A seven-win gap makes the WNBA playoff field unusually open
CBS Sports ranks Minnesota first ahead of Sunday’s opening games, with the gap between the top and eighth seeds at its narrowest since 2016.
The 2026 WNBA playoffs begin on Sunday, with Game 1 scheduled in all four first-round series. CBS Sports ranks the Minnesota Lynx as the leading title contender in its pre-playoff assessment.
The top-seeded Lynx finished the regular season seven wins ahead of the eighth-seeded New York Liberty. CBS Sports reports that this is the smallest gap between those seeds since the league adopted its current format in 2016, which includes the top eight teams regardless of conference.
The publication describes the postseason as the most wide-open in a decade. That is a pre-playoff judgement: the rankings assess title prospects before the opening games, rather than predict a settled outcome.
Minnesota’s position at the top reflects its standing as one of the league’s strongest teams for much of the season. The reigning champion Las Vegas Aces are also among the contenders as they seek another title.
