Atlanta Dream's WNBA Finals home games moved to larger arena in Atlanta amid fan demand

The Atlanta Dream's home games during the 2026 WNBA Finals will be played at State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta, the WNBA announced Tuesday.

The announcement was made after concerns that the Dream's regular-season arena, the much smaller Gateway Center Arena, was not big enough to meet fan demand for the finals.

The Dream will face off against the Golden State Valkyries in the best-of-seven series, which kicks off Saturday at Chase Center in San Francisco.

Game 3 of the finals, the first in Atlanta, will move one day earlier, to Thursday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m. ET. Game 4 will now take place on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. ET.

State Farm Arena, which seats nearly 17,000 fans, is the home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. The team agreed to push back the start of their regular season home opener on Oct. 24 in order to accommodate the WNBA Finals.

"Ensuring that Games 3 and 4 of the Finals will be played at State Farm Arena is an important moment for the Dream’s players, fans, the organization and the city of Atlanta and is a testament to the extraordinary momentum of the team, women’s basketball and the growing impact of women’s sports," the Dream and Hawks said in a joint statement released Tuesday.

Atlanta's Gateway Center Arena, where the Dream played this season, is a 5,000-seat venue, according to its website.

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“This is what the players and the fans deserve,” Larry Gottesdiener, Atlanta Dream majority owner, said in a statement about the move to State Farm. “We are grateful to all of the stakeholders who worked together to resolve the conflicts and make this happen.” 

The WNBA has set crowd records this season as the league continues to grow in popularity. At the league's All-Star game in July, nearly 20,000 fans packed the United Center in Chicago.

Last week, the Dream announced a multi-year agreement with State Farm Arena that will see them playing all home games there starting next season. The team said in its announcement at the time that it has seen a 400% growth in season ticket members over the past four years.