The 2026 playoff picture is starting to come into focus as we know the first team to clinch (Minnesota) and the first team eliminated from contention (Seattle).

While three games separate first place (Minnesota) from second place (Golden State) at the top of the standings, just below them are six teams (Las Vegas, Indiana, Washington, Atlanta, New York and Dallas) also separated by only three games.

Each team is looking to not only clinch its spot but also earn the highest seed possible, which means every game from here on out is critical to how this race plays out.

Let’s take a look at how they stack up entering a new week.

Note: All stats and records are through games played Sunday, Aug. 9.

1. Minnesota Lynx (27-7) ↔️

• Last Week: 1
• This Week: Wed. at POR, Sat. at LVA

Olivia Miles #5 and Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx

In Sunday’s win over Dallas, the Lynx not only became the first team to punch their ticket to the playoffs, but they also witnessed history as Kayla McBride became the first player in WNBA history to hit at least 10 3-pointers in a single game. Even with their 10-game win streak snapped, the Lynx have won 12 of their last 13 games dating back to July 8. Over that stretch, McBride has been cookin’ — averaging 23.1 points on 53.6% FG, 50.9% 3P, and 96.3% FT shooting splits.

2. Golden State Valkyries (23-9) ↔️

• Last Week: 2
• This Week: Wed. vs. CHI

The Valkyries bring a four-game win streak into this week, which has them hosting Chicago in their only game of the week. Dating back to June 24, Golden State has won 13 of its last 15 games, which is the best record over the past 15 games for any team in the league, one better than Minnesota. The Valkyries have already matched their win total from their inaugural season (23-21) — how much higher can they reach in Year 2?

3. Washington Mystics (19-12) ⬆️

• Last Week: 7
• This Week: Tue. at LVA, Thu. at LVA, Sat vs. LAS

With Sunday’s 95-75 victory over Phoenix, the Washington Mystics matched their longest single-season win streak in franchise history (originally set in 2018). The win over the Mercury was the Mystics’ first double-digit victory during the streak, as they continue to be the best clutch team in the league with a 14-6 record in games within five points in the final five minutes.

4. Las Vegas Aces (22-11) ⬇️

• Last Week: 3
• This Week: Tue. vs. WAS, Thu. vs. WAS, Sat. vs. MIN

After Chelsea Gray shined in clutch time in an overtime win over Indiana, the Aces closed out a five-game road trip with back-to-back losses in Minnesota and New York — only their second consecutive defeats of the season and the first since last May. The loss to the Liberty came on the second night of a back-to-back with Coach Hammon sitting her stars as A’ja Wilson, Gray, and Jackie Young were inactive. However, the schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Aces open a five-game homestand with consecutive games against the red-hot Mystics before hosting the league-leading Lynx.

5. Indiana Fever (20-12) ⬇️

Last Week: 4

This Week: Tue. vs. NYL, Fri. vs. DAL, Sun. at ATL

After a tough loss to Las Vegas in overtime, the Fever bounced back to win at Chicago to come away with a 1-1 split on the week. Kelsey Mitchell led the way with 27 points in the win for her 16th consecutive game with at least 20 points. This is a WNBA record for the longest such streak in a single season, breaking A’ja Wilson’s run of 15 straight in 2024. However, Wilson still has the longest streak spanning multiple seasons (20). Can Mitchell inch closer to that mark this week as Indy faces New York, Dallas and Atlanta? 

6. New York Liberty (20-13) ⬆️

• Last Week: 8
• This Week: Tue. at IND, Thu. vs LAS, Sat. at CON

Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty

New York put up a perfect 3-0 week — albeit with two wins over the playoff-eliminated Storm and one against an Aces squad resting its stars — to improve to 7-1 over its last eight games. The Liberty are gaining momentum at the right time, bouncing back from a rough 2-8 stretch spanning a month from mid-June to mid-July. The Liberty will look to continue their upswing when they face the Fever, Sparks and Sun this week.

7. Atlanta Dream (19-12) ⬇️

• Last Week: 5
• This Week: Mon. vs TOR, Thu. at CON, Sun. vs. IND

Atlanta entered last week riding a five-game win streak, but went just 1-2 with losses to the Aces and Mystics. The Dream will look to bounce back as they open the week with games against two teams in the bottom third of the standings — Toronto and Connecticut enter this week with a combined 18-44 record — before an important matchup with Indiana on Sunday. Atlanta leads the season series 2-1 and can clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win.

