Atlanta’s biggest games in franchise history are moving to a bigger stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The WNBA announced Tuesday that Games 3 and 4 of the 2026 Finals between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries will be played at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta, the home of the NBA’s Hawks, instead of the Dream’s usual 3,500-seat home in College Park. The change dramatically expands the seating capacity for Atlanta’s first Finals games on home soil since 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Getting there took some schedule shuffling. Game 3, originally set for Oct. 22, will now be played Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. ET because a concert was already booked at the arena that night. Game 4 stays on Oct. 24 but tips off at 1 p.m. ET \u2014 moved up from 3:30 \u2014 so the court can turn over for the Hawks’ home opener against the Houston Rockets later that evening. The Hawks agreed to push their own tipoff back a half hour to 8:30 p.m. ET to make the doubleheader work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is a major win for Atlanta fans. The Dream’s regular-season home, Gateway Center Arena in College Park, holds just 3,500 for basketball \u2014 the smallest capacity in the league. By contrast, the Dream drew an average of 9,695 fans for the three playoff games they were able to host at State Farm Arena this postseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This is what the players and the fans deserve,” Dream majority owner Larry Gottesdiener said in a statement. “We are grateful to all of the stakeholders who worked together to resolve the conflicts and make this happen.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert praised the move as well, noting that “thousands more fans across the Southeast region will have the opportunity to experience the ultimate WNBA action \u2014 the WNBA Finals \u2014 in person.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tickets for Games 3 and 4 go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The series opens Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET in San Francisco, where the No. 2 seed Valkyries will host the first two games at Chase Center before the series shifts to Atlanta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources: Reuters (Oct 13, 2026); CNN (Oct 13, 2026); USA Today (Oct 13, 2026). Quotes from league\/team statements as reported.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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