Power Rankings

In the first two editions of the 2026 Power Rankings, from the offseason and preseason, much of the analysis could only be done on paper.
Now that we’re 10 days into the season, we finally have a handful of games to help shape our understanding of how this campaign may unfold.
While the sample size remains extremely small, it’s enough to offer a first impression of each of the league’s 15 teams.
Note: All stats and records are through games played on Sunday, May 17.
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<h2>1. Las Vegas Aces (4-1) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 1</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Sat. vs. LAS</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_260922" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-260922" class="wp-image-260922" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276216597-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276216597-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276216597-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276216597-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276216597-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276216597-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276216597-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Chennedy Carter #23 of the Las Vegas Aces</div>
The Aces’ title defense didn’t get off to an ideal start, as they suffered a blowout loss to Phoenix on ring night. However, they bounced back with four straight wins, capped by Chelsea Gray’s game-winner against the Dream on Sunday. After playing five games in the season’s first 10 days, the Aces are off until Saturday, when they host the Sparks and raise their third championship banner.
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<h2>2. New York Liberty (3-1) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thur. vs. GSV, Sun. vs. DAL</li>
</ul>
A last-second loss to the expansion Fire is the lone blemish on the Liberty’s record to open the 2026 season. They quickly avenged that loss to Portland with an 18-point win two days later. Led by Breanna Stewart (23.0 ppg) and the deepest roster of <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/global-game-international-players-rise">global talent</a> in the league, the Liberty are averaging a league-best 100 points per game.
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<h2>3. Atlanta Dream (2-1) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 4</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Fri. vs DAL, Sun. vs. PHX</li>
</ul>
Just three games into the season, the Dream have already been involved in a pair of thrilling one-point contests. In their season opener, the Dream erased an 18-point deficit to defeat the Lynx, with Angel Reese sealing the win with a last-second block in her Atlanta debut. Eight days later, the Dream found themselves on the other end of a last-second loss, courtesy of Chelsea Gray.
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<h2>4. Chicago Sky (3-1) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 10</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. vs. DAL, Sat. vs. MIN</li>
</ul>
The new-look Sky opened the season with four straight road games, including a win in Portland to spoil the Fire’s return to the WNBA. Chicago has been the league’s top defensive team out of the gates, posting league-best marks in defensive rating (97.2) and opponent field goal percentage (38.1%). However, the Sky lost leading scorer Rickea Jackson to a knee injury on Sunday, which could be costly if she misses extended time. 
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<h2>5. Golden State Valkyries (2-1) ⬆️</h2>
<div id="attachment_260921" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-260921" class="wp-image-260921" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276124448-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276124448-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276124448-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276124448-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276124448-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276124448-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276124448-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA &#8211; MAY 13: Kayla Thornton #5 and Kiah Stokes #41 of the Golden State Valkyries</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 9</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thur. at NYL, Fri. at IND</li>
</ul>
After opening the season with double-digit wins over the Storm and Mercury, the Valkyries suffered their first setback against the Sky on Sunday. Golden State owns the league’s second-best net rating through the opening week (+8.3), but will be tested this week with a road back-to-back against New York and Indiana on Thursday and Friday.
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<h2>6. Phoenix Mercury (2-2) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 6</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. vs. TOR, Thur. vs. LAS, Sun. at ATL</li>
</ul>
After watching the Aces receive their championship rings before tipping off their Finals rematch, the Mercury responded with a 33-point win in the season opener. However, Phoenix followed that with consecutive losses to Golden State and Minnesota, then bounced back with a win over then-unbeaten Chicago. Rookie Jovana Nogić has been a revelation for Phoenix; she’s averaging 16 points and 3.3 three-pointers on 65% shooting from deep, helping the Mercury shoot a league-best 38.5% from beyond the arc.
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<h2>7. Washington Mystics (2-1) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 12</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. at DAL, Sun. at SEA</li>
</ul>
There have only been two overtime games in the WNBA so far this season, and both have featured the Mystics, who fell to the Liberty 98-93 last Sunday and defeated the Fever 104-102 on Friday. In their only non-OT game, Washington held off Toronto to spoil the Tempo’s franchise opener. After their first three games were all decided by five points or fewer, can the Mystics get a decisive win this week when they visit Dallas and Seattle?
