The 2026 WNBA Rivals Week schedule runs from August 8 through August 14, with 20 games across seven days in the league’s 30th season. Rivals Week presented by Ally puts 10 of them in national windows on ABC, CBS, ESPN, NBA TV, Prime Video, and ION. The other 10 are on League Pass.
Two of the rosters changed at the deadline. The Los Angeles Sparks traded Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday night and received guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick. The Toronto Tempo acquired Aneesah Morrow from the Connecticut Sun on Friday for a 2028 second-round pick and the rights to Maria Kliundikova.
We take a look at six marches to watch next week.
Las Vegas at Minnesota (August 8)
Two title contenders open the week on CBS (1 pm ET).
Minnesota is 25-6, the best record in the league. Las Vegas is 20-9 and won the 2025 WNBA championship. These teams have played once, with the Aces winning 100-97 in Las Vegas.
The Lynx’s Napheesa Collier missed the first 27 games, as she had surgery on both ankles, one in January and one in March. She returned July 22 at Seattle and scored 24 points with 10 rebounds in an 86-76 win and has played four games since.
Last season Collier averaged 22.9 points and finished second in MVP voting for the second consecutive year. She became the second player in WNBA history to shoot at least 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range, and 90% from the free throw line in the same season.
Kayla McBride was asked about Collier’s return before it happened.
“Adding an MVP candidate for the last couple years into that mix just gets us really excited,” McBride said. “But we’ve been holding it down and it’s been a lot of fun.”
A’ja Wilson leads the WNBA at 25.5 points a game. She is also averaging 9.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. Wilson and Collier have not shared a floor this season. The two teams meet again August 15 in Las Vegas.
Caitlin Clark vs. the Sky (August 8)
The highly-anticipated game is on ABC (3:30 pm ET).
The first meeting on June 11 went to overtime in Indianapolis, with the Fever winning 114-106. Sydney Taylor scored 30 points for Chicago that night. Six days later, Sky coach Tyler Marsh moved her into the starting lineup.
Taylor went undrafted out of Louisville in 2024 and spent two seasons overseas with Kibirkstis Vilnius and MB Zagłębie Sosnowiec. She signed with Chicago on a training camp contract this spring. The 5-9 guard is averaging 14.7 points through 27 games and leads the Sky in scoring. Since June 17 she is averaging 18.4 points.
On August 1 against Las Vegas, Taylor took 27 shots, a season high, and scored 29 points with 5 3-pointers. She hit a contested catch-and-shoot 3 with 0.9 seconds left to win it for her team 84-83. It was her fifth game of at least 25 points and her ninth straight in double figures.
Her starting debut on June 17 ended the opposite way. Taylor hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 15 seconds left against New York, Sabrina Ionescu answered at the rim, and Taylor’s buzzer attempt missed.
“But if you’re willing to take those shots, you’ve got to be willing to live with the result,” Taylor said afterward.
Indiana’s Caitlin Clark aggravated a back injury on June 24 against Phoenix and has missed time since. She is averaging 19.7 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell is at 22.6 points a game, third in the league. Aliyah Boston is at 17.2 points and 8.7 rebounds.
Chicago is 11-18. Indiana is 19-11 after losing 108-100 at Minnesota on Sunday. The third and final meeting between the two teams is August 23.
Aces and Liberty’s Fourth Meeting (August 9)
New York won 87-76 in Las Vegas on June 23. Las Vegas won 104-99 in Las Vegas on July 30. In between, the Liberty beat the Aces 93-85 for the Commissioner’s Cup on June 30 in New York.
New York’s Breanna Stewart (currently averaging 20.4 points and 8.4 rebounds) scored 25 points with 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in the Cup final and was named MVP. She became the first player to win three Commissioner’s Cup titles, having won with Seattle in 2021 and New York in 2023.
The two teams have met twice in the postseason. Las Vegas won the 2023 WNBA Finals 3-1. New York won the 2024 semifinals 3-1 and went on to the franchise’s first championship.
The two powers have also met twice for the Commissioner’s Cup championship, and New York won both, 82-63 in Las Vegas in 2023 and 93-85 this June. No other team has won the Cup twice.
