As WNBA Grows, Engelbert Says Its Playoff Field Won’t for a While

The WNBA playoffs start Sunday with considerable format changes. The Finals will be a seven-game series for the first time in history, while the first round changed from a 2-1 to a 1-1-1 format, which will allow both teams to play at least one home game.

However, the number of playoff teams has stayed the same. Eight teams qualified for the playoffs despite the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season, which brought the league’s total to 13. Since 2016, the league has also stuck to allowing the top eight teams based on record to qualify for the postseason rather than the top four teams per conference.

The league will be adding five more expansion teams, bringing the total to 18 by 2030. The WNBA will add two teams next season (Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire), one in 2028 (Cleveland), 2029 (Philadelphia), and 2030 (Detroit). 

When asked whether the league had any intentions to change its format and potentially revert back to a conference-based system, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said it’s unlikely any changes will be made until all five teams have joined.

“I think it’s certainly something that will be on the docket when we get to 18 teams in 2030. I don’t think there will be changes before then,” Engelbert said on the In Case You Missed It podcast published Wednesday. “For now, I think we’re providing a platform and a path for the best two teams to end up in the WNBA Finals.”

From 2009 to 2024, the current playoff format allowed two-thirds of the WNBA to reach the postseason. If there are no changes by 2029, when there are 17 teams, less than half the league will make the playoffs for just the second time in league history. The only other time was in 1998, the league’s second season, when 4 of 10 teams qualified.

The WNBA CBA states that the league is allowed to make changes to its playoff format “after consultation with the players association.” These changes include the number of teams that qualify for the postseason.

The CBA also states that any playoff format change that results in an increase in the maximum number of playoff games means that players will get a 10% increase in bonuses associated with making the playoffs. 

The bonuses written in the current CBA are as follows (all per player):

• WNBA champion: $11,356
• Runner-up: $5,678 
• Eliminated in third round: $2,839
• Eliminated in second round: $1,803
• Eliminated in first round: $1,136

A 10% increase on those figures ranges between just $113 and $1,135 per player.

However, the current WNBA CBA runs only until the end of this season. Front Office Sports reported it’s increasingly unlikely that the league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association will come to an agreement on a new CBA before the Oct. 31 deadline.