Experts project outcomes for 2026 WNBA first-round matchups
Analysts predict the Minnesota Lynx will defeat the New York Liberty in the opening round, while other first-round series and the eventual champion remain speculative.
The 2026 WNBA playoffs begin Sunday with all four best-of-three first-round series starting at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Analysts were asked to forecast each series, the Finals matchup, the champion and the Finals MVP.
For the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx against the eighth-seeded New York Liberty, several commentators—including Kendra Andrews, Kareem Copeland, Myron Medcalf, Neil Paine and Alexa Philippou—project a three-game series win for the Lynx, while Eric Moody and Andre Snellings see the Lynx closing the series in two games. Michael Voepel also predicts a three-game victory for Minnesota.
The poll also covered other first-round pairings, such as Indiana Fever versus Las Vegas Aces, Golden State Valkyries versus their opponent, and Atlanta Dream against Washington Mystics, but specific predictions for those series were not detailed in the excerpt.