What to know about the 2026 WNBA playoff field
Yahoo Sports' Caroline Fenton and women's basketball writer Cassandra Negley look at the top-eight playoff-clinching teams and discuss how tight the seeding race could become. Catch the full conversation on the "Hoops 360" podcast, and subscribe on Apple podcasts , Spotify , YouTube, or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
Cass, we've had, we've had some clinching happening in the WNBA.
We now have all eight playoff teams that have clinched their spots in the playoffs.
Right now, what you're seeing in the seeding as of today, Wednesday, August 26th, the Lynx have that top spot, the Dallas Wings have that eighth spot.
But important to remember, while all of these teams will find themselves in the postseason, they haven't necessarily clinched seeding.
They haven't clinched home court advantage in the first round of the postseason yet.
So while we know who will be in the playoffs, we don't quite know where and when and who will be playing who.
Yeah, still a lot to play for in this final couple of games this week, and then we'll take the World Cup break, and we'll be seeing jockeying for seeding in that week after.
I think the really interesting thing, looking at all the movement that could happen if you're looking at these standings right now, the largest gap is Minnesota at number one and then Golden State.
And we just saw Golden State put on a really great performance to keep the Lynx from clinching that number one seed.
Golden State keeps their hopes alive, and they get their first win over Minnesota in t- their 10th try.
I think they were 0 and 9 over the past two seasons of their existence.
So there's so much room, you know, for movement.
We're talking one and a half, one game and half games between most of these teams.
A lot to play for.
The difference between, you know, the four seed and the five seed is the difference between a home court advantage in the playoffs and going on the road in the first round of the playoffs.
Ask anyone, that home court advantage, being able to sleep in your own beds, being able to, you know, have your home, your home crowd rallying behind you in those first couple of games in the playoffs, that is massive.
That is invaluable, and the difference is the teeniest, teeniest, tiniest margin.
