The Atlanta Dream are set to move their upcoming WNBA Finals home games to State Farm Arena, departing from their usual home base at Gateway Center Arena to accommodate a significantly larger audience. The league confirmed on Tuesday that the schedule has been adjusted for the best-of-five series against the Golden State Valkyries, allowing the team to play in the downtown Atlanta venue, which boasts a capacity of roughly 17,000 compared to the 3,500 seats available at their College Park facility. The home of the Valkyries, which has the fifth-largest capacity in the league at more than 18,000, the WNBA Finals begin Saturday in San Francisco at Chase Center. In this case, not available, but the focus had been on the number of seats available – or. The Dream, which joined the WNBA as an expansion team in 2008, used State Farm Arena – then known as Philips Arena – for home games from 2008-2016.
Reflecting the logistical changes, Game 3 of the series has been moved one day earlier to October 21. Game 4 remains slated for October 24, though the start time has been shifted to 1 p.m. ET. This earlier tipoff is intended to prevent a conflict with the Atlanta Hawks’ home opener against the Houston Rockets; the NBA franchise has agreed to delay their own game start to 8:30 p.m. ET to facilitate the move.
Dream majority owner Larry Gottesdiener welcomed the resolution, stating that it represents what both the players and the fans deserve. He expressed appreciation for the various stakeholders who collaborated to resolve the scheduling bottlenecks. Andrew Saltzman, the president of business enterprise for the Hawks and State Farm Arena, echoed these sentiments, noting that the organization is eager for the city to provide full support for the team during this championship appearance.
This marks the first time since 2013 that the Dream have reached the WNBA Finals, while the Valkyries have secured their championship debut in only their second season. The matchup features a high-profile clash between stars Angel Reese and Gabby Williams, as both franchises look to capture their first-ever WNBA title. The series begins in San Francisco at Chase Center, where the Valkyries enjoy home-court advantage for the first two games and potentially Games 5 and 7. But the two teams were dealing with vastly different circumstances on where these games will be played – as fervent Atlanta fans were worried they would have massive trouble getting a coveted ticket close to home. There had been a possibility the Dream wouldn’t be able to play in downtown Atlanta in a large arena used heavily for professional basketball with a championship on the line, and just like in 2013.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert emphasized the collaborative effort involved in moving the venue, specifically thanking the teams, arena management, and broadcasting partners. She stated that the shift significantly expands seating capacity and guarantees a vibrant atmosphere for the city’s first Finals appearance in over a decade, allowing thousands more fans from the Southeast region to attend in person.
The scheduling process was complex, as the Dream’s initial postseason schedule conflicted with existing bookings at the downtown arena. A Sombr concert had been scheduled for October 22, the original date for Game 3, and a potential Game 6 on October 29 currently clashes with a Hawks home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. As of now, no resolution has been announced should the series extend to a sixth game.
Historically, arena availability has posed challenges for the Dream; during their 2013 Finals run, the team was forced to relocate a home game to Duluth due to a Disney On Ice event. While the Dream will move to State Farm Arena on a full-time basis in 2027, they have spent the last six years at Gateway Center Arena. Elsewhere in the league, the Valkyries previously demonstrated the challenges of multi-use venues by moving a 2025 playoff game to the SAP Center in San Jose—over 40 miles away—due to a tennis event at their home court.
