For the first time in history, the WNBA Finals will be decided in a winner-take-all Game 7 when the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream play for the championship on Saturday, Oct. 31 at Chase Center in San Francisco.

The Valkyries and the Dream are both seeking their franchise's first WNBA championship, adding to the drama of a Game 7. This is only the second season that the WNBA Finals has featured a best-of-seven series format. In 2025, the first best-of-seven series, the Las Vegas Aces swept the Phoenix Mercury in four games.

The Valkyries had a chance to clinch the title with a win in Game 6 on Oct. 29 in Atlanta, but the Dream stormed to an 80-69 win and forced the series back to San Francisco.

"The job is not done, and I'm looking forward to it," Dream star Angel Reese said. "One more."

The WNBA has utilized several different championship formats throughout the league's history. During the WNBA's inaugural 1997 season, the Houston Comets won a single championship game against the New York Liberty. In 1998, the WNBA switched the championship series to a best-of-three format. It stayed that way until 2005, when the WNBA Finals became a best-of-five series through the 2024 season.