Dream Move WNBA Finals Games to State Farm Arena After Schedule Changes

The Atlanta Dream will host Games 3 and 4 of the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries at State Farm Arena, the league announced Tuesday.

Roundtable reported Sunday night that both games were scheduled for Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Ga., which seats 3,500 for basketball.

State Farm Arena, the downtown home of the Atlanta Hawks, seats 17,044.

Game 3 moves up a day, from Thursday, Oct. 22, to Wednesday, Oct. 21. It tips off at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network and CNBC and streams on Peacock.

On the original date, State Farm Arena has a concert by Sombr on the books, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Game 4 stays on Saturday, Oct. 24, with tip-off moving from 3:30 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET. NBC still has the broadcast, and Peacock is still streaming it.

That evening, the Hawks open their home schedule against the Houston Rockets in the same building. Atlanta agreed to push the start of that game back 30 minutes, to 8:30 p.m. ET.

The last WNBA Finals game in the Atlanta market came in 2013. The Minnesota Lynx swept the Dream that year, and Game 3 was played at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, now called Gas South Arena.

"We are grateful for the efforts made by numerous stakeholders, including the Dream, the Valkyries, the Hawks, State Farm Arena, and NBC Sports and USA Sports," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said.

"The change of venue dramatically expands the seating capacity and ensures that the Dream will be able to provide an extraordinary atmosphere for the first WNBA Finals game to be played in the Atlanta market since 2013," Engelbert continued. "We are pleased that thousands more fans across the Southeast region will have the opportunity to experience the ultimate WNBA action – the WNBA Finals – in person."

According to The Associated Press, Atlanta played five regular-season games downtown this season. Its home playoff games in the first round and semifinals were there, too.

Naz Hillmon's layup with 20.8 seconds left in overtime gave the Dream a 101-98 win over the New York Liberty in Game 2 of the semifinals at State Farm Arena.

On Oct. 6, the franchise announced it will play every home game in that building beginning in 2027, when the league moves to a 50-game regular season.

Three bookings stood in the way of this year's Finals games. Along with the concert and the Hawks' opener, the arena has a Hawks home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, Oct. 29, the date of a potential Game 6 in Atlanta.

Tuesday's announcement covered Games 3 and 4 and did not address Game 6.

"This is what the players and the fans deserve," Dream majority owner Larry Gottesdiener said. "We are grateful to all of the stakeholders who worked together to resolve the conflicts and make this happen."

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

Angel Reese was named Defensive Player of the Year in her first season with the Dream after arriving in an offseason trade.

This is Atlanta's fourth Finals appearance. The Dream were swept by the Seattle Storm in 2010 and by the Lynx in 2011 and 2013.

In their second season, the Valkyries reached the Finals by sweeping the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. They closed the series with an 87-77 overtime win on Friday, Oct. 9, at Michelob ULTRA Arena and outscored Las Vegas 17-7 in the extra period.

No expansion team in league history had reached the Finals faster, The Associated Press reported. The Dream previously held that mark after getting there in their third season.

Golden State won all three regular-season meetings with Atlanta, 77-66, 78-75, and 88-83. The last one was played July 4 at Gateway Center Arena.

Neither franchise has won a WNBA title.

The No. 2-seed Valkyries host the No. 4-seed Dream in Game 1 at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Game 2 is Monday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network, CNBC, and Peacock.

The best-of-seven series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format. Games 5 and 7, if necessary, would be in San Francisco on Oct. 26 and Oct. 31.

Tickets for Games 3 and 4 go on sale to the general public Friday, Oct. 16, at 10 a.m. ET at atlantadream.com.