The Atlanta Dream have secured a significant venue upgrade for their upcoming WNBA Finals series against the Golden State Valkyries. To accommodate higher demand and ensure a premier championship atmosphere, league officials confirmed that Games 3 and 4 will be moved from the team’s regular home, the 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena in College Park, to the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta. 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. 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. In this case, not available, but the focus had been on the number of seats available – or. Getting swept by the Minnesota Lynx in that best-of-five series, it was the only home game the Dream hosted.
The scheduling shift necessitates minor adjustments to the series timeline. Game 3 has been moved forward from October 22 to October 21. Game 4 remains on October 24, though the tipoff time is now set for 1 p.m. ET to accommodate the Atlanta Hawks’ home opener against the Houston Rockets that evening. The Hawks have agreed to push their game start time back to 8:30 p.m. to facilitate the transition between events.
Expressing relief and satisfaction with the resolution, Dream majority owner Larry Gottesdiener stated, “This is what the players and the fans deserve. We are grateful to all of the stakeholders who worked together to resolve the conflicts and make this happen.” Andrew Saltzman, representing the Hawks and State Farm Arena, added that the organization is thrilled to support the Dream as they chase a title, noting, “Playing for a championship is special, and we want the Dream to feel the full support of the city during this amazing run.”
This venue change marks a return to familiar ground; the Dream previously played at State Farm Arena, then called Philips Arena, from 2008 to 2016. However, the franchise is slated to return to the downtown venue on a permanent basis starting in 2027. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert praised the collaborative effort from the Dream, the Valkyries, the Hawks, and broadcast partners NBC and USA Sports, highlighting that the move will allow thousands more fans in the Southeast to experience the championship atmosphere in person.
Despite the successful move for Games 3 and 4, potential conflicts remain should the series extend. A potential Game 6 is currently set for October 29, the same night the Hawks are scheduled to face the Cleveland Cavaliers, and no resolution has been announced for that scenario. Furthermore, the Finals begin in San Francisco at the Chase Center, where the Valkyries hold home-court advantage for Games 1, 2, 5, and 7. Should the series reach a Game 6, no plan to deconflict with that Hawks game has yet been announced.
The Valkyries, who reached the playoffs in their 2025 inaugural season, have faced their own logistical hurdles. Last year, the team was forced to move a first-round playoff game to the SAP Center in San Jose due to a prior booking of the Laver Cup at their home arena. In the current series, they successfully navigated a conflict by ensuring their home games remain at Chase Center, including the relocation of a previously scheduled Doja Cat concert. When a Janet Jackson concert got postponed for a first-round playoff gam, while it’s common for NBA teams to take precedence if there’s a double booking at the team’s home arena – it notably happened to the Hawks in 2023. The original schedule conflict involved all three games the Dream could host. The Valkyries – shocking the WNBA world by reaching the playoffs in their inaugural season in 2025 – moved a first-round playoff game more than 40 miles away to SAP Center in San Jose, the home of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, just last year.
As the Dream competes in their first Finals since 2013 and the Valkyries seek a title in just their second year of existence, both clubs are eager to focus on the court. For the Dream, the move to State Farm Arena aims to prevent a repeat of their 2013 experience, when a scheduling conflict forced them to play a championship game in the suburb of Duluth. With the change now official, the organization hopes to provide a seamless, high-capacity environment for their fans during this historic matchup. It’s got the makings of a blockbuster matchup in Angel Reese vs. 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.
