Final WNBA Power Rankings Ahead of 2026 Playoffs

There's only one day remaining in the 2026 WNBA regular season, and while there are still plenty of seeding implications on the line, let's run through our final power rankings ahead of the postseason.

The most interesting thing from this season was just how quickly the top eight teams separated themselves from everyone else. In fact, the gap between No. 1 and No. 8 in the standings is smaller than the gap between No. 8 and No. 9, which has basically never been the case before in league history.

These rankings are a mix of giving teams their flowers for their regular-season success while also projecting how they will translate to a playoff setting. For example, Golden State isn't in our top two despite having the best record since the start of July.

Nos. 15-13: Storm, Sun, Tempo

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15. Seattle Storm (8-36)

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Seattle's 2026 season was always going to be a rollercoaster given how young their core is. The Storm finished with the league's worst record and, in the process, became the worst clutch team in WNBA history, winning just two of their 18 clutch games.

The next step is finding an elite passer to pair with Dominique Malonga, Awa Fam and Flau'jae Johnson. Seattle should have a top five pick in the 2027 draft, along with plenty of cap space to continue building around that young talent.

14. Connecticut Sun (10-33)

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There's only one game remaining for Connecticut before the franchise moves to Houston next season. There weren't many wins in 2026, but there are still some young players to be excited about, most notably 22-year-old guard Leïla Lacan, who profiles as a high-level secondary ball-handler who can take on tough defensive assignments.

Also, keep an eye on Connecticut against Toronto tonight in the ultimate tank bowl. If the Sun win, the two teams will have to split the top lottery odds—that's the difference between a 29.5 and 35 percent chance at USC's JuJu Watkins (assuming she declares).

13. Toronto Tempo (11-32)

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On June 11, Toronto was 7-5. Then Kiki Rice missed 16 games with an ankle sprain, while Brittney Sykes missed 18 games with a foot injury. At that point, their playoff chances were completely out of reach.

Even if Toronto had stayed healthy, though, it's hard to see this team making the postseason given their struggles against the best teams. The Tempo finished 1-25 against playoff teams, with their lone win coming against New York two months ago.

Looking ahead, their biggest needs are rim protection and athleticism across the board. Toronto's 116.1 defensive rating is the worst in WNBA history.

Nos. 12-9: Fire, Mercury, Sparks, Sky

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12. Chicago Sky (16-27)

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Chicago invested a crazy amount of long-term money and traded a valuable future first-round pick last offseason with the hope of making the playoffs for the first time since 2023. But, well, that didn't happen.

Rickea Jackson suffered a torn ACL just four games into the season, Azurá Stevens' shot disappeared, Skylar Diggins wasn't a great fit and there were plenty of other issues with the roster construction beyond that.

On the bright side, Sydney Taylor was an absolute steal in undrafted free agency. She averaged 13.6 points on 42.5 percent shooting from the field and should be on her way to an All-Rookie selection.

11. Los Angeles Sparks (16-27)

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Similar to Chicago, Los Angeles made all-in moves last offseason with the goal of making the playoffs, but they were very far away from that and eventually traded Kelsey Plum to Phoenix at the deadline.

We'll see what direction they take after this season, but more likely than not, the Sparks will look to reset and accumulate more young talent.

10. Phoenix Mercury (16-27)

Last: 9

After making the WNBA Finals just a year ago, the Phoenix Mercury missed the playoffs entirely in 2026. They ranked No. 11 in both offensive and defensive rating, and traded their own 2026 first-round pick for five games of Plum, who is now set to enter unrestricted free agency.

Alyssa Thomas will be 35 next season, while Kahleah Copper just turned 32. Even if Plum returns, what exactly is the ceiling of this team when they don't have many young players or draft picks, either?

9. Portland Fire (17-27)

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Portland entered the season projected to win under 10 games, and almost everyone outside of Oregon assumed they would be the worst team in the league. Instead, they won 17 games and look like a really dangerous team for the future.

Carla Leite is completely unstoppable in ball screens, Bridget Carleton is a very good starting wing, Sarah Ashlee Barker made a massive Year 2 leap before tearing her ACL, Emily Engstler is a legit two-way player and Iyana Martín is coming to the WNBA next season. They also have Alex Sarama, the youngest coach in the league, along with a lottery pick and more cap space than anyone else this offseason.

8. Dallas Wings (27-17)

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The Dallas Wings are in the postseason for the first time of the Paige Bueckers era, and we'll learn a lot about where this team is headed from here.

Can you build a contender with Jessica Shepard defensively? What version of Arike Ogunbowale do the Wings get, and is she worth continuing to build around? And will Bueckers show more aggression in a playoff series?

