John Jones-Imagn Images
Aug 22, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts during the second half against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center.
With more than 10 percent of the WNBA regular season remaining, all eight of the league’s playoff spots have been clinched, pointing to a major flaw in the league’s ever-expanding schedule.
In 2025, the WNBA moved from a 40-game to a 44-game schedule with the addition of the expansion Golden State Valkyries. That season led to a dramatic race for the final playoff spot between Golden State and the Phoenix Mercury.
However, this season has been far different. Every team in the league has played either 38 or 39 games as of Thursday, August 27, meaning there’s around 12.5 percent of the regular season still left to be played.
Despite that fact, all eight playoff spots in the league have been clinched, and the six other teams in the league are competing solely for their draft slot.
All eight WNBA Playoff spots are clinched 🔥
Here’s what matchups would look like if the playoffs started today 👀 pic.twitter.com/YFhAKlSWzL
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) August 26, 2026
WNBA Fans Are Wary Of Meaningless Regular Season Games
While the eight teams locked into the WNBA playoffs are still contending for seeding, you could certainly make an argument that health down the stretch is a much larger factor. Especially when you consider the fact that the WNBA playoffs are just three rounds long and only the top-seeded (at this point) Minnesota Lynx look like a team you truly want to avoid.
“Why is there still another month in the regular season before playoffs if the playoff teams have already been identified and the other teams have already been cut? What’s the point?” one fan asked on X. “What are they even playing for at this point? I’m genuinely confused. What am I missing?”
Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, the six teams outside of the playoffs could well be in full-on tank mode as they try to land USC star JuJu Watkins in the 2027 WNBA Draft.
“3 out of the 4 WNBA teams playing today’s season are over (eliminated from the playoffs). 2 are trying to tank while one is already in the tanking lead. Be careful on making those donations,” another fan warned on Wednesday.
Now, this certainly isn’t an issue that’s unique to the WNBA. The NBA has been trying to solve tanking for years, and in recent seasons, teams have put less emphasis on home-court advantage in the playoffs.
But with the WNBA schedule set to expand again, this time to 50 games, in 2027, you have to wonder if there’s a risk of a large part of the regular season becoming meaningless.