The 2026 WNBA Commissioner's Cup begins on Monday, June 1, and will undoubtedly attract the same attention the in-season tournament does each year. That's largely because the tournament is so frequently a preview of what fans can expect to see happen during playoffs at the end of the season. The winner of the Cup went on to reach the Finals in 2022 (Las Vegas Aces), 2023 (New York Liberty), and 2024 (Minnesota Lynx) — and last year's winners, the Indiana Fever, got close to achieving the same result.
The format of the Cup is largely unchanged from previous years. Here's everything to know about the tournament this year:
2026 WNBA Commissioner's Cup schedule
The Cup will begin on Monday, June 1, and conclude on June 17. The championship game will be played on June 30.
The tournament will be aired on a variety of channels and streaming platforms. Presumably, blackouts will still apply if you are watching the games via League Pass.
The games are played until two teams are left, one for each conference. Those two teams will then play in the Championship match and will compete for $500,000. The Cup is sponsored by Coinbase, and the company has also pitched in another $120,000 in cryptocurrency (which is made up in part of $5,000 for each player who plays in the final game).
DATE | TEAMS | TIME (local) & CHANNEL |
|---|---|---|
June 1 | Storm at Wings | 8pm, USA, Directv |
Lynx at Mercury | 10pm, NBC, Directv | |
June 2 | Sun at Dream | 7:30pm, League Pass |
Sky at Mystics | 7:30pm, League Pass | |
Fire at Valkyries | 10pm, League Pass | |
Aces at Sparks | 10pm, League Pass | |
June 3 | Tempo at Liberty | 8pm, USA, Directv |
Mercury at Storm | 10pm, USA, Directv | |
June 4 | Dream at Fever | 7pm, Prime |
Valkyries at Lynx | 9pm, Prime | |
June 5 | Sun at Sky | 7:30pm, ION, Fubo |
Wings at Sparks | 10pm, ION, Fubo | |
Mercury at Fire | 10pm, ION, Fubo | |
June 6 | Storm at Lynx | 1pm, ABC, Directv |
Valkyries at Aces | 3pm, ABC, Fubo, Directv | |
Mystics at Dream | 6pm, League Pass | |
Fever at Liberty | 8pm, CBS, Fubo, Paramount+ | |
June 7 | Sky at Tempo | 3pm, League Pass |
Fire at Sparks | 7pm, NBA TV, Fubo | |
June 8 | Liberty at Sun | 7pm, League Pass |
Fever at Mystics | 7pm, NBC, Directv | |
Storm at Aces | 10pm, USA Network, Directv | |
June 9 | Dream at Sky | 7pm, NBC, Directv |
Wings at Lynx | 8pm, League Pass | |
Mercury at Valkyries | 10pm, League Pass | |
June 10 | Sun at Tempo | 7pm, League Pass |
Sparks at Storm | 10pm, USA, Directv | |
June 11 | Sky at Fever | 7pm, Prime |
Liberty at Dream | 7:30pm, League Pass | |
Mercury at Wings | 9pm, Prime | |
Aces at Fire | 10pm, League Pass | |
June 12 | Tempo at Mystics | 7:30pm, ION, Fubo |
Valkyries at Storm | 10pm, ION Fubo | |
June 13 | Fever at Sun | 6pm, NBC, Directv |
Lynx at Sun | 8pm, CBS, Paramount+, Fubo, Directv | |
Wings at Fire | 8:30pm, League Pass | |
Sparks at Mercury | 10pm, League Pass | |
June 14 | Mystics at Liberty | 3pm, NBA TV, Fubo, Directv |
Dream at Tempo | 3pm, League Pass | |
June 15 | Aces at Wings | 8pm, USA, Directv |
Fire at Lynx | 8pm, League Pass | |
Sparks at Valkyries | 10pm, NBC, Directv | |
June 16 | Tempo at Fever | 7pm, USA, Directv |
June 17 | Mystics at Sun | 7pm, League Pass |
Liberty at Sky | 8pm, USA, Directv | |
Wings at Valkyries | 10pm, League Pass | |
Lynx at Sparks | 10pm, League Pass | |
Aces at Mercury | 10pm, USA, Directv | |
Storm at Fire | 10pm, League Pass | |
June 30 | Championship | TBD, Prime |
Current WNBA standings
It's too early to know who will win the Commissioner's Cup, but the current WNBA standings might offer a little insight. At time of writing, the Minnesota Lynx are leading the entire WNBA. They are followed by the Atlanta Dream, Las Vegas Aces, Golden State Valkyries, Dallas Wings, Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo, New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Chicago Sky, Seattle Storm, Phoenix Mercury, and Connecticut Sun.
The Lynx will play the Mercury as their first game of the Cup. Phoenix is coming into June fresh off of five back-to-back losses, a stunning reality for a team that made it to the WNBA Finals last season. The Mercury are contending with a relatively new roster after a few key player departures, and the team will return back home to host the Lynx after one loss to the Dream and two to the Liberty.
The Lynx, on the other hand, will play several games on the road. The team is still operating without Napheesa Collier, but has put in a strong showing this season with the help of rookie Olivia Miles.
Add us as a preferred source on Google