For the ladies of the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury, it’s time to leave it all on the court.
The 2025 WNBA finals start tonight (Friday, October 3) at 8 p.m. ET. Notably, this is the first year that the WNBA finals are a best-of-seven games format. The Aces may be favored to win, but don’t count out the scrappy Mercury squad.
Let’s take a deeper look at how these two teams got here, their strengths, and how to tune in.
A season and playoffs recap
The WNBA consists of 13 teams, with the top eight moving onto the postseason playoffs.
This year, the Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, Phoenix Mercury, New York Liberty, Golden State Valkyries, Indiana Fever, and Seattle Storm got the chance to battle it out in a bracket-style tournament consisting of three rounds, including the finals.
In the regular season, the Aces went out on a high note, winning their last 16 games. The team traveled a bumpier path to the finals and fought hard to earn their spot.
In Game 5 of their semifinal series, the women defeated the Indiana Fever in overtime, 107–98. Coach Becky Hammon joked, “Our road has been broken. It’s been a twisty, windy one but here we are,” as ESPN reported.
The Aces are no strangers to the finals, having participated in four of them in the last six years. They were victorious in 2022 and 2023, becoming the first team since the Sparks to win back-to-back championships.
On the other side of the coin, the Phoenix Mercury entered this season with almost all new players.
This roster thrived in the playoffs as the underdogs. They first took on defending champions New York Liberty and came out victorious. Next, they defeated No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx. The franchise has not won a championship since 2014, but was present in the 2021 battle.
Coach Nate Tibbetts embraced the team’s darkhorse standing.
“No one has had expectations for us except ourselves,” he mused, according to to ESPN. “The pride and the togetherness for such a new group, it’s pretty impressive.”
Strengths and weaknesses
Each team has their own unique power plays and pitfalls.
The Aces’ greatest assets come in a trio. Center A’ja Wilson, guard Jackie Young, and guard Chelsea Gray are at the top of their respective games. They have experience winning two previous championships together and have helped mentor newer player NaLyssa Smith. The Aces will also have the home court advantage for games 1, 2, 5, and 7 because they are the higher seeded team.
A potential Achilles’ heel is relying too much on their star players. Wilson and Young can’t score all the points themselves. They need backup from their teammates, and without it might not get the results they so desperately want.
Their opponents have their own set of advantages and vulnerabilities.
Phoenix is on a roll, and this momentum could help them win it all. They are not afraid to go all-in. Their defense is going to have to continue to bring the heat to defeat the Aces, just like they did against the Lynx. A failure to do so might just end up in a loss.
Travel searches to Phoenix and Las Vegas skyrocket
Fans are preparing for an epic showdown and appear willing to travel to see it live.
This is evident in data from Booking.com, the WNBA’s official travel partner. The site has seen a 103% increase in travel searches for Phoenix for October 8–10, and 166% increase for October 15, Booking.com shared with Fast Company.
Aces fans have also gotten in on the action, with Las Vegas searches increasing 67% for October 3–5 and 127% for October 17. Overall, searches for Las Vegas sustained increased searches during the entire series.
How can I watch or stream the WNBA finals?
If you can’t make the trip to see the players in person, never fear. To see game 1 of the 2025 WNBA finals, tune into ESPN at 8 p.m. ET.
You can also catch the action on ESPN.com and the ESPN app, but you will need a traditional pay-TV subscription to watch it this way.
The easiest way for cord-cutters to see it all is to sign up for a live-TV streaming service, including:
The entire series will be broadcast across ESPN and ABC.
Below is the full WNBA finals schedule, per the WNBA’s website. If one team dominates the first four games, the last three could be unnecessary.
- Game 1: Mercury at Aces (Friday, Oct. 3, 8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 2: Mercury at Aces (Sunday, Oct. 5, 3 ET, ABC)
- Game 3: Aces at Mercury (Wednesday, Oct. 8, 8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 4: Aces at Mercury (Friday, Oct. 10, 8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 5: Mercury at Aces (Sunday, Oct. 12, 3 ET, ABC)
- Game 6: Aces at Mercury (Wednesday, Oct. 15, 8 ET, ESPN)
- Game 7: Mercury at Aces (Friday, Oct. 17, 8 ET, ESPN)