WNBA Considering Moving Finals Schedule, Allowing Dream to Play at Bigger Venue

The WNBA is heavily considering moving its Finals schedule, opening the door for the Atlanta Dream to host games at a bigger arena, a source familiar with the matter told Front Office Sports .

It's not immediately clear which Finals games will be moved, but Atlanta is scheduled to host Games 3, 4, and 6 on Oct. 22, 24, and 29, respectively.

The Dream have played their home playoff games at State Farm Arena, which fits about 17,000 fans. But the venue is booked out during its home Finals dates for a Sombr concert (Oct. 22) and regular-season games for the NBA's Hawks (Oct. 24 and 29).

Because of the schedule conflict, the Dream were expected to host Finals games at the 3,500-seat Gateway Center, their home arena since 2021. The Hawks operate State Farm Arena, which is owned by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority, and have played there since it opened in 1999.

The Dream have averaged about 9,700 fans at those home games.

State Farm Arena does not have any events scheduled Oct. 23, 26, 27, and 30, according to its website . A Dream spokesperson told FOS that the team is "still finalizing our home court venue."

A change in the date will also impact the WNBA Finals broadcast partners. NBC will air Games 1 and 4, while USA Network will air Games 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7.

A schedule change to Game 3 would move the game away from facing off against Thursday Night Football , while Game 4 of the WNBA Finals currently overlaps with Game 2 of the World Series. However, any move may still overlap with the World Series, which has games scheduled for Oct. 26, 27, 28, and 30.