There are plenty of questions to answer, but you can't count out a Bueckers-led team from making things interesting. She shot 49.6 percent on pull-up twos, 41 percent on pull-up threes and 39.7 percent on catch-and-shoot threes, per Synergy Sports. She's just an outrageous shot-maker.

7. Washington Mystics (27-16)

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The Washington Mystics shouldn't be this good already. They are the youngest team in WNBA history, rank No. 13 in the league in three-pointers made and committed more turnovers than anyone else. And yet, they always seem to find ways to win basketball games.

Washington makes opposing offenses work for every shot, led by Sonia Citron on the perimeter and Shakira Austin on the interior. They kill teams on the glass, draw a crazy amount of fouls and dominate in the clutch.

Over the last 15 games, though, the Mystics have taken a major step offensively, thanks to Austin's superstar-level play and Georgia Amoore's three-point shooting boosting to 43.2 percent since the All-Star break.

6. New York Liberty (26-18)

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New York's roster looks just as good as any other contender on paper. But as we know, what you actually do on the court matters most, and it's been a very weird year for the Liberty.

They won the season series against Minnesota and Las Vegas, but also lost the season series to Portland and dropped games to Toronto, Seattle and Chicago.

The talent is obviously there, and so is the championship experience. But what version of Sabrina Ionescu do we see in the postseason? And is there enough defense across the perimeter, especially at the point of attack?

5. Atlanta Dream (30-14)

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The Atlanta Dream have finished the season incredibly well, winning 11 of their last 15 games with a +13.8 net rating—second-best in the league over that stretch.

Angel Reese has become a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate and has been more efficient offensively recently, too. Rhyne Howard has taken an All-WNBA leap this season, while you can always rely on Allisha Gray to be extremely consistent on both ends.

There are still some questions about how Atlanta's style will translate to the playoffs, though. The Dream have the best transition offense in the league because of their ability to force turnovers. But they also have the worst half-court offense among playoff teams at 0.92 points per possession, per Synergy Sports.

If Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray catch fire from three, Atlanta can beat anyone. If they go cold, like we saw against Indiana last year, they could be a first-round exit again.

4. Indiana Fever (28-15)

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The Indiana Fever have the best regular-season offense in WNBA history, scoring 96.7 points per game while shooting 55.2 percent on twos and 39.3 percent from three.

Kelsey Mitchell is the best small-guard scorer this sport has ever seen, Caitlin Clark is a game-breaking playmaker who is now hitting pull-up threes again (43.1% since July 1) and Aliyah Boston has become a legitimate shooter while also being the best defender on the roster.

There's almost no concern offensively. On the other end, though, can this team get enough stops?

Indiana has the worst defensive rating among playoff teams. They don't have enough defensive talent on the perimeter, which forces the defense to constantly be a step behind and scrambling in rotation. That plays a part in their 10-12 record against other playoff teams.

3. Golden State Valkyries (31-12)

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Golden State is basically the exact opposite of Indiana. They win with their No. 1-ranked defense and play a slow brand of basketball offensively, focused on limiting turnovers and firing up threes.

This strategy has been so, so successful in the regular season. Veronica Burton is the best two-way point guard in the league, Gabby Williams is having a career year, Kiah Stokes has been really important defensively after being almost unplayable the last couple years and their depth everywhere is just mind-boggling.

But they do have some questions offensively in a playoff setting, given their No. 8 offensive rating overall and No. 12 in the clutch.

Can Stokes reliably stay on the floor in the postseason given her offensive limitations? Can they survive extended stretches with Janelle Salaün at the 5? And how consistent will Williams be as a shooter?

2. Las Vegas Aces (30-13)

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Las Vegas might only have three players you can trust on any given night, but when those players are A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, and your coach is Becky Hammon, you're still going to win 30 regular-season games and be an absolute force to be reckoned with in the postseason.

Over their last 16 games since the All-Star break, Young is averaging 23.4 points and 6.6 assists on .50/.40/.90 shooting splits, while Wilson is averaging 25.8 points and 9.1 rebounds on 51.3 percent shooting from the field.

Not having NaLyssa Smith for the rest of the year due to a knee injury was a pretty big hit to their already poor depth. But if Young and Wilson continue to play at that level, there's a good chance they can elevate everyone around them to a serviceable level.

1. Minnesota Lynx (32-12)

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The Minnesota Lynx have been our No. 1 team all season, and nothing changes now. No other team is as elite in as many areas as the Lynx. They have tremendous pick-and-roll playmaking, shot creation, off-ball shooting, rim scoring and defense.

However, it's fair to have some concerns about this team entering the postseason. They've won just one of their last five games, with their lone victory coming in a game where they allowed 89 points to Connecticut.

There's no question Minnesota has peaked at the highest level of any team in the league on both ends of the floor this year. But can they get back to that level when it matters most?