse from 3-point range than Atlanta (32.5%), and too many of their possessions end with poor shooters forced into shots they don't want to take. The Lynx's coaching edge and homecourt advantage would also be key in this matchup. In the other semifinal series, I'll take the Aces over the Valkyries. This was an amazing season for the Valkyries, but it's very hard to win this deep in the playoffs with so many questions on offense. The Aces are quietly just 11-10 against other playoff teams this season (11-11 if you count the Commissioner's Cup championship), but they're 3-0 against the Valkyries -- the only playoff team they haven't lost against. And, again, there are few players you'd rather have in must-win situations than Wilson,  Jackie Young,  and  Chelsea Gray .

If, somehow, I march on without errors, I'll take the Lynx over the Aces in the Finals. As much as I trust Wilson, Young and Gray, I think the Aces' lack of reliable production outside of that group will eventually catch up with them. Especially when they won't have homecourt advantage, which is usually where role players perform the best. It's also extremely difficult to repeat, and the Aces are attempting to do it twice in five years. To some extent, I'm betting on history here. This also feels like it could be the Lynx's season. They were arguably robbed by the refs in 2024 and had bad injury luck in 2025. Now, in Miles, they have the elite point guard and rim pressure threat they've been missing in the playoffs.

Do I feel awesome about picking the Lynx to win it all? No. But they've been the best team in the league for the majority of the season. They also have a veteran roster that's highly motivated, the best coach and homecourt advantage.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/2026-wnba-playoff-predictions-expert-picks-bracket/)._