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<h2>8. Indiana Fever (2-2) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 3</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. vs. POR, Fri. vs. GSV</li>
</ul>
So far this season, teams are 7-2 when scoring 100 or more points. The only two losses belong to the Fever, who put up triple-digit scores but still fell short, surrendering 104 and a season-high 107 points to the Mystics and Wings, respectively. There’s no questioning Indiana’s firepower, with Caitlin Clark breaking the WNBA record for most career games with 20+ points and 10+ assists just three games into her third season, but the Fever will need to improve their defense, which ranks 12th in opponent points allowed (91.8). 
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<h2>9. Minnesota Lynx (2-2) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 8</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thur. vs. TOR, Sat. at CHI</li>
</ul>
Already without perennial MVP candidate Napheesa Collier, who is still recovering from offseason ankle surgeries, the Lynx have been dealt another blow as rookie center Emma Čechová has been lost for the season with a torn ACL. After opening the season 2-2 in four games decided by seven points or fewer, the Lynx are off until Thursday when they host Toronto before closing the week in Chicago.
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<h2>10. Dallas Wings (1-2) ⬇️</h2>
<div id="attachment_260920" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-260920" class="wp-image-260920" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276059686-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276059686-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276059686-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276059686-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276059686-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276059686-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2276059686-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Paige Bueckers #5 of the Dallas Wings</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 5</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon vs. WAS, Wed. at CHI, Fri. at ATL, Sun. at NYL</li>
</ul>
Last season, the Wings finished a league-worst 3-15 (.167) in clutch games — defined as games within five points during the final five minutes. All three of their games have come down to the wire this season; after defeating the Fever, the Wings fell to both the Dream and Lynx down the stretch. With four games on the schedule this week, how many will come down to clutch time? And how will Dallas respond?
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<h2>11. Toronto Tempo (2-2) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 14</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. at PHX, Thur. at MIN, Sat. vs. POR</li>
</ul>
After coming up just short in their franchise opener against Washington, the Tempo earned their first-ever win against Seattle on Wednesday behind a combined 44 points from Marina Mabrey (26) and Brittney Sykes (18). Sykes ranks fifth in the WNBA in scoring, averaging 24.3 points over her first four games, thanks in part to her ability to draw fouls, get to the free-throw line (league-high 11 per game) and knock them down at a 90.9% clip. Can she keep it going when the Tempo visit Phoenix and Minnesota before hosting Portland in a clash of expansion squads?
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<h2>12. Portland Fire (1-2) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 15</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon vs. CON, Wed. at IND, Sat. at TOR</li>
</ul>
After 24 years, WNBA basketball has returned to the Rose City. In their opening week, the Fire hosted the Sky and the Liberty twice. The Fire earned their first win in thrilling fashion, thanks to a buzzer-beating putback by Sarah Ashlee Barker. However, that remains the Fire’s lone win as the Liberty won a rematch two days later. Portland will host Connecticut on Monday before embarking on its inaugural road trip with stops in Indiana and Toronto to close the week.
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<h2>13. Los Angeles Sparks (1-3) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 7</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thur. at PHX, Sat. at LVA</li>
</ul>
While the Sparks rank in the middle of the pack on offense (their 107.7 offensive rating ranks eighth), they are dead last on the other end (121.3 defensive rating) through their first four games. L.A.’s lone win came against the expansion Tempo on Friday behind 25 points from Kelsey Plum, who leads the WNBA in scoring at 26.8 points per game. However, if the Sparks want to climb the standings (and these rankings), they’ll need to see major strides defensively.
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14. Seattle Storm (1-3) ⬇️
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 11</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. vs. CON, Fri. vs. CON, Sun. vs. WAS</li>
</ul>
Already shorthanded in the frontcourt after All-Star Ezi Magbegor sustained a foot injury while competing for Australia in the 2026 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers, the Storm were without second-year center Dominique Malonga during Sunday’s loss to Indiana due to a concussion. Malonga is having a breakthrough season in Seattle, averaging 16 points, 7.3 rebounds, two steals and a block through three games. However, Seattle’s lone win so far has come against winless Connecticut.
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<h2>15. Connecticut Sun (0-4) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 13</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. at POR, Wed. at SEA, Fri. at SEA</li>
</ul>
On Wednesday, it became official: the WNBA and NBA Boards of Governors unanimously approved the sale and relocation of the Connecticut Sun to Houston. The final season in Connecticut has gotten off to a slow start, with the Sun still searching for their first win after falling to New York, Seattle, and Las Vegas twice. This week, the team from the Northeast will be in the Pacific Northwest, visiting Portland on Monday before a two-game set in Seattle on Wednesday and Friday.

