The 2025 regular season will run from May 16 through Sept. 11, with the All-Star break set for July 17-21
The 2025 WNBA season is fast approaching. Training camps will open later this month, preseason games will begin a few days later and before we know it opening day will be here. From there, it will be a five-month sprint to crown a new champion.
Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty will try to repeat as champions after winning the first title in franchise history last season, but they’ll face serious challenges from the likes of the Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, and possibly the new-look Indiana Fever. Meanwhile, No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers will make her long-awaited WNBA debut with the Dallas Wings.
There are two major changes to the league this season. First and foremost, the Golden State Valkyries will begin play as the first expansion team to join the league since the Atlanta Dream in 2008. Additionally, the regular season has been expanded to a record 44 games.
Before the action gets started, here’s a look at all the key dates for the upcoming season.
April 27: Training camps open
Rookies and some veterans have already arrived in their respective markets to begin workouts, but teams cannot begin official practices until Sunday, when training camps open. This period will be even more significant than usual this year with eight of the 13 teams beginning their first season with a new coach.
May 2: Preseason games begin
The WNBA preseason is a bit haphazard. Teams set their own schedules and many of the games are not broadcast anywhere. This year, the majority of teams will play two preseason games, while the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever will play three, and the Los Angeles Sparks and Golden State Valkyries will play just one.
The first preseason contests this season are set for May 2, and the warm-up games will continue through May 12.
There are a few notable preseason tilts this spring, including the Sky’s matchup versus the Brazilian national team on May 2 on LSU’s campus, which will serve as a homecoming for Angel Reese and, to some extent, Hailey Van Lith. Likewise, Caitlin Clark and the Fever will travel back to Iowa’s campus for a game against Brazil on May 4.
May 16: Opening night
The 2025 regular season will tip off on May 16 with a three-game slate that will feature No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers making her WNBA debut with the Dallas Wings, as well as the expansion Golden State Valkyries’ first-ever game. Here’s the opening-night schedule:
- Atlanta Dream at Washington Mystics, 7:30 p.m. ET — ION
- Minnesota Lynx at Dallas Wings, 7:30 p.m. ET — ION
- Los Angeles Sparks at Golden State Valkyries, 10 p.m. ET — ION
June 1-17, July 1: Commissioner’s Cup games, championship
This will be the fifth year of the Commissioner’s Cup, the WNBA’s in-season competition, which predates the NBA Cup.
Each team will play the other teams in their conference once during the initial Cup games, which also count as regular season games. The six Eastern Conference teams will play five games, while the seven Western Conference teams will play six games. All of these Cup games will take place from June 1-17.
The team in each conference with the best record in Cup games will advance to the Commissioner’s Cup championship on July 1, which will be hosted by the team with the best overall winning percentage in Cup games. Once again, there will be a $500,000 prize pool on the line.
July 17-21: All-Star break
The 2025 All-Star Weekend will take place in Indianapolis, marking the first time that the Indiana Fever have hosted the annual showcase.
The action will start on Friday, July 18, with the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest, followed by the All-Star Game on Saturday, July 19. The league has not yet announced a format for the All-Star Game.
Aug. 8: Trade deadline
The WNBA trade deadline is usually fairly quiet, though there was a blockbuster trade last season when the Chicago Sky sent Marina Mabrey to the Connecticut Sun. It will be interesting to see what happens this summer ahead of what will be a transformational offseason in 2026. This season’s trade deadline is set for Friday, Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. ET.
Sept. 11: Regular season ends
The regular season will come to an end on Thursday, Sept. 11. While the league has typically had every team in action on the final day, that is not possible this season due to the uneven number of teams. That could make for some interesting scenarios if there are close playoff races, or a meaningless day if everything is already decided.
Here is the final day’s schedule:
- New York Liberty at Chicago Sky, 8 p.m. ET — NBA TV
- Phoenix Mercury at Dallas Wings, 8 p.m. ET — League Pass
- Golden State Valkyries at Minnesota Lynx, 8 p.m. ET — League Pass
- Las Vegas Aces at Los Angeles Sparks, 10 p.m. ET — NBA TV
Sept. 14: Playoffs begin
This season’s playoffs will get underway on Sunday, Sept. 14, with Friday, Oct. 17 set as the last possible Finals date.
As always, it’s a quick turnaround from the end of the regular season to the start of the playoffs. In past years, though, every team was in the same boat. Not so this time around due to the uneven number of teams.
The Fever, Storm and Mystics will all be done by Sept. 9, while the Dream and Sun will finish up on Sept. 10. Everyone else will play on the final day, Sept. 11. Depending on how the standings and playoff matchups shake out, those extra few days could be an advantage for the teams that get done early.
Once again, conferences are irrelevant for the playoffs. The top-eight teams in the overall league standings will make the postseason. There will be a standard eight-team bracket with four best-of-three first-round series, two best-of-five semifinals and the league’s debut of a best-of-seven format for the WNBA Finals.
