The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 in Game 7 to win the 2026 WNBA Finals on Saturday, earning the team’s first championship title in only their second year in the league.
From a sports perspective, it is effectively the fastest return on investment for a women’s team, given the expansion franchise only began play in 2025. Already the most valuable WNBA franchise at $850 million entering this season, the Valkyries this year also became the first team in women’s sports to generate $100 million in revenue, even before calculating the 2026 Finals run.
The Valkyries sealed the championship without a single player on the roster who made the 2026 All-WNBA honors list (though Janelle Salaün earned the Sixth Woman of the Year award). The team becomes the 13th W franchise to win the title; five teams, including the Dream, have yet to win a championship.
“We have an incredible team,” team owner Joe Lacob said on the postgame broadcast. “[Head coach] Natalie Nakase, [general manager] Ohemaa Nyanin and [president] Jess Smith made this happen. Those women deserve all the credit in the world.”
Their victory marks the conclusion to a dramatic 2026 season for the WNBA, which began with a historic collective bargaining agreement between owners and players, and observed the league’s 30th anniversary. Additionally, it marks the end of the tenure of the league’s first commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, who said she will retire this year. The search for her successor, led by Goldman Sachs-owned Excel Sports Management, is ongoing.
With or without Engelbert, the newly crowned champion Valkyries are expected to pursue one of her stated goals: international growth. A person familiar with the team told Sportico the Valkyries are looking at potential overseas playing opportunities, similar to how sibling NBA franchise the Golden State Warriors traveled to China and Japan for preseason games following their championship victories in 2017 and 2022, respectively.
At this year’s WNBA Draft, Engelbert said the league was “actively exploring” hosting international preseason games. “We have a lot of fans around the world. We need to bring our game to them.”
The overseas ambitions for the Valkyries come as the team has a nearly full slate of commercial partnerships domestically. It boasts a portfolio of more than 40 sponsors, including JP Morgan Chase, Sephora, Rakuten, United Airlines and others.
Meanwhile, Golden State’s championship is poised to mint new stars. Forward Gabby Williams—already a decorated starter for the French national team, though she was raised in the U.S.—was named WNBA Finals MVP. In Game 7, she scored 28 of her 30 points this game in the second half, a record for most points scored in a half of a postseason WNBA game.
Though they couldn’t pull out the Game 7 win, the Atlanta Dream have benefitted tremendously from this year’s Finals, illustrating demand for the team’s games at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. The Dream will be moving to the venue beginning in 2027, and star big Angel Reese has solidified herself as among the league’s greats, winning Defensive Player of the Year honors.
(This story has been updated with additional information from the Valkyries’ win.)
