September 15, 2026
Six of Eight WNBA Playoff Teams Will be Featured, Including A’Ja Wilson and Las Vegas Aces and Paige Bueckers and Dallas Wings in This Thursday’s Doubleheader
USA Sports Expands Its Wednesday Night WNBA on USA Pregame Show Presented by Ford to Four Nights Across Push to the Playoffs
Angel Reese and Atlanta Dream Visit Sabrina Ionescu and New York Liberty on Wednesday, Sept. 23 in Potential Playoff Matchup
USA Sports’ WNBA Viewership Up 29% vs. 2025 Cable Average and Up 31% in P18-49 Demo
USA Sports’ 2026 WNBA Schedule Includes Up to Five WNBA Finals Games and First Round Series with Game 1 on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 9 p.m. ET on USA Network
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 15, 2026 – USA Sports will present more WNBA action than any other broadcast partner in the next ten days, with the Push to the Playoffs bringing nine games in eight days to USA Network and CNBC starting this Thursday, September 17.
As the WNBA regular season comes to a close, USA Sports will bring marquee matchups with playoff implications, as well as in-depth studio analysis, to fans across the nation beginning with Thursday night’s doubleheader featuring the Los Angeles Sparks visiting the Dallas Wings (8 p.m. ET, USA Network) and the Las Vegas Aces visiting the Seattle Storm (10 p.m. ET, USA Network/CNBC).
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, all eight WNBA playoff spots have been clinched, with six of the eight teams set to be featured at least once on USA Network’s Push to the Playoffs coverage. The Aces, who currently hold the No. 3 seed, and the eighth-place Wings will each be featured three times in the Push to the Playoffs, with every game an opportunity to better their playoff positions.
Caitlin Clark and the fifth-place Indiana Fever headline USA Sport’s Push to the Playoffs coverage when they take on Olivia Miles and Minnesota Lynx, who own the WNBA’s best record at 31-9, on the last day of the WNBA regular season, Thursday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network.
On Wednesday, September 23, Angel Reese and the fourth-place Atlanta Dream visit Sabrina Ionescu and the sixth-place New York Liberty in a potential first-round preview.
All nine games will air live on USA Network, with the second games of each doubleheader also simulcast on CNBC, ensuring fans won’t miss a minute of the action.
USA Sports boasts strong viewership in its inaugural season coverage heading into this week’s Push to the Playoffs. USA Sports’ coverage is averaging 543,000 viewers, up 29% vs. WNBA average viewership on cable last year. Viewership is also up 31% YOY in the P18-49 demo and up 38% amongst women.
USA Sports will surround the Push to the Playoffs with expanded pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage, with its traditional Wednesday night studio coverage expanded to four nights throughout the final week of play. Coverage is led by Sports Emmy® Award-winning host Elle Duncan and including two-time WNBA champion Renee Montgomery and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Chamique Holdsclaw. USA Sports and Oklahoma City Thunder reporter Paris Lawson and USA Sports and Connecticut Sun reporter Edona Thaqi will also contribute to studio shows.
The 2026 Push to the Playoffs schedule is as follows (subject to change):
|
WNBA Push to the Playoffs on USA Network | ||
|
Date |
Game |
Time (ET) |
|
Thur., Sept. 17 |
WNBA on USA Pregame Show presented by Ford
|
7:30 p.m. |
|
Thur., Sept. 17 |
Los Angeles Sparks at Dallas Wings
|
8 p.m. |
|
Thur., Sept. 17 |
Las Vegas Aces at Seattle Storm
|
10 p.m. |
|
Sun., Sept. 20 |
WNBA on USA Pregame Show presented by Ford
|
6:30 p.m. |
|
Sun., Sept. 20 |
Portland Fire at Los Angeles Sparks
|
7 p.m. |
|
Sun., Sept. 20 |
Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces
|
9 p.m. |
|
Mon. Sept. 21 |
Dallas Wings at Phoenix Mercury
|
10 p.m. |
|
Wed., Sept. 23 |
WNBA on USA Pregame Show presented by Ford
|
7:30 p.m. |
|
Wed., Sept. 23 |
Atlanta Dream at New York Liberty
|
8 p.m. |
|
Wed., Sept. 23 |
Dallas Wings at Seattle Storm
|
10 p.m. |
|
Thur., Sept. 24 |
WNBA on USA Pregame Show presented by Ford
|
7:30 p.m. |
|
Thur., Sept. 24 |
Indiana Fever at Minnesota Lynx
|
8 p.m. |
|
Thur., Sept. 24 |
Las Vegas Aces at Phoenix Mercury
|
10 p.m. |
Following the Push to the Playoffs, USA Sports’ inaugural season of WNBA coverage is punctuated by up to five WNBA Finals games on USA Network, with any Finals series longer than a sweep ensuring that the 2026 WNBA champion will be determined on USA Network. Playoff coverage on USA will begin with a first-round matchup, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 29, at 9 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Last year, USA Sports and the WNBA announced an 11-year media rights agreement for USA Network to present WNBA games – including the regular-season and portions of the Playoffs and WNBA Finals in select years – beginning with the 2026 season.
As part of the multi-year agreement which runs through 2036, USA Sports will present at least 50 WNBA games annually on USA Network, including coverage of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel and WNBA Finals games in select years beginning this year.
About USA Sports
USA Sports is home to premier sporting events across USA Network, Golf Channel, CNBC, and Fandango, throughout the calendar year, including NASCAR, PGA TOUR, Premier League, Bundesliga, WWE, WNBA, Pac-12 Football and Basketball, USGA, R&A, LPGA Tour, PGA of America, Atlantic 10 Basketball, DP World Tour, Augusta National, League One Volleyball (LOVB), and more. Golf Channel – the first-ever single-sport cable network which was founded in 1995 – delivers comprehensive live golf tournament, studio and shoulder programming and is the television home of the sport and industry in the United States. USA Sports is a division of Versant (Nasdaq: VSNT), an industry-changing media and entertainment business with a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including USA Network, CNBC, MS NOW, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, along with digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and Full Swing.
-USA SPORTS-
