WNBA Moves Finals Dates So Dream Can Play in NBA Arena

The WNBA has rescheduled Games 3 and 4 of the Finals, allowing the Atlanta Dream to host their games at the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena, the league announced Tuesday.

Game 3 has been moved to Wednesday, Oct. 21, a day before the game’s original date. The game originally overlapped with a Sombr concert at State Farm Arena.

Game 4 will still be played on its original date—Saturday, Oct. 24—but it will be adjusted from 3:30 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. The NBA’s Hawks play their home opener at 8:30 p.m. ET on the same date, though the game’s tip-off time was moved from 8 p.m.

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.

Front Office Sports reported before the announcement that the league was heavily considering changing its Finals schedule.

The league has not announced a decision on Game 6, which will be played in Atlanta if necessary. 

The Dream have played their first- and second-round playoff games at State Farm Arena, averaging nearly 10,000 fans per game over three games. A Dream spokesperson told FOS last week that the team has limited attendance in its upper bowl due to the short turnaround to sell playoff tickets.

The Dream played six regular-season games at State Farm Arena, selling out the full 17,000-seat venue five times. But the team played the majority of its regular-season games at the 3,500-seat Gateway Center, their home arena since 2021.

Because of the schedule conflict, the Dream were expected to host Finals games at Gateway Center.

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. 

Game 3 of the WNBA Finals was originally scheduled to face off against a Thursday Night Football game between the Bears and Patriots. The move to Wednesday, Oct. 21 gives it a free spot on the calendar, with the World Series set to begin Oct. 23.