The New York Liberty secured a 2026 WNBA playoff berth after the Washington Mystics defeated the Portland Fire on Sunday. The result of that game also clinched a playoff spot for the Mystics for the first time since 2023. The Liberty will compete in the WNBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
New York won the WNBA championship two seasons ago in 2024 but then faced an early first-round elimination against the Phoenix Mercury in last season's playoff run. The Liberty and Mystics claimed the sixth and seventh playoff spots, which means one more playoff berth is up for grabs. The last two teams battling for a playoff spot are the Dallas Wings and Fire.
But with the Wings leading the Fire by 6.5 games, Dallas will likely be the eighth and final team to secure a playoff berth this season. The other five teams that have already clinched playoff spots are the Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkryies, Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever. The Liberty still has six regular season games remaining on the schedule.
The outcome of these last few games will determine the seeding for the WNBA playoffs. The Liberty, Dream and Fever are in a tight race for the No. 4 through No. 6 seeds, and New York plays Atlanta in back-to-back games to end the regular season on Sept. 21 and Sept. 23.
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