WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA Draftees Light The Empire State Building WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert visits the Empire State Building in New York City, United States, on April 14, 2025. New York United States PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xEditorialxWirex originalFilename:editorialwire-wnbadraf250414_np8mH.jpg
WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA Draftees Light The Empire State Building WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert visits the Empire State Building in New York City, United States, on April 14, 2025. New York United States PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xEditorialxWirex originalFilename:editorialwire-wnbadraf250414_np8mH.jpg
Eight teams are in the playoffs, four games remaining, and all the seeds are up for grabs. The 2026 WNBA playoff seeding scene resumes after a 16-day World Cup pause, and virtually everything remains undecided except which teams made the playoffs.
"WNBA playoff seeding race with 4 games left. All 8 playoff spots are clinched, but literally every seed can still change," Letstalkksports posted on X, showing a bracket that shows Minnesota Lynx being on top of the bracket at 31-9.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 09: Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles 5 controls the ball during a WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings on June 9, 2026, at Target Center in Minneapolis MN. Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire WNBA: JUN 09 Dallas Wings at Minnesota Lynx EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon20260609035
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 09: Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles 5 controls the ball during a WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings on June 9, 2026, at Target Center in Minneapolis MN. Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire WNBA: JUN 09 Dallas Wings at Minnesota Lynx EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon20260609035
This two-game lead over the Golden State Valkyries isn’t as secure as it may appear at first glance.
The Minnesota Lynx have won three of the four games played between the two teams during the current season to take the tiebreaker, although the Valkyries have four games left against teams that have been eliminated.
However, the competition for second place also brings with it the importance of the playoff system.
The Las Vegas Aces are placed third in the league with a record of 27-13 and have an overall lead of 3-0 against Golden State, which can determine the second position.
Deeper into the standings, the battle for the fourth seed is no less important than the first overall seed.
Atlanta and Indiana are currently both 26-14. The 1-1-1 first-round structure gives the fourth seed a chance to play Games 1 and 3 at home, whereas the fifth seed gets only Game 2.
The challenge here belongs to Indiana, which, after traveling to Toronto and Washington, has to play two straight against Minnesota on September 22 and September 24, respectively, games that will settle the home-court advantage for both Indiana and the top overall seed for Minnesota.
That clash at the top creates one of the wild endings that the league has witnessed.
Three Teams Deadlocked for the Final Playoff Positions
Whereas the battle for positioning is being fought in the top half of the standings, the true madness is going on in the bottom half.
New York, Washington, and Dallas find themselves all knotted up at 24-16, and this is how the tie-breaker process works in the WNBA.
Dallas boasts the most favorable schedule among the three, with no more playoff teams to play against, along with four consecutive wins in the closing stretch.
Washington, on the other hand, has to face three eliminated teams besides playing against Indiana in its direct tiebreaker game on September 20.
The hardest challenge will definitely be in New York. For the Liberty, out of the last four games they have played, three are against the current top four teams, and one home and away series against Atlanta, which can shake up both sides of the bracket.
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Written by
Utsav Gupta
Edited by
Utsav Gupta