The WNBA Finals is the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. The series is played between the winners of the playoff semifinals. At the conclusion of the championship round, the winner of the WNBA Finals is presented the championship trophy. The WNBA Finals has been played at the conclusion of every WNBA season in history, the first being held in 1997. Since 2005, the winner of the WNBA Finals has been determined through a 2–2–1 format. The first, second, and fifth games of the series are played at the arena of the team who earned home court advantage by having the better record during the regular season. Beginning in 2025, the Finals will switch to a best-of-seven series with a 2–2–1–1–1 format similar to that of the NBA Finals.

History

The WNBA's playoff format has changed several times in the league's history. In 1997, a single championship game was held to decide the champion. In 1998, after the addition of two teams, the WNBA finals were turned into a best-of-three series. The finale series was known as the WNBA Championship from 1997 to 2001, before changing to WNBA Finals to reflect its NBA counterpart. In 2005, the WNBA Finals adopted a best-of-five format. In 2016, the WNBA began seeding teams #1 through #8 regardless of conference making it possible for two Eastern Conference or two Western Conference teams to meet in the Finals. In 2025, the WNBA Finals will become a best-of-seven series and a homecourt system of 2–2–1–1–1 similar to the NBA Finals, where the team with homecourt advantage hosts games 1 and 2, and if necessary, games 5 and 7.

Map of champions

Results

Highlights

Finals appearances

The Houston Comets, Minnesota Lynx, and Seattle Storm hold the distinction of having won the most championships with four titles each. The New York Liberty have lost the most championships with five. The Lynx have the most appearances in the championships with seven (including 2024). Highlighted teams have folded and can no longer reach the WNBA Finals. Statistics below refer to series wins and losses, not individual game wins and losses. Former teams that had no WNBA Finals appearances:

Records

This table shows a list of records through the history of the WNBA Finals.