How to Watch the Whole WNBA Season Without Cable

The 2024 WNBA playoffs are set to begin on Sunday, September 22nd. Let me share all the details with you.

In a hurry? Many regular-season and all post-season games air on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. All these services provide them and much more:

Why You Need a VPN Today

However, first you need a VPN to unblock US streaming services from . Our favourite is ExpressVPN. It’s definitely not the cheapest option at $4.99/month, but it just works – and across all your devices.

They have servers in 25+ US cities/states and 105 countries, which unblock access to premium streaming platforms available only in the US, as well as free “on demand” TV services worldwide.

You’ll have access to local platforms as if you were in the country, meaning you can watch BBC iPlayer as if you were in the UK, CBC Gem as if you were in Canada, plus hundreds more worldwide.

Sign Up for ExpressVPN

Hotdog users get three months free at ExpressVPN, so it’s a “no-brainer” for us. Decide for yourself with their 30 day money-back guarantee.

IMPORTANT: Once you’ve installed your VPN and connected to a US server, you’ll still need to subscribe separately to access premium streaming services.

The WNBA is the world’s premier women’s basketball league and is where top college stars and international players head in order to continue their craft. This competition has also been steadily gaining interest and prestige amongst that growing fan base ever since its inaugural season in 1997.

How can you watch the WNBA? For out-of-market fans, WNBA League Pass ($24.99/yr) is a purchase for you to consider. Otherwise, ensure that you have streaming access to ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, CBS Sports Network, Facebook Watch, Twitter, and Prime Video.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

Today’s Basketball Games

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Where to Watch WNBA Games

WNBA games are broadcast and streamed through a variety of outlets.

Live TV Channels

Traditionally, the most significant channels broadcasting WNBA contests were ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. And they continue to be important for WNBA fans.

But the big change this year is that ION will feature one or two WNBA games every Friday night throughout the regular season.

The rundown is as follows.

• ABC: 9 games
• CBS: 4 games
• CBS Sports Network (CBSSN): 36 games
• ESPN: 10 games (2 simulcast on ESPN+)
• ESPN2: 5 games
• ION: 45 games
• NBA TV: 43 games

Note that many of the games on ION are broadcast regionally. As a result, you will only be able to watch 24 of the games since the other 21 games overlap and will not be shown in all areas.

Amazon Prime will stream 20 games and Twitter will stream 12. The TV schedule has been released and you can see all the games here.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

The top live TV streaming services offer all the channels you need to follow the season:

• Fubo (formerly FuboTV): This sports-heavy streaming service includes 150+ channels including everything from ION, ABC Sports, and ESPN. For $79.99/month, you also get unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on up to 10 devices at once. (Fubo review)
• DIRECTV STREAM: Get all the base channels in its base plan with 75+ channels for $86.99/month. This comes with unlimited cloud DVR storage as long as you sign-up online and streaming on unlimited devices. You may want to upgrade to the Choice plan for $114.99/month to get access to its unmatched collection of RSNs. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
• Sling TV: The Sling Orange plan will allow you to watch the 24 games that appear on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC (via ESPN3). You get a total of 30+ channels along with a cloud DVR for $40.00/month. (Sling TV review) (WNBA Playoffs on Sling TV)
• Hulu + Live TV: Get a great 85+ channel lineup in addition to ESPN+ and Disney+ for $82.99/month. It comes with an unlimited cloud DVR (9 month storage) but streaming on just two devices. (Hulu + Live TV review)
• YouTube TV: Similar plan to Hulu’s with more channels but without ESPN+ and Disney+ for $72.99/month.

Streaming Only

There are generally free online streaming options available. In 2022, Amazon Prime Video and Facebook Watch featured games.

This year, Twitter returns with free live streams of 12 WNBA games. Oculus from Facebook will stream 20 WNBA games.

Out-of-Market Games

WNBA League Pass ($24.99/yr) is what you want to get in order to watch all out-of-market broadcasts.

Of course, as with nearly all types of league passes, you need to be wary of blackout restrictions before you make a purchase. All nationally televised games are blacked out, which includes all playoff games.

However, it appears that blackout restrictions related to local broadcasts are limited. Also, you can watch all blacked-out games after they occur, usually with only a limited amount of time passing.

Its features include the ability to watch multiple games simultaneously and statistical overlays. If you are considering getting WNBA League Pass, note that it offers a seven-day free trial.

Also make sure to keep in mind that it auto-renews every season unless you ensure that the autorenewal box is not checked while signing up or change that setting later, before the next year’s purchase has occurred.