Las Vegas has won three championships in four seasons, over Connecticut in 2022, New York in 2023, and Phoenix in 2025. Since Wilson was drafted first overall in 2018, the Aces have the most regular-season wins in the league at 208, 24 more than the next closest team.
New York is 17-13 and holds the eighth and final playoff spot. Chicago is five and a half games back of it. Las Vegas plays this one on the second night of a back-to-back.
Kelsey Plum Returns to Los Angeles
Nine days after the trade (August 11, 10 pm ET), Plum plays in Los Angeles against the team that dealt her.
Plum spoke to reporters on Thursday, before the deal.
“I’m not taking anything personal. I’m gonna be where my feet are,” Plum said. “I play for the Sparks, so on Sunday, I’m gonna suit up.”
Plum did not play Sunday. Los Angeles beat Portland 106-101 at Moda Center and ended a six-game losing streak. Dearica Hamby scored 23 points. Nneka Ogwumike scored 22, with 20 of them in the second half. The Sparks are 11-17.
Plum has appeared in 12 games this season, as the Sparks went 7-5 in those games. She is averaging 23.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on 52.7% shooting and 38.3% from 3-point range. She has not played since June 21 because of a lower left leg injury.
Phoenix is 11-19, six games out of the eighth playoff spot with 14 games left. Alyssa Thomas leads the league at 8.0 assists a game. Kahleah Copper is averaging 20.5 points.
Los Angeles leads the season series 2-1 and won both games in Phoenix. August 11 is the fourth and last meeting.
Two Nights in Las Vegas
Washington plays at Las Vegas on August 11 and again on August 13. The second game is on Prime Video.
The Mystics won four straight from July 20 through July 31, their first four-game winning streak since 2020. One of those was a 100-99 win over Las Vegas at home on July 22, the only previous meeting. Washington is currently 16-12.
Kiki Iriafen starts at power forward and is averaging 15.6 points and 9.6 rebounds while Shakira Austin starts at center. Lauren Betts, the fourth overall pick out of UCLA, comes off the bench and is averaging 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 16.4 minutes. Sonia Citron is averaging 17.8 points.
Mystics coach Sydney Johnson addressed the frontcourt rotation earlier in the season.
“I think our frontcourt is a strength, and it’s a challenge to get everybody out there because they’re all good,” Johnson said.
Las Vegas plays four Rivals Week games. No other team plays more than three.
Dallas at Indiana (August 14)
These two teams combined for 211 points on the second day of the season. Dallas won 107-104 in Indianapolis and has not played Indiana since.
Paige Bueckers is averaging 20.7 points and 6.3 assists. Jessica Shepard is averaging 13.7 points, 11.6 rebounds (second in the league), and 5.7 assists on 59.2% shooting. Bueckers and Shepard both started the All-Star Game on July 25 at the United Center, the first time Dallas has had a starter since 2023.
Azzi Fudd was the first overall pick by Dallas in April. On July 25 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Fudd scored 30 points in the championship round of the 3-Point Contest. No rookie had won the event before.
Dallas lost 82-81 at home to Atlanta on July 29 and 81-75 at Washington on July 31. The Wings beat Connecticut 83-63 on Sunday and are 19-11, the same record as Indiana. Both teams sit inside the top six of the playoff field, which pairs the fourth seed against the fifth in the first round.
Dallas hosts Indiana again on August 20.
Elsewhere During 2026 WNBA Rivals Week
Toronto plays at Atlanta on August 10. Atlanta has won all three meetings this season. Angel Reese leads the WNBA in rebounding at 11.8 a game.
Seattle and Portland meet twice, on August 8 in Portland and August 14 in Seattle. The Fire won 77-72 on July 4 in the only previous meeting.
Golden State visits Los Angeles on August 9 on ESPN. The Valkyries beat Toronto 96-79 on Sunday and are 20-9, tied with Las Vegas for the second-best record in the Western Conference. Golden State has the league’s best defensive rating.
Rivals Week ends August 14. The league breaks for the FIBA Women’s World Cup from August 31 through September 17.
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