WNBA will expand the Finals to a 7-game series next season

Cathy Engelbert holds a press conference before Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center.

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NEW YORK (AP) – The WNBA will expand its Finals to a best-of-seven format next year, the league announced Thursday.

The league currently has a best-of-five semifinals and a best-of-five finals in its playoffs with a best-of-three first round.

“This will provide our fans with a championship series format that they are used to in other sports,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said before Game 1 of the Finals.

Engelbert said the better-seeded teams would host the first, second, fifth and seventh games. The league will also change the opening round to allow the lower seeded team at least one home game. The higher seeded team will host games 1 and 3 if necessary. The first two games in the first round are currently taking place with the better seeded team. All four first-round series this year were sweeps.

The commissioner said it is easier to travel between cities because the league uses charter flights throughout the season, including the playoffs.

Engelbert also said the league's draft lottery will take place on Nov. 17 and that the Golden State Valkyries expansion team will have the No. 5 pick.

Engelbert also addressed the increasing number of attacks players have faced on social media, saying there is no place for that and that the league will work with the players' union to figure out what they can do together to to take action against it. Engelbert mentioned technology and mental health help.

The league had an incredible regular season in terms of attendance and viewership. According to the league, 2,353,735 fans attended games, the most in 22 years, and the teams sold out a combined 154 times – compared to 45 last season.

The WNBA averaged 9,807 fans per game in 2024, a significant increase from last season's 6,615 per game. The league also announced that a record 22 telecasts during the regular season averaged at least one million viewers.

Rookie Clark's influence was a big reason for the increased interest in the league. The Fever set a single-season home attendance record with 340,715 fans, surpassing the mark of 250,565 set by the New York Liberty in 2001.

“The culmination of the most eventful year in the history of the WNBA,” said Engelbert. “Compare it to some statistics that shed light on what happened. In 2024, the WNBA outperformed the industry in live games. Fans watched each WNBA game an average of 30% more during the regular season. The games reached 54 million viewers during the regular season.”