Devices for Streaming WNBA Games

All the live TV streaming services and WNBA League Pass support the following devices:

Fubo, Hulu, Sling TV, and YouTube also support LG and VIZIO smart TVs and Xbox units. Hulu and YouTube support PlayStation consoles.

What Is the WNBA?

The Women’s National Basketball Association had initially been created in 1996, a couple of months prior to the US national team claiming the gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics. The league began play a year later as a competing league with the American Basketball League. This ABL-WNBA competition resulted in the WNBA being the sole entity remaining after the ABL folded in 1998.

The WNBA was receiving and still continues to receive support from the NBA.

Some of its best players over the years have included Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Tina Thompson, Tina Charles, Seimone Augustus, and Lisa Leslie.

Three teams have won four WNBA titles, the Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx, and the now-defunct Houston Comets. The sides that have lifted the trophy on three occasions include the Phoenix Mercury, Los Angeles Sparks, and Detroit Shock. The latter is a franchise that has since moved to Texas and is now known as the Dallas Wings. No other WNBA franchise has more than one title to its credit.

The league consists of 12 teams. Franchises not mentioned above, ones that have one or zero titles to their credit, include the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty, and Washington Mystics.

Regular Season and Postseason Structures

Each of the WNBA’s clubs plays 36 games a season. Although the teams are divided into six-team Eastern and Western Conferences, that is mostly related to slight scheduling differences as the postseason teams are determined and seeded by their placements in the overall WNBA standings.

Prior to the league’s 2022 season, the WNBA had been using a 1-1-5-5 playoff format, resulting in single-game playoff rounds the first two rounds and then more regular five-game series the final two. Also, the top two seeds enjoyed double-byes into the semifinals under that format.

However, extensive changes were implemented in 2022. Although eight teams are still qualifying for postseason play, they will all enter in the same round, so there are now three rounds instead of four.

And the first round will be comprised of three-game series, albeit with a slightly different format than is usually the case for three-game series. The higher seed will host the first two matchups. If there is a third contest, the lower seed will host it. In other words, a sweep will result in the lower seed not hosting a single playoff game.

Commissioner’s Cup

The Commissioner’s Cup, which was first held during the 2021 season, involves 10 regular-season games per team that double as Commissioner’s Cup contests. Those 10 games consist of the first home and away matchups versus the other five teams in that franchise’s conference. The best sides in the Eastern and Western Conferences after those contests have been played meet in a single game at a neutral site.

The Seattle Storm defeated the Connecticut Sun, 79-57, in the 2021 Commissioner’s Cup’s championship game, which was played in Phoenix.

Previous winners are:

• Minnesota Lynx – 2024
• New York Liberty – 2023
• Las Vegas Aces – 2022
• Seattle Storm – 2021

2024 Commissioner’s Cup Schedule

Here is the schedule of matches that will take place on June 13:

• Thu Jun 13 7:00 pm: Atlanta Dream (84) vs Indiana Fever (91) (ESPN3)
• Thu Jun 13 7:00 pm: Seattle Storm (92) vs Dallas Wings (84) (ESPN)
• Thu Jun 13 10:00 pm: Las Vegas Aces (103) vs Phoenix Mercury Prime (99)

2024 Commissioner’s Cup Results

Here are the standings for the Eastern and Western Conferences. In brackets are the total wins and losses.

The championship game will be at Barclays Centre:

• Jun 25 8:00 pm: Minnesota Lynx (94) vs New York Liberty (89) (Amazon Prime Video)

WNBA All-Star Game

As is usual in US-based professional sports leagues, an All-Star Game is scheduled for the middle of the WNBA season. However, its format has changed over the years.

There is a normal matchup of all-stars from the Eastern and Western Conferences occurring in many editions. But there are also formats that include captains choosing their own teams and a single squad of WNBA all-stars taking on the US national team.

(Note that you can also watch the NBA All-Star Game — specifically on Sling TV.)

2024 WNBA All-Star Game

The All-Star Game is set for July 18-20 this year. We will update you as soon as the details are out.

WNBA Draft

Since the WNBA is played under a summer schedule, the WNBA Draft takes place very soon after the NCAA Women’s Final Four has occurred. This is a few weeks before the league’s campaign starts.

A draft lottery is held to determine the first four selections, comprising the non-playoff teams from the previous campaign.

2024 WNBA Schedule

WNBA Preseason

The 2024 preseason will take place from May 3rd to May 13th.

