Commissioner's Cup 2026

<p>The 2026 WNBA Commissioner&#8217;s Cup presented by Coinbase begins on June 1! Get ready for the action with a look back at the past Cup Champions and MVPs in the history of the WNBA Commissioner&#8217;s Cup</p>
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<h2>2025</h2>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">Matchup</span>: Indiana Fever vs. Minnesota Lynx</h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">Results</span>: Fever defeat Lynx (74-59) &#8211; <a href="https://www.wnba.com/game/ind-vs-min-1052500001/box-score">box score</a></h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">MVP</span>: Natasha Howard (16 PTS, 12 REB)</h3>
<div id="attachment_261206" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261206" class="wp-image-261206" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093328.486.png" alt="" width="900" height="506" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093328.486.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093328.486-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093328.486-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093328.486-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093328.486-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-261206" class="wp-caption-text">Natasha Howard #6 of the Indiana Fever</p></div>
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<h2>2024</h2>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">Matchup</span>: Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty</h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">Results</span>: Lynx defeat Liberty (94-89) &#8211; <a href="https://www.wnba.com/game/min-vs-nyl-1052400001/box-score">box score</a></h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">MVP</span>: Napheesa Collier (21 PTS)</h3>
<div id="attachment_261207" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261207" class="wp-image-261207" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093658.893.png" alt="" width="900" height="506" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093658.893.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093658.893-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093658.893-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093658.893-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093658.893-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-261207" class="wp-caption-text">Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx</p></div>
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<h2>2023</h2>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">Matchup</span>: New York Liberty vs. Las Vegas Aces</h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">Results</span>: Liberty defeat Aces (82-63) &#8211; <a href="https://www.wnba.com/game/nyl-vs-lva-1052300001/box-score">box score</a></h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">MVP</span>: Jonquel Jones (16 PTS, 15 REB)</h3>
<div id="attachment_261209" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261209" class="wp-image-261209 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093936.554.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093936.554.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093936.554-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093936.554-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093936.554-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T093936.554-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><p id="caption-attachment-261209" class="wp-caption-text">Jonquel Jones #35 of the New York Liberty</p></div>
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<h2>2022</h2>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">Matchup</span>: Las Vegas Aces vs. Chicago Sky</h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">Results</span>: Aces defeat Sky (93-83) &#8211; <a href="https://www.wnba.com/game/lva-vs-chi-1052200001/box-score">box score</a></h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">MVP</span>: Chelsea Gray (16 PTS, 12 REB)</h3>
<div id="attachment_261210" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261210" class="wp-image-261210 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094115.299.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094115.299.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094115.299-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094115.299-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094115.299-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094115.299-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><p id="caption-attachment-261210" class="wp-caption-text">Chelsea Gray #12 of the Las Vegas Aces</p></div>
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<h2>2021</h2>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">Matchup</span>: Seattle Storm vs. Connecticut Sun</h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">Results</span>: Storm defeat Sun (79-57) &#8211; <a href="https://www.wnba.com/game/con-vs-sea-1052100001/box-score">box score</a></h3>
<h3><span style="text-decoration: underline">MVP</span>: Breanna Stewart (17 PTS, 4 STL)</h3>
<div id="attachment_261211" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261211" class="wp-image-261211 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094459.535.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094459.535.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094459.535-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094459.535-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094459.535-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/Thumbnail-2026-05-21T094459.535-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><p id="caption-attachment-261211" class="wp-caption-text">Breanna Stewart #30 of the Seattle Storm</p></div>


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commissioners-cup-history-2026