8. Dallas Wings (19-14) ⬇️

• Last Week: 6
• This Week: Wed. vs. TOR, Fri. at IND

The Wings faced a tough schedule and came up empty last week with losses to the Mystics, Valkyries and Lynx. Dallas is now 1-5 in six games since the All-Star break and has fallen to eighth place in the standings. Two key factors during Dallas’ post-All-Star slide have been increased turnovers and a lack of 3-point shooting. The Wings led the league in turnover percentage entering the break (14.4%), but rank eighth since (17%). From beyond the arc, the Wings rank 14th in both 3-pointers made (6.8 per game) and 3-point percentage (30.6%) since the break.

9. Chicago Sky (12-20) ↔️

• Last Week: 9
• This Week: Mon. at SEA, Wed. at GSV, Sun. at SEA

After going 3-2 during their five-game homestand, the Sky have a three-game West Coast swing this week with stops in Seattle, San Francisco and back to Seattle. The Sky are just 4-11 outside of Chicago so far this season. That mark must improve if the Sky hope to stay in the postseason race down the stretch.

10. Portland Fire (13-19) ⬆️

• Last Week: 12
• This Week: Wed. vs. MIN, Fri. at SEA, Sun. at PHX

The Fire snapped a five-game skid with consecutive wins this week. The first came against Toronto as Portland improved to 2-0 in this matchup of 2026 expansion teams. The Fire followed that win with a Rivals Week victory over Seattle in a clash of Pacific Northwest teams. This week, Portland hosts the league-leading Lynx before running it back with the Storm in Seattle and visiting Phoenix to close the week.

11. Los Angeles Sparks (12-19) ⬆️

• Last Week: 13
• This Week: Tue. vs. PHX, Thu. at NYL, Sat. at WAS

Cameron Brink #22 and Dearica Hamby #5 of the Los Angeles Sparks

On Thursday, the Sparks defeated the league-leading Lynx to snap Minnesota’s 10-game win streak and improve to 2-2 since trading Kelsey Plum to Phoenix at the trade deadline. The Sparks will host Plum and the Mercury on Tuesday in L.A. before embarking on a three-game East Coast swing with stops in New York and Washington.

12. Phoenix Mercury (12-22) ⬇️

• Last Week: 10
• This Week: Tue. at LAS, Sun. vs. POR

After defeating the Sky in Kelsey Plum’s debut game, the Mercury dropped their final three games of a four-game road trip — falling further back in the playoff race. Sitting in 12th place, the Mercury are 7.5 games back of No. 8 Dallas with 10 games to play. This week, Plum returns to Los Angeles for the first time since being moved at the trade deadline before the team returns home to host Portland.

13. Connecticut Sun (8-23) ⬆️

• Last Week: 14
• This Week: Thu. vs. ATL, Sat. vs. NYL

The Sun won their lone game of last week — a 75-72 win over the Mercury. It marked Phoenix’s final game in Connecticut, and the Sun used that opportunity to salute former Sun star Alyssa Thomas by retiring her No. 25 jersey to the rafters. Thomas earned the nickname “The Engine” during her 11 seasons in Connecticut as she led the team to eight consecutive playoff appearances and two Finals appearances.

14. Toronto Tempo (10-21) ⬇️

• Last Week: 11
• This Week: Mon. at ATL, Wed. at DAL

With losses at Golden State and Portland last week, the Tempo have dropped eight straight and 12 of their last 13 games. This week, the Tempo wrap up a five-game road trip with stops in Atlanta and Dallas, facing a pair of teams they have yet to defeat in their inaugural season, going a combined 0-5 so far.

15. Seattle Storm (6-28) ↔️

• Last Week: 15
• This Week: Mon. vs. CHI, Fri. vs. POR, Sun. vs. CHI

The Storm became the first team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention. They will miss the playoffs in consecutive seasons for only the third time in franchise history. An 0-3 week, with two losses to New York and one to Portland, extended Seattle’s losing streak to 11 games, matching the franchise record set earlier this season.