{"id":490,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/490","headline":"Dream may be bumped back to 3,500-seat arena for WNBA Finals","dek":"State Farm Arena is booked for a Sombr concert and two Hawks games on all three of Atlanta's possible Finals dates, leaving Gateway Center as the likely fallback.","body":"The Atlanta Dream reached their first WNBA Finals since 2013, and now they are not sure where they will actually play the home games. State Farm Arena, where the Dream hosted first- and second-round playoff games this year, is unavailable for Games 3, 4, and a potential Game 6 against the Valkyries.\n\nThe conflicts stack up fast. A Sombr concert takes the building on Oct. 22, the date of Game 3, while the NBA's Hawks have regular-season games scheduled on Oct. 24 and Oct. 29, the dates for Game 4 and a possible Game 6.\n\nThat leaves Gateway Center, the Dream's primary home since 2021, as the likely landing spot, despite seating only about 3,500 fans, the smallest capacity in the WNBA. It is an awkward fit for a team that averaged nearly 7,000 fans per game this season, a number boosted by the six games it played at the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena.\n\nWith the series opener just over a week away, the Dream still have not confirmed where the home games will be held.","published_at":"2026-10-12T17:03:19.018988+00:00","source_count":5,"written_from":[{"outlet":"Front Office Sports","publisher":"Front Office Sports","title":"Atlanta Dream Likely to Host WNBA Finals at Tiny Home Arena","url":"https://frontofficesports.com/article/atlanta-dream-wnba-finals-arena/"},{"outlet":"CBS Sports","publisher":"CBS Sports","title":"Dream unsure where WNBA Finals home games will be played due to scheduling conflicts at State Farm Arena","url":"https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/dream-wnba-finals-home-games-arena/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Every venue option for Dream in WNBA Finals to avoid 3,500-seat capacity problem","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/every-venue-option-dream-wnba-134334914.html"},{"outlet":"ESPN","publisher":"ESPN","title":"WNBA Finals location for Dream home games still uncertain","url":"https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/50163363/location-dream-home-games-wnba-finals-uncertain"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Dream must play WNBA Finals home games at smaller Gateway Center Arena, rather than State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/dream-must-play-wnba-finals-home-games-at-smaller-gateway-center-arena-rather-than-state-farm-arena-in-downtown-atlanta-020718326.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Valkyries set to play road WNBA Finals games in high school-sized gym","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/valkyries-set-play-road-wnba-034503979.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"‘The Optics Will Be Horrendous,’ ‘Capacity What?’ — Outrage Erupts As Angel Reese’s Dream Get Troubling Arena News Ahead of WNBA Finals","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/optics-horrendous-capacity-outrage-erupts-034508093.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"‘Move the game’ – WNBA fans are angry with the Hawks as Atlanta Dream face Finals arena issue","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/move-game-wnba-fans-angry-102000497.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream face stunning WNBA Finals problem as championship approaches","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/angel-reese-atlanta-dream-face-111944602.html"},{"outlet":"The Athletic","publisher":"The Athletic","title":"Atlanta Dream still seeking home venue for WNBA Finals","url":"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7684035/2026/10/12/atlanta-dream-home-arena-state-farm-wnba-finals/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Atlanta Dream still seeking home venue for WNBA Finals","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/atlanta-dream-still-seeking-home-161606710.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"WNBA Finals set to be held in tiny gym because Atlanta Dream’s home arena is already booked","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/wnba-finals-set-held-tiny-163709061.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"WNBA Finals set to be held in tiny gym because Atlanta Dream’s home arena is already booked","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/wnba-finals-set-held-tiny-163914460.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Atlanta Dream scramble for a WNBA Finals home as State Farm Arena dates clash","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/atlanta-dream-scramble-wnba-finals-172509542.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Dream scrambling to find suitable WNBA Finals home venue due to State Farm Arena conflicts","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dream-scrambling-suitable-wnba-finals-181915411.html"}],"image":{"url":"https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-04T205530Z_384115616_MT1USATODAY29999828_RTRMADP_3_WNBA-PLAYOFFS-NEW-YORK-LIBERTY-AT-ATLANTA-DREAM-scaled-e1791818444220.jpg?quality=80&w=1024","credit":"Front Office Sports","width":1024},"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit brokenews and link to the story page you took it from. Source headlines, story titles taken from a source headline, and quoted passages remain the property of their publishers and are quoted for comparison, not licensed onward.","terms":"https://www.brokenews.co/about#reuse"}