WNBA FINALS OVER SEVEN GAMES

Amid burgeoning interest, 2025 regular season expands to 44 games with new team Valkyries

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The WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) Finals will expand to a best-of-seven series for the first time in 2025, the league announced on Oct 10 ahead of Game 1 of the best-of-five 2024 championship series between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx.

The WNBA has never seen a best-of-seven play-off series, but the 2025 Finals will mark the first and utilise a 2-2-1-1-1 format meaning the higher seed will host Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 and the lower seed will host Games 3, 4 and 6.

Among other changes on the way for the burgeoning league, the regular season will grow from 40 to 44 games for each team as the Golden State Valkyries begin play.

“We are seeing an incredible demand for WNBA basketball, as reflected in the number of cities pursuing expansion franchises, fans attending games and engaging with our social and digital platforms in record fashion, and game broadcasts and streams being consumed like never before,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.