While the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations have remained unresolved, the Golden State Valkyries’ schedule release provided some clarity on what awaits the Bay Area’s WNBA franchise this season.
Golden State’s season will start and end on the road with the year opening on May 8 against the Seattle Storm and ending on Sept. 24 with a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks. The Valkyries will have their home opener against the Phoenix Mercury on May 10.
Through the five-month regular season, the Valkyries will have three back-to-backs with road matchups against the New York Liberty and Indiana Fever on May 21-22, and consecutive games at the Connecticut Sun and the Liberty on Aug. 26-27. Golden State will get a home back-to-back when it hosts the Portland Fire and the Storm on Sept. 18-19.
Golden State Valkyries' Veronica Burton (22) acknowledges fans as her teammates hug each other after their 75-74 loss to the Minnesota Lynx in Game 2 of the WNBA playoff game at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)Basketball superstar Caitlin Clark will play just once in the Bay Area on May 28, during a homestand that will include the Valkyries welcoming the defending champion Las Vegas Aces three days later.
The Valkyries are set to play nine weekend games at Chase Center – three on a Friday, two on Saturday and four on Sunday.
Things will most certainly change between now and the start of the season as an expansion draft and a highly-anticipated free agency period will have an impact on what rosters look like by the time the league year starts.
After a season in which the Valkyries defied the odds to become the league’s first expansion team to make the playoffs, the 2026 schedule is highlighted by marquee matchups with the league’s biggest stars and a key road trip in August.
Here’s a breakdown of six of the Valkyries’ most important games:
May 10 vs. Phoenix Mercury
The Valkyries first home game will feature a matchup with a team that was most recently in the WNBA Finals. Golden State dropped all three games to Phoenix last season as the Mercury were a nightmare matchup for the then-expansion team. But a potentially packed house on opening night will certainly make things tough for the Mercury.
Golden State Valkyries' Cecilia Zandalasini (24) fouls Phoenix Mercury's Alyssa Thomas (25) in the final seconds of the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, July 14, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)May 28 vs. Indiana Fever
Caitlin Clark will play in front of a Bay Area crowd just once in the regular season as the Valkyries’ lone home game against the Fever will take place seven games into the season. Clark struggled in every game she played against the Valkyries, but she is still the league’s biggest draw and a sold-out crowd is expected when she comes to town.
Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark (22) fails to sink a 3-point basket past Golden State Valkyries' Veronica Burton (22) in the fourth quarter of their WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. The Golden State Valkyries defeated the Indiana Fever 88-77. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)May 31 vs. Las Vegas Aces
The defending champions might look a little different by the time the season starts, but this will be a big test for the Valkyries. Golden State stunned Las Vegas in a nationally televised game last season, but the Valkyries struggled to handle Aces’ star A’ja Wilson in the next three matchups – all resulting in losses. This game will be headlined by Valkyries’ coach Natalie Nakase going up against mentor Becky Hammon. Nakase was on staff with Hammon in Las Vegas where she helped the Aces win two WNBA championships.
Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaün (13) fights for the ball against the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson (22) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Aug. 6, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)June 17 vs. Dallas Wings
The Valkyries’ Commissioner’s Cup finale will feature a home game against last year’s rookie sensation Paige Bueckers. Bueckers averaged 18.3 points per game across four contests against Golden State last season. The Valkyries defeated the Wings in late September to clinch the playoffs.
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This game against one of the WNBA’s newest franchises has less to do with who the Fire will have on their team and more about where this game lands on the schedule. This contest will be on the back end of a stretch of five road games in 10 days, a trip that includes matchups with the Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx. This will be the last game before the WNBA takes a two-week break to accommodate for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup that takes place in Berlin from Sept. 4-13.
Sept. 24 at Los Angeles Sparks
The season will end with a road game against in-state rival Los Angeles Sparks and former Stanford star Cameron Brink. The Valkyries were dominant against the Sparks last season holding a 3-1 record, including a very important victory near the end of the regular season that clinched a tiebreaker that the Valkyries needed to leap over Los Angeles in the playoff race.
Valkyries' Veronica Burton (22) takes a shot against The Los Angeles Sparks' Cameron Brink (22) and The Los Angeles Sparks' Kelsey Plum (10) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)Hence then, the article about what to know about valkyries 2026 schedule including six notable games was published today ( ) and is available on mercury news ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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