WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announces 3 major alterations coming to league for 2025 season

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that major changes are coming to the league in the 2025 season. As the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty start the 2024 WNBA Finals, Engelbert shared the three alterations, especially in the playoffs, that the league will see.

While talking to reporters on Friday, ahead of Game 1 of this year's finals, the Commissioner said that the finals and first round of the playoffs will experience notable changes next year.

She started by saying that the finals will switch from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven format and its structure will be 2-2-1-1-1, meaning the higher-seed team will play at home in Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 while the lower-seed would host Games 3, 4 and 6.

In addition, the first round of the postseason will keep its best-of-three format, but it'll change to 1-1-1, giving the lower-seed team the chance to receive at least one playoff game. Last but not least, the regular-season schedule will have four more games, going up to 44.

After many realized that the Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm, Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury had to win one away game to have the chance to play at home, they demanded change. This is a good start for the WNBA, but many still had things to say after the changes were announced.

WNBA fans react to three major changes for 2025 season

Many fans celebrated the changes implemented by the Commissioner, but they still had some comments on the time it took to realize that the first round of the playoffs needed a change.

"1-1-1 not being a thing for nearly 30 years is mind blowing 😭," one fan said.

"Yep, the first round of the playoffs was a colossal bore because of the format. A welcome change," another fan said.

"Not surprised lol. After the 1st round results it was inevitable," another fan said.

Others said that besides the change in the structure, the first-round matchups must be longer.

"First round needs to be best of 5 smh get it right commissioner," one fan said.

"First round needed to be best of 5 before finals needed to be best of 7," another fan noted.

The WNBA has reached new levels of popularity and with that, necessary changes are coming. The league has become more exciting for more fans and the front office is well aware of that.