WNBA Finals Game 6 Start Time Causes Confusion Among Fans

The 2026 WNBA Finals game between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream has sparked confusion among fans due to its unusual start time of 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at State Farm Arena.

Game 6 marks a historic moment in WNBA history, being the first time a best-of-seven series has been played in the Finals. The league expanded the format last season, and this game will be the culmination of that change. As the Valkyries aim to win their first title in franchise history, the Dream are fighting to keep their season alive.

The Dream's decision to move some games to State Farm Arena, which has a larger capacity than their primary home, Gateway Center Arena, has led to scheduling conflicts. The Atlanta-based team announced a multi-year deal to play at State Farm Arena starting from next year, citing the "unprecedented growth of the franchise" and increasing ticket demand.

Gateway Center Arena has been the Dream's primary home since 2021, but it only seats 3,500 people, making it the smallest arena in the WNBA. In contrast, State Farm Arena can accommodate 17,000 spectators. This season, the Dream were able to relocate five regular-season games and their first five postseason games to State Farm Arena.

Despite their new deal with State Farm Arena, the Dream are not yet its primary tenants, which has contributed to the scheduling issues for Game 6 of the WNBA Finals.

The Atlanta Dream's scheduling woes in the WNBA Finals have been well-documented, but one key factor has not received sufficient attention: the separate ownership of the team and its arena. The Dream are owned by a group consisting of Larry and Robyn Gottesdiener, Suzanne Abair, and former player Renee Montgomery.

In contrast, the Atlanta Hawks, who are the primary tenants of State Farm Arena, are owned by a group led by Tony Ressler. This distinction is significant because it has contributed to the logistical challenges that have arisen during this playoff run.

The Dream's ability to move their first-round and semifinal games to State Farm Arena was not hindered by the different ownership groups. However, with the NBA's regular season now underway, the building's schedule has become much more complicated.

Games 3 and 4 of the WNBA Finals had to be rescheduled to accommodate the Hawks' doubleheader against the Houston Rockets on October 21. Game 3 was moved from its original date of October 22 to October 21, while Game 4 was shifted to a 1 p.m. ET start time.

The rescheduling process required collaboration with the Hawks, the NBA, and broadcast partners, but ultimately was not overly complicated. The Dream's schedule was adjusted to ensure they had two days off between Games 3 and 4, rather than having two consecutive games in Atlanta.

The WNBA was left with limited options to schedule Game 6 of the Finals due to the existing commitments of the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.

The Hawks' home schedule on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a day off on Friday and another game on Saturday, meant that any adjustment would require significant changes to the overall Finals schedule. Meanwhile, Game 7 was already set for Saturday in San Francisco, if necessary. The league had to consider these factors when making its decision.

In the end, the WNBA opted for a Thursday afternoon start time of 12:30 p.m. at State Farm Arena. This choice allowed the game to be played without major disruptions to the schedule, but it also meant that fans would have to adjust their plans accordingly.

The league's decision was announced in a press release, with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expressing excitement about giving more fans the opportunity to experience Game 6 at State Farm Arena. She thanked various parties for their collaboration and flexibility in making this move possible.

The Dream's ownership group responded to the scheduling announcement by releasing an open letter to the city of Atlanta and Dream fans on Tuesday. In it, they claimed that they had raised concerns about potential scheduling conflicts months ago, but these concerns were not adequately addressed.

The WNBA had provided teams with playoff hold dates as early as December 4, but it seems these initial concerns about scheduling conflicts were not adequately addressed.

Teams were given until December 31 to respond if they had any potential arena conflicts, and were asked to explain the nature of any such issues. However, it remains unclear how the process for holding playoff dates at an alternate arena works when a team's primary home is not available.

State Farm Arena, where Game 6 will be held, is not the Atlanta Dream's primary home venue. The team has been tight-lipped about their perspective on the matter, with a spokesperson declining to comment.

Despite concerns over crowd and viewership numbers for a mid-week Finals game, the Dream announced that Game 6 is now officially sold out due to strong fan support. The team is counting on its loyal fans to rally behind them as they push for victory in the series.

The Dream's ownership group has expressed their own frustrations with the league's scheduling decision, suggesting that perhaps the assumption was made that they would not make it this far in the playoffs and therefore did not require a more favorable schedule.