2026-power-rankings-week-1

2026 WNBA Power Rankings: Week One

As the WNBA begins its 30th anniversary season, the league is seeing an influx of global talent on the court. 
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, as of Thursday night, 51 players born outside the United States had played in at least one game this season. That already marks a league record for a single season, surpassing the previous high of 50 set in 2001.
We’re still only a week into the season. With several players still fulfilling overseas commitments before joining their WNBA teams, that record should continue to climb in the weeks to come.
On Thursday, Alex Fowler of Australia made her WNBA debut in the New York Liberty’s 100-82 win over the Portland Fire. Fowler is the eighth international player to take the court for the Liberty this season — two shy of the single-team record of 10 set by Golden State last year.
While Australia still leads the way in international representation on WNBA rosters, France continues to emerge as a major pipeline of talent, following its push to the brink against the United States in the gold medal game at the 2024 Olympics. Through Thursday’s games, five of the league’s 32 players averaging at least 15 points per game are from France.
The Liberty and France are both well represented among these nine international players who have stood out during the season’s opening week.
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<h3>Marine Johannès, New York Liberty (France)</h3>
<div id="attachment_260680" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-260680" class="wp-image-260680" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274983932-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274983932-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274983932-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274983932-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274983932-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274983932-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274983932-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Marine Johannes #23 of the New York Liberty</div>
The sharpshooting Liberty guard leads the league with 15 total 3-pointers made through four games, while her 3.8 made threes per game rank second behind Toronto’s Marina Mabrey. In addition to her shooting, Johannès is a playmaker, leading the Liberty (and tied for 10th in the league) with five assists per game. Her impact hasn’t been limited to offense, either, as Johannès ranks fifth in the WNBA in steals at 2.3 per game.
<hr />
<h3>Pauline Astier, New York Liberty (France)</h3>
Johannès isn’t the only French guard thriving in Liberty seafoam so far this season. Astier, a 24-year-old undrafted rookie, has been brilliant in her first four WNBA games. She is New York’s second-leading scorer behind Breanna Stewart at 16.8 points per game and has shot the lights out — 62.5% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc — while adding four assists, nearly four rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.
<hr />
<h3>Dominique Malonga, Seattle Storm (France)</h3>
The No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft showed flashes of her immense potential as a rookie while coming off the bench in all 42 games, averaging 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game. Now a full-time starter, logging over 26 minutes per game in her second season, the 6-foot-6 center leads the Storm in points (16.0), rebounds (7.3), and blocks (2.0), which are tied for 20th, 11th, and 4th in the WNBA, respectively.
<hr />
<h3>Jade Melbourne, Seattle Storm (Australia)</h3>
The Liberty isn’t the only team with multiple international stars near the top of their leaderboards. Melbourne is Seattle’s second-leading scorer behind Malonga at 14 points per game on incredible efficiency — she’s shooting 61.9% from the field and 50% from 3-point range through three games. Melbourne, the Storm’s 2022 third-round pick, also leads the team in assists (5.0, tied for 10th in the WNBA) and is tied with rookie Flau’jae Johnson for the team lead with 1.7 steals per game.
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<h3>Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky (Brazil)</h3>
<div id="attachment_260682" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-260682" class="wp-image-260682" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274856481-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="598" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274856481-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274856481-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274856481-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274856481-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274856481-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2274856481-2048x1360.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Kamilla Cardoso #10 of the Chicago Sky</div>
In her third WNBA season, Cardoso is putting up career-best numbers through her first two games, averaging 15 points and 10.5 rebounds per game (tied for fourth in the league). She is one of only five players averaging a double-double so far this season, joining Shakira Austin, Aneesah Morrow, Kiki Iriafen, and former Sky teammate Angel Reese.
<hr />
<h3>Bridget Carleton, Portland Fire (Canada)</h3>
The top pick in this year’s expansion draft, Carleton put up a career-best 26 points and five 3-pointers to help lead the Fire to their first win Tuesday. Through three games, she is averaging 16.7 points and 3.3 triples per game (third in the league behind Johannès and Mabrey) while shooting 41.7% from deep. She is Portland’s second-leading scorer — behind our next entry — and is tied for sixth in the league in steals at two per game.
<hr />
<h3>Carle Leite, Portland Fire (France)</h3>
For the second straight season, Leite was selected in an expansion draft — chosen by the Valkyries in 2025 and by the Fire in 2026. The former top-10 draft pick had 21 points in Portland’s first win, following an 18-point effort in her Fire debut. Leite’s 19.5 points per game rank 11th in the WNBA, and she joins Indiana’s Caitlin Clark as the only players averaging at least 19 points, three rebounds, and three assists this season.
<hr />
<h3>Jovana Nogic, Phoenix Mercury (Serbia)</h3>
After playing pro ball overseas since 2019, the 28-year-old Serbian guard signed with the Mercury in April and has made an immediate impact through her first three games. Nogic ranks second in the WNBA in 3-point shooting at 66.7% (8-for-12), third on the Mercury in scoring at 12.3 points per game behind veterans Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas, and first on the team in plus/minus. The Mercury have outscored opponents by 34 points during her 66 minutes on the court.
<hr />
<h3>Janelle Salaün, Golden State Valkyries (France)</h3>
<div id="attachment_260683" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-260683" class="wp-image-260683" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2275905371-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2275905371-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2275905371-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2275905371-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2275905371-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2275905371-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2275905371-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Janelle Salaün #13 of the Golden State Valkyries</div>
Like Nogic, Salaun has played professionally overseas since 2019. After joining the Valkyries for their inaugural season last year, Salaun averaged 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while starting 33 of her 36 games as a WNBA rookie. Despite coming off the bench in her first three games this season, Salaun has been even better, averaging a team-high 15.7 points and 3.3 3-pointers per game on 50% shooting from beyond the arc.

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WNBA Draft 2026

Ashten Prechtel was waived by the Golden State Valkyries.

Ashten Prechtel signed a Rest-of-Season Hardship Contract with the Golden State Valkyries.

Pick	Name	Position	College/Country
8	Flau'jae Johnson	Guard	LSU / United States
23	Ashlon Jackson	Guard	Duke / United States
38	Kokoro Tanaka	Guard	Japan

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