Angel Reese's Dream to Host WNBA Finals Games vs. Valkyries at Hawks' Arena, New Schedule Announced

Games 3 and 4 of the 2026 WNBA Finals will be played at State Farm Arena and not the Atlanta Dream's usual home, Gateway Center Arena.

To facilitate the change, the league is moving Game 3 up a day to Oct. 21. The Atlanta Hawks are also pushing back their home opener to 8:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 24 to avoid any conflicts with Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.

There were initially fears the Dream would have to use Gateway Center Arena, a significantly smaller venue than State Farm Arena, for their home games against the Golden State Valkyries.

State Farm Arena is hosting a Sombr concert on Oct. 22 and then has the Hawks' opener two nights later.

At Gateway Center, far fewer fans would've been able to attend, and it simply wouldn't have presented a great look on television for an event as big as the Finals.

"Ensuring that Games 3 and 4 of the Finals will be played at State Farm Arena is an important moment for the Dream's players, fans, the organization and the city of Atlanta and is a testament to the extraordinary momentum of the team, women's basketball and the growing impact of women's sports," the Dream said .

This won't be an issue in subsequent seasons with the Dream moving into State Farm Arena full time beginning in 2027.

Under the old best-of-five format for the Finals, the Dream would've been assured of hosting at least one game. The WNBA adopted the best-of-seven structure starting in 2025, so Atlanta is guaranteed to have two games and potentially a third should the series extend to a Game 6.