History: WNBA Commissioner's Cup

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Commissioner’s Cup, held by the WNBA since 2021, has been a sly viewing window into what the postseason field could shape up to be once we hit September and October. </span><span style="font-weight: 400"><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: 400"><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: 400">Several recent cup winners or runners-up in those championship games have gone on to appear in the WNBA Finals. Most recently, the Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty, and Minnesota Lynx have dominated the Commissioner’s Cup and have either made deep postseason runs or reached the Finals. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">It makes the in-season tournament all the more exciting, as it’s an excellent way for teams to differentiate themselves as contenders months before the postseason even kicks off. Plus, it’s for a great cause &#8211; each team dedicates a portion of their winnings after each game of the tournament to a charity of their choice. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Players keep the rest of those earnings, with the Cup winners receiving a prize pool for the championship team&#8217;s entire active roster. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">There’s an unbelievable amount of parity in the league headed into the first games of the tournament, so the competitiveness for this year’s Cup, in its sixth year, should be off the charts. Here are just a few things fans should expect from this year’s go-around. </span></p>
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<h2><b>High-scoring games</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">With the Commissioner’s Cup, point differential matters. The old-school rule of not running it up on your opponent does not apply to these contests. This differential helps teams to escape their respective “conferences,” which are divided by the East and West. Last year, the Lynx went on an absolute tear in the Western Conference with a +77 point differential, while the New York Liberty finished with a differential of +66. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Point differential is used as a tiebreaker, followed by the head-to-head record during the Cup itself. Despite the Liberty having the larger point differential in the Eastern Conference in 2025, the Fever had beaten them during Cup play, so they earned the opportunity to face the Lynx in the final game. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">So, points matter throughout the Cup, but winning is the primary goal for teams seeking to represent their respective conference. </span></p>
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<h2><b>Threats to the status quo</b></h2>
<div id="attachment_261323" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-261323" class="wp-image-261323" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2222400686-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2222400686-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2222400686-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2222400686-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2222400686-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2222400686-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/05/GettyImages-2222400686-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><p id="caption-attachment-261323" class="wp-caption-text">The Indiana Fever pose for a photo after wining the 2025 WNBA Commissioner&#8217;s Cup Game</p></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">While it’s expected that teams like the Liberty, Fever, Dream, and Aces will be the most competitive this year during Cup play, there are a few sleepers that could give these squads trouble. The Dallas Wings are hitting their stride offensively, though their defense remains a question mark as we careen towards the kickoff of Cup games. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Golden State Valkyries could also present some issues in the Western Conference, as Janelle Salaun and Veronica Burton have developed into a formidable duo on both ends of the floor. The Chicago Sky, despite some offensive woes to begin the year, are one of the best defensive teams in the league so far. That could be challenging for teams looking to run up the score against Chicago during Cup play. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Phoenix Mercury, despite losing Satou Sabally in free agency, also looks like the kind of deep, veteran-led team that could push to clinch the Western Conference during the Cup. They’ve been one of the best offenses to begin the season, with rookie Jovana Nogic, who is hitting 66.7 percent of her threes, being a huge surprise off the bench for them. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Just as we saw last year with the Fever’s surprising victory over the Lynx to win the Commissioner’s Cup, anything can happen over the 17-day stretch in which Cup games take place. </span></p>
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<h2><b>Key matchups</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Wings will kick off Cup play on June 1, when they travel to Seattle to face the Storm. Seattle’s bench has been white-hot to kick off the year (averaging 34.7 points per game through their first three games), and they could be difficult for Dallas to contain as they figure out how to plug their defensive issues. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">The Lynx will travel to Phoenix on June 1 to try to establish some dominance over the Mercury. This could mean more than just an initial stab at winning a tiebreaker for this year’s Cup, but rather, a preview of another postseason series featuring these two teams. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Indiana will be headed to New York to try and repeat their 2025 magic on June 6. A win would go a long way towards establishing a solid footing in the Eastern Conference Cup standings and would also serve as a nice test for a healthy Fever squad against a contender like the Liberty. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">One of the last games of the Cup is an Aces-Mercury Finals rematch on June 17. Phoenix dominated in their season opener against Las Vegas, so A’ja Wilson and the Aces are likely seeking some two-fold revenge against their Western Conference foes. </span><span style="font-weight: 400"><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: 400"><br />
</span><span style="font-weight: 400">This could come down to how well the Mercury can stick to their guns defensively to keep the score low, as well as a battle of the benches &#8211; one led by the rookie Nogic, and the other led by guard Chennedy Carter for the Aces. As of now, the Aces have the edge with an average of 32 points coming from their second unit compared to the Mercury’s output of 18 points per game through three games. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400">On June 9, we’ll also get a look at the No. 1 overall pick, Azzi Fudd, versus the No. 2 overall pick, Olivia Miles. It’s too soon to say how this year’s Rookie of the Year or All-Rookie race is shaping up, but Miles seems firmly in control of that race. Fudd, who isn’t utilized as much by Dallas because of how deep their guard room is, might not be too big a factor in this contest. But, it’ll still be a fun contest for potential bragging rights, in addition to it mattering towards Cup standings. </span></p>


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Commissioner’s Cup 2026 Primer: What to Expect

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