WNBA Regular Season

The regular season then begins on May 14th. Here is the schedule:

2024 WNBA Playoffs

First round schedule runs from September 22nd to September 27th. Here is the schedule:

The semifinals begin on September 29th.

Other Events

• April 15: WNBA Draft (ESPN)
• June 1: WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Begins
• June 13: WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Ends
• June 25: WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship
• July 14: WNBA Skills Challenge — Starry Three-Point Contest (ESPN)
• July 20: WNBA All-Star Game (ABC)
• September 22: WNBA Playoffs (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC)

You can find the full Playoffs schedule on our guide on how to watch the WNBA Playoffs with Sling TV.

Wrapping Up

Are you looking to watch the WNBA, whether that involves catching a game here and there or you are a devoted fan looking to watch every contest played by your favorite team? If yes, we recommend Fubo, which provides access to CBS, CBSSN, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and more.

Serious fans will probably also want to sign-up for WNBA League Pass.

FAQs

WNBC Conference Semi-Finals

• Wed Aug 17 8:00 pm: New York Liberty (98) at Chicago Sky (91) (ESPN2)
• Wed Aug 17 10:00 pm: Phoenix Mercury (63) at Las Vegas Aces (79) (ESPN)
• Thu Aug 18 8:00 pm: Dallas Wings (68) at Connecticut Sun (93) (ESPNU/NBA TV)
• Thu Aug 18 10:00 pm: Washington Mystics (83) at Seattle Storm (86) (ESPN2)

• Sat Aug 20 12:00 pm: New York Liberty (62) at Chicago Sky (100) (ESPN)
• Sat Aug 20 9:00 pm: Phoenix Mercury (80) at Las Vegas Aces (117) (ESPN2)
• Sun Aug 21 12:00 pm: Dallas Wings (89) at Connecticut Sun (79) (ABC)
• Sun Aug 21 4:00 pm: Washington Mystics (84) at Seattle Storm (97) (ESPN)

• Tue Aug 23 7:00 pm: Las Vegas Aces at Phoenix Mercury (ESPN2)
• Tue Aug 23 9:00 pm: Chicago Sky (90) at New York Liberty (72) (ESPN2)
• Wed Aug 24 7:00 pm: Connecticut Sun (73) at Dallas Wings (58) (ESPN2)
• Wed Aug 24 9:00 pm: Seattle Storm at Washington Mystics (ESPN2)

WNBA Conference Finals

• Sun Aug 28 4:00 pm: Seattle Storm (76) at Las Vegas Aces (73) (ESPN)
• Sun Aug 28 8:00 pm: Connecticut Sun (68) at Chicago Sky (63) (ESPN2)

• Wed Aug 31 8:00 pm: Connecticut Sun (77) at Chicago Sky (85) (ESPN2)
• Wed Aug 31 10:00 pm: Seattle Storm (73) at Las Vegas Aces (78) (ESPN2)

• Sun Sep 4 1:00 pm: Chicago Sky (76) at Connecticut Sun (72) (ESPN2)
• Sun Sep 4 3:00 pm: Las Vegas Aces (110) at Seattle Storm (98) (ABC)

• Tue Sep 6 8:00 pm: Las Vegas Aces (97) at Seattle Storm (92) (ESPN2)
• Tue Sep 6 10:00 pm: Chicago Sky (80) at Connecticut Sun (104) (ESPN2)

• Thu Sep 8 8:00 pm: Connecticut Sun (72) at Chicago Sky (63) (ESPN2)
• Thu Sep 8 10:00 pm: Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces (ESPN2)

WNBA Finals

• Sun Sep 11 3:00 pm: Connecticut Sun (64) at Las Vegas Aces (67) (ABC)
• Tue Sep 13 9:00 pm: Connecticut Sun (71) at Las Vegas Aces (85) (ESPN)
• Thu Sep 15 9:00 pm: Las Vegas Aces (76) at Connecticut Sun (105) (ESPN)
• Sun Sep 18 4:00 pm: Las Vegas Aces (78) at Connecticut Sun (71) (ESPN)
• Tue Sep 20 9:00 pm: Connecticut Sun at Las Vegas Aces (ESPN)

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Sharon Amondi

I am an Assistant Content Editor at Hotdog.com, combining my actuarial sciences degree with expertise in sports content and streaming services. I specialize in data analysis for major sports leagues and emerging streaming markets, particularly in Africa.

My quantitative approach and analytical skills enable me to provide insightful, data-driven content on sports streaming trends and scheduling, making me a key expert in understanding the global streaming landscape and its intersection with sports consumption.

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