USA SPORTS' WNBA PLAYOFFS COVERAGE TIPS OFF THIS SUNDAY WITH GAME 1 OF DALLAS WINGS-GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES ON USA NETWORK BEGINNING AT 8:30 P.M. ET

USA Sports Presents Up to Three First Round Playoff Games Next Week

Game 1: Dallas Wings at Golden State Valkyries on Sunday, Sept. 27, Coverage Begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on USA Network

Game 2: Minnesota Lynx at New York Liberty on Tuesday, Sept. 29, Coverage Begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on USA Network

Game 3 (if Necessary): Thursday, Oct. 1, Matchup and Time TBD on USA Network

The WNBA Finals Are On USA Network! Up to 5 WNBA Finals Games (2-3, 5-7 If Necessary) Live on USA Network

All WNBA Playoff Games on USA Network will Simulcast Live on CNBC

STAMFORD, Conn. - September 25, 2026 - USA Sports' inaugural season of WNBA coverage enters the postseason with coast-to-coast first round coverage live on USA Network beginning this Sunday, September 27, in primetime, as the No. 7 seed Dallas Wings visit the No. 2 seed Golden State Valkyries in a Game 1 matchup. Coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET with the WNBA on USA Pregame Show presented by Ford on USA Network ahead of the 9 p.m. ET tip-off.

USA Sports will present up to three first round playoff games in its inaugural season of WNBA coverage, which will be punctuated by up to five WNBA Finals games on USA Network (Games 2-3 and 5-7, if necessary), with any Finals series longer than a sweep ensuring that the 2026 WNBA champion will be determined on USA Network.

Led by All-Star Gabby Williams, the Valkyries earned the No. 2 seed finishing 21-12, one game behind the top-seeded Lynx for the best record in the WNBA. The Wings (27-17) enter the Playoffs having won seven of their past eight games as All-Star Paige Bueckers ranked fifth in the league averaging 20.9 points per game this season.

Meghan McPeak will handle play-by-play duties for Sunday's Wings-Valkyries Game 1 coverage from Chase Center in San Francisco, alongside analysts Lea B. Olsen and Amy Audibert and courtside reporter Edona Thaqi. Host Elle Duncan and analysts Chamique Holdsclaw and Renee Montgomery will anchor all first-round studio coverage on USA Network.

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, USA Network will present Game 2 of the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 8 New York Liberty series beginning with studio coverage at 8 p.m. ET and tip-off at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Lynx earned the No. 1 seed and the WNBA's best record this season (33-11) behind rookie Olivia Miles, who averaged 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game this year. The Liberty (26-18) enter the postseason as the No. 8 seed behind Breanna Stewart, who ranked seventh in the WNBA with 20.8 points per game this season.

Kate Scott (play-by-play), Tamika Catchings (analyst), Sarah Kustok (analyst), and Paris Lawson (courtside reporter) will have the call from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

With the first round of the WNBA Playoffs featuring best-of-three series, USA Network will present a deciding Game 3 if necessary on Thursday, Oct. 1, with matchup and time TBD.

All of USA Sports' WNBA Playoffs coverage on USA Network will simulcast live on CNBC.

WNBA Playoffs, Round 1 on USA Network

Date  Game  Time (ET) 

Sun., Sept. 27 WNBA on USA Pregame Show presented by Ford

· Elle Duncan (host)

· Chamique Holdsclaw (analyst)

· Renee Montgomery (analyst) 8:30 p.m.

Sun., Sept. 27 Game 1 - No. 7 Dallas Wings at No. 2 Golden State Valkyries

· Meghan McPeak (pxp)

· Amy Audibert (analyst)

· Lea B. Olsen (analyst)

· Edona Thaqi (courtside reporter) 9 p.m.

Tue., Sept. 29 WNBA on USA Pregame Show presented by Ford

· Elle Duncan (host)

· Chamique Holdsclaw (analyst)

· Renee Montgomery (analyst) 8 p.m.

Tue., Sept. 29 Game 2 - No. 1 Minnesota Lynx at No. 8 New York Liberty

· Kate Scott (pxp)

· Tamika Catchings (analyst)

· Sarah Kustok (analyst)

· Paris Lawson (courtside reporter) 8:30 p.m.

Thrs., Oct. 1* WNBA on USA Pregame Show presented by Ford

· Elle Duncan (host)

· Chamique Holdsclaw (analyst)

· Renee Montgomery (analyst) TBD

Thurs., Oct. 1* Game 3 - TBD (If Necessary) TBD

*If necessary

Last year, USA Sports and the WNBA announced an 11-year media rights agreement for USA Network to present WNBA games - including the regular-season and portions of the Playoffs and WNBA Finals in select years - beginning with the 2026 season.

As part of the multi-year agreement which runs through 2036, USA Sports will present at least 50 WNBA games annually on USA Network, including coverage of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel and WNBA Finals games in select years beginning this year.

About USA Sports

USA Sports is home to premier sporting events across USA Network, Golf Channel, CNBC, and Fandango, throughout the calendar year, including NASCAR, PGA TOUR, Premier League, Bundesliga, WWE, WNBA, Pac-12 Football and Basketball, USGA, R&A, LPGA Tour, PGA of America, Atlantic 10 Basketball, DP World Tour, Augusta National, League One Volleyball (LOVB), and more. Golf Channel - the first-ever single-sport cable network which was founded in 1995 - delivers comprehensive live golf tournament, studio and shoulder programming and is the television home of the sport and industry in the United States. USA Sports is a division of Versant (Nasdaq: VSNT), an industry-changing media and entertainment business with a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including USA Network, CNBC, MS NOW, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, along with digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and Full Swing.

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