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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 schedule. 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 down from 8 p.m.
The Hawks operate State Farm Arena, which is owned by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority, and have played in it since it opened in 1999.
Front Office Sports reported prior to 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 to 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, and 7.
Game 3 of the WNBA Finals was originally scheduled to face-off with 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, and its Championship series ending on Oct. 20 at the latest.
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.
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