Dream Facing Major Atlanta Venue Issue for WNBA Finals Home Games

The Atlanta Dream are scheduled to play Games 3 and 4 of the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Ga., barring a late change of plans, league sources told Roundtable.

A Game 6, if the series gets that far, would be played in the same building.

Gateway Center Arena seats 3,500 for basketball.

The Dream have tried to move the games to State Farm Arena, the 17,044-seat home of the Atlanta Hawks. That building is booked for a concert and two Hawks games on the three dates the Finals are set to be in Atlanta, WSB-TV's Zach Klein reported Sunday evening.

Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network. The concert is that night.

Two days later, the Hawks open their home schedule against the Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. ET. Game 4 tips off at 3:30 p.m. ET that same Saturday, Oct. 24, on NBC.

A potential Game 6 is set for Thursday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m. ET. The Hawks host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. ET that night.

On Saturday afternoon, a Dream spokesperson told Fox 5 Atlanta's Justin Felder that the team was "finalizing the details around our home venue for the Finals and will share that information with fans as soon as it's confirmed."

Felder reported in the same post that State Farm Arena had events on all three dates.

Atlanta announced Oct. 6 that it will play every home game at State Farm Arena beginning next season under a multi-year agreement with the building.

The WNBA expands to a 50-game regular season in 2027, and all 25 Dream home games will be downtown.

The franchise moved its home games to Gateway Center Arena, which is owned by the city of College Park, in 2021. Atlanta had played the 2019 season at State Farm Arena.

Gateway is also home to the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks' G League affiliate.

According to the team, every Dream game at Gateway has sold out over the last three seasons. Over the same stretch, the Dream sold out State Farm Arena eight times, with several crowds topping 17,000.

Season ticket memberships have grown more than 400% in five years under the current ownership group, and the team has sold tickets to buyers from all 50 states.

"Our players and our fans have transformed Gateway Center Arena into the most exciting experience in the WNBA," Dream president and COO Morgan Shaw Parker said in the release. "State Farm Arena gives us the opportunity to welcome thousands of additional fans while creating an even bigger stage for women's basketball in Atlanta. We look forward to bringing the energy, traditions and spirit of Gateway with us to the heart of our city."

This season, Atlanta played five regular-season games at State Farm Arena, along with its home playoff games in the first round and semifinals, The Associated Press reported.

Naz Hillmon's layup with 20.8 seconds left in overtime lifted the Dream to a 101-98 win over the New York Liberty in Game 2 of the semifinals there.

This is the Dream's fourth Finals appearance and first since 2013. Atlanta was swept by the Seattle Storm in 2010 and by the Minnesota Lynx in 2011 and 2013.

In 2010 and 2011, the Dream hosted Game 3 at Philips Arena, the building now called State Farm Arena. In 2013, Game 3 was played at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, now Gas South Arena.

The Dream went 30-14 in the regular season, matching the franchise record for wins they set in 2025. They swept the Washington Mystics in the first round and the Liberty in the semifinals and are 5-0 in the playoffs.

Angel Reese, acquired in an offseason trade, was named Defensive Player of the Year.

Golden State reached its first Finals by sweeping the Las Vegas Aces, closing the series with an 87-77 win.

The Valkyries host Games 1 and 2 at Chase Center in San Francisco. Game 1 tips off Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, and Game 2 is Monday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. ET.

Games 5 and 7, if necessary, would also be played in San Francisco.