WNBA Finals opener draws record broadcast audience on NBC

The first game of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream averaged 2.1 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, UPI and Yahoo Sports reported. NBC Sports announced the milestone following Saturday's game in San Francisco, which marked the highest viewership ever recorded for a WNBA Finals Game 1, according to UPI. [1][12]

Viewership for the opening game was 11 percent higher than the audience for Game 1 of the 2025 WNBA Finals between the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury, UPI reported. According to UPI, the broadcast was the first WNBA Finals game presented by NBC Sports since 2002 and peaked at three million viewers during a ten-minute window on Saturday evening. [1][14]

The Golden State Valkyries won Game 1 by a score of 68-64, as reported by UPI. Both players and coaches returned to San Francisco for Game 2, where the Atlanta Dream responded with a victory to level the championship series at one game apiece, according to the Daily Mail, Fox News, and Sky Sports. Sky Sports reported that Angel Reese scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for Atlanta during the second game. [1][2][3][11]

Off the court, players from both teams left the floor prior to the national anthem before both Game 1 and Game 2 in San Francisco, according to the Daily Mail and Fox News. Fox News noted that Canadian singer Alanis Morissette performed the national anthem before Game 2 while the teams were not on the court. [2][3]

The 2026 WNBA Finals is a best-of-seven series, according to Wikipedia. The series moves to Atlanta's main basketball arena for Game 3, CBS Sports and Golden State Valkyries reported. [5][10][13]