The WNBA is a professional women's basketball league in the United States, featuring 12 teams based in major cities across the country. These teams are divided into two conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Established in 1996, the league officially started in 1997 and has since become the most competitive women's basketball league in the world. As of the 2024 season, Only three teams the Minnesota Lynx, Houston Comets, and Seattle Storm are tied for the most number of WNBA championships, each with four titles. Many great basketball players are associated with this league like Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, and many more.
The league has decided to expand, with plans to introduce new teams in the Bay Area and Toronto in 2025, followed by Portland in 2026. In the WNBA, winning a championship is very challenging, as teams must battle through the competitive playoffs to reach the finals.
What is the format for the WNBA Semifinals?
In the WNBA, the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs regardless of their conference positions. Under the playoff structure & rules, which was adopted in 2022, teams are seeded 1 through 8, with the No. 1 seed facing the No. 8 seed, No. 2 versus No. 7, and so on, ensuring the highest-ranked team plays the lowest-ranked one in round one. The first round consists of a best-of-three series, with a 2-1 format—meaning the higher-seeded team hosts the first two games, and the lower-seeded team hosts Game 3 if needed. The semifinals and finals use a best-of-five series with a 2-2-1 format. In this format, the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2, and 5 (if necessary), while the lower seed hosts Games 3 and 4 (if necessary).
Since only eight teams make the playoffs, the semifinals and the WNBA Conference Finals are the same, but more appropriate to call it the WNBA semifinals because of the new rules, as they determine the final two teams. After the first round, four teams remain, and following the second round, the two winners advance to the WNBA Finals. The Round 1 and Semi-final structure in the table as follows.
Playoffs: (Round 1 Structure)
| No. 1 Seed (WNBA team After the regular season) | vs | No. 8 Seed (WNBA team After the regular season) |
| No. 2 Seed (WNBA team After the regular season) | vs | No. 7 Seed (WNBA team After the regular season) |
| No. 3 Seed (WNBA team After the regular season) | vs | No. 6 Seed (WNBA team After the regular season) |
| No. 4 Seed (WNBA team After the regular season) | vs | No. 5 Seed (WNBA team After the regular season) |
Playoffs: WNBA Semifinals structure (Round 2)
| Winner of No. 1 vs. No. 8 seed | vs | Winner of No. 4 vs. No. 5 seed |
| Winner of No. 2 vs. No. 7 seed | vs | Winner of No. 3 vs. No. 6 seed |
FAQs on WNBA
A. As of the 2024 season, there are 12 teams played in the league.
A. As of September 2024, the Minnesota Lynx, Houston Comets, and Seattle Storm are tied for the most WNBA championships, each with four titles.
A. There are two conferences ( Eastern & Western ) in the WNBA.
A. As of the 2024 season, Nike is one of the leading sponsors of the WNBA.
