Game 6 of the 2026 WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will tip off at 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The midday start for the first Game 6 in WNBA history — the Finals were expanded to a best-of-seven format last season — has drawn widespread confusion and criticism.
The Dream, who have played their home games at the 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena since 2021, moved five regular-season games and their first five postseason games to the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena, which is also home to the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. However, State Farm Arena is not yet the Dream's primary venue; a multi-year deal to make it their full-time home begins in 2027. The Dream and Hawks have separate ownership groups, adding another layer of logistical complexity.
Previous Finals games in Atlanta were rescheduled to accommodate the Hawks' NBA schedule. Games 3 and 4 were moved to State Farm Arena, with Game 4 shifted to a 1 p.m. ET start to allow a doubleheader with a Hawks game. For Game 6, the WNBA faced limited options because the Hawks play home games on Wednesday and Thursday and have a required 22-hour rest period under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. Moving the Hawks' Thursday game to Friday would have conflicted with NBA Cup exclusive nights and created broadcast issues.
Ultimately, the league chose a Thursday afternoon start at State Farm Arena to keep the game in the larger venue without drastically altering the Finals schedule. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the sellout crowds and atmosphere for Games 3 and 4 were a "tremendous success" and thanked the NBA, both teams, the arena, and USA Network for their flexibility.
The Dream's ownership group released an open letter criticizing the decision, stating they had raised concerns months earlier that "did not receive the attention, nor the urgency that they deserved." They noted that a midday Thursday game "is not what we would have chosen and not what we fought for." The WNBA had sent playoff hold dates to teams on Dec. 4, 2025, with a Dec. 31 deadline for arena conflict responses, but the process for alternate arenas remains unclear.
Despite the scheduling controversy, the Dream announced Wednesday that Game 6 is a sellout, with thousands of fans expected to attend the championship-deciding game.
