Three of the four spots in the WNBA semifinals are set.
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, No. 2 Las Vegas Aces and No. 6 Indiana Fever have advanced past the first round of the 2025 WNBA playoffs. The fourth semifinalist will be decided Friday night when the defending champion No. 5 New York Liberty visit the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury in a win-or-go-home Game 3.
The top-seeded Lynx were the only team to record a sweep in Round 1, bouncing the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries in two games. Minnesota overcame a 17-point deficit on the road in Game 2 to eliminate the Valkyries, who made league history as the first expansion team to reach the postseason in its debut season. Napheesa Collier and Co. are looking to follow up last year’s runner-up finish with a championship.
The No. 2 Aces entered the postseason riding a 16-game winning streak and took their playoff opener from the No. 7 Seattle Storm. Seattle used a fourth-quarter rally in Game 2 to even up the series, but Las Vegas avoided an upset in Game 3 thanks to 38 points from three-time MVP A’ja Wilson and a go-ahead putback late from Jackie Young. Las Vegas has reached the semifinals for a seventh straight year, looking to win the franchise’s third title in four years.
The Caitlin Clark-less No. 6 Fever pulled off the first upset of the postseason, stunning the No. 3 Atlanta Dream in three games. The Fever crushed the Dream in Game 2 at home to stay alive before Aliyah Boston converted a go-ahead layup inside the final 10 seconds of Game 3 to steal a series-clinching win on the road. The upset secured Indiana’s first semifinal appearance since 2015.
So, what are the semifinal matchups? And when will the next round begin? Here’s what to know:
Do the WNBA playoffs reseed teams?
The WNBA playoffs follow a bracket format and do not reseed teams after the first round.
What are the semifinal matchups in the WNBA playoffs?
The Lynx will face the winner of the Mercury-Liberty series. So there could be a WNBA Finals rematch between the Lynx and Liberty in the semis.
That leaves the Aces and Fever as the other matchup:
- No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 4 Phoenix Mercury/No. 5 New York Liberty
- No. 2 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever
How many games are in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs?
After a best-of-three opening round, the semifinals feature a best-of-five format where the higher seed has home-court advantage in Games 1, 2 and, if necessary, 5.
When do the WNBA semifinals start?
Both semifinal series will tip off Sunday, Sept. 21.
What is the semifinal schedule in the WNBA playoffs?
Here’s what we know about the semifinal schedule so far (this section will be updated as more details are announced):
No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 4 Phoenix Mercury/No. 5 New York Liberty
- Game 1: Mercury/Liberty at Lynx — Sunday, Sept. 21, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 2: Mercury/Liberty at Lynx — Tuesday, Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 3: Lynx at Mercury/Liberty — Friday, Sept. 26, time TBD, ESPN 2
- Game 4 (if necessary): Lynx at Mercury/Liberty — Sunday, Sept. 28, time TBD, TV channel TBD
- Game 5 (if necessary): Mercury/Liberty at Lynx — Tuesday, Sept. 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD
No. 2 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 6 Indiana Fever
- Game 1: Fever at Aces — Sunday, Sept. 21, 3 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 2: Fever at Aces — Tuesday, Sept. 23, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
- Game 3: Aces at Fever — Friday, Sept. 26, time TBD, ESPN 2
- Game 4 (if necessary): Aces at Fever — Sunday, Sept. 28, time TBD, ABC
- Game 5 (if necessary): Fever at Aces — Tuesday, Sept. 30, time TBD, TV channel TBD
How to watch, stream the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs
The WNBA postseason is airing across ESPN networks and ABC. All the action is available to stream on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
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