Mystics await playoff matchup as Sunday opening round approaches

Washington has qualified for the 2026 WNBA playoffs, but its opening opponent and tipoff are not yet settled in the league's published postseason guide. The first round begins Sunday, September 27, with all four series scheduled to open that day.

The Mystics approach the postseason after three straight victories, including a 79–69 win over Connecticut on September 22. The league's recap identifies that result as Washington's 27th victory, a franchise single-season record, surpassing the 26 wins recorded by the 2019 championship team.

The first round is best-of-three with a 1–1–1 home-court format. That makes the opening game immediately consequential: a loss would leave only two possible games to recover. Washington's recent winning run supplies momentum, but the matchup-specific test will become clearer once the final seeding is announced.

The WNBA lists Sunday windows at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern, plus one time still to be determined. None of those windows is assigned to Washington in the current guide. Fans should wait for the Mystics' confirmed matchup before treating any particular start time or venue as final.

Official source 1 · Official source 2

Prepared with AI assistance by NSMT Newsroom from the linked sources. This article does not represent on-site reporting.