The 2026 WNBA playoffs will get underway on Sunday with a quadruple header that will feature Game 1 of all four first-round series. As a quick refresher, here's a look at the seeds and the first-round matchups, which weren't set until the final seconds of Thursday's regular season finale: Just seven games separate the Lynx and Liberty, the smallest gap between the Nos. 1 and 8 seeds since the league changed the playoff format in 2016 to include the top eight teams regardless of conference affiliation. As a result, this is the most wide-open postseason in a decade.
Be that as it may, some teams are more likely to win it all than others. Ahead of Sunday, here's a look at which teams have the best chance to win the title with our pre-playoffs power rankings. The Lynx stumbled a bit down the stretch, which made the race for the No. 1 seed more dramatic than it should have been, but their demolition of the Fever on Thursday in their finale was a reminder that they've been the best team in the league for the majority of the season.
After falling short due to controversial officiating in 2024 and injuries in 2025, this veteran group will be highly motivated to finally win it all this season. Olivia Miles' elite playmaking and ability to get downhill into the paint will give them an edge they didn't have in each of the last two postseasons, and they also have the best coach in the league and homecourt advantage throughout. The reigning champs are back again, looking for their second repeat and fourth title in the last five seasons.
Only two other teams, the Houston Comets (1997-2000) and Los Angeles Sparks (2001-02), have ever repeated, so history is against the Aces, but they have the best player in the world in A'ja Wilson and a reliable veteran core that knows how to win. It's reasonable to have some concerns about the supporting cast, especially after Chennedy Carter's mid-season dismissal and NaLyssa Smith's season-ending knee injury, but Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray -- who have accounted for 59.8% of the Aces' points this season -- found a way to win it all last year without much help. It's certainly possible they can do it again.
The Valkyries are fascinating. Their 99.1 defensive rating is 4.2 points per 100 possessions better than anyone else this season, and they just might be the best defensive team ever. They've also set the WNBA single-season record for 3-point attempts per game (30.3) for the second consecutive season and don't have a single player averaging 15 points.
When their 3s are falling, they're borderline unbeatable. But when they aren't, you wonder if they'll ever score again. In 25 games when they shot at least 35% from 3, they went 21-4.
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