Venue Switch Expands Finals Stage
The Atlanta Dream are relocating their first two WNBA Finals home games to State Farm Arena, following negotiations involving the Hawks, the league office, and television networks that led to a date change and adjusted start times. Instead of playing Game 3 at the 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena on Oct. 22, the Dream and the Golden State Valkyries will meet on Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. ET at the 17,044-seat State Farm Arena. The original date was unavailable because of a Sombr concert.[S1]
For Game 4 on Saturday, Oct. 24, the Hawks agreed to push back the start of their home game against the Houston Rockets from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET, allowing the Dream and Valkyries to play earlier that day at 1 p.m. ET. The arrangement creates a rare WNBA-NBA doubleheader. Game 3 will air on USA Network and CNBC and stream on Peacock, while Game 4 remains on NBC/Peacock.[S1]
Collaboration and Ownership Complexity
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement that the change of venue dramatically expands seating capacity and ensures the Dream can provide an extraordinary atmosphere for the first WNBA Finals game in the Atlanta market since 2013. She also expressed gratitude for the efforts of numerous stakeholders, including the Dream, the Valkyries, the Hawks, State Farm Arena, and NBC Sports and USA Sports.[S1]
The Hawks and Dream have separate ownership groups, which made the move a more complex negotiation. Larry Gottesdiener, the Dream's majority owner, said in a statement that this is what the players and the fans deserve. The Hawks are owned by Tony Ressler. Andrew Saltzman, Hawks President of Business Enterprise and Chief Commercial Officer, said in a statement that playing for a championship is special and that they want the Dream to feel the full support of the city during this amazing run.[S1]
The Dream said in a statement that relocating Games 3 and 4 from Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Arena was a complex undertaking that required extraordinary collaboration to navigate numerous challenges in a short time period. The team expressed gratitude to the Golden State Valkyries, the Hawks, the NBA, the WNBA, and both leagues' broadcast partners. The Gateway Center holds only 3,500 fans, while State Farm Arena holds 17,000.[S2]
Schedule, Tickets, and Unresolved Game 6
The Dream and Hawks did not announce a solution for Game 6 of the Finals, if necessary, on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Hawks are currently scheduled to play the Cleveland Cavaliers at State Farm Arena at 7 p.m. that night, while the Finals game is scheduled for 8 p.m. the same evening. Tickets for Games 3 and 4 will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Oct. 16, at 10 a.m. ET at atlantadream.com. Fans can get first access by joining the priority list or signing up for the general presale at the same site.[S1][S2]
The WNBA Finals begin Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The Atlanta Dream have never won a league championship. The franchise announced last week that it will play all of its 2027 home games at State Farm Arena. Atlanta general manager Dan Padover built the Dream into a title contender through shrewd trades, a little bit of luck, and patience from the team's ownership group.[S2]
