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Dream must play WNBA Finals home games at smaller Gateway Center Arena, rather than State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta

The Atlanta Dream will host their WNBA Finals home games at Gateway Center Arena instead of the larger State Farm Arena, despite securing the venue for three playoff games earlier this season. The team had played six of their 22 regular-season home games at State Farm Arena, which seats 16,888 and is located downtown, offering better accessibility and larger crowds.

However, the arena is already booked for concerts and NBA games during the Finals, forcing the Dream to use Gateway Center Arena, which has a capacity of 3,500 and is situated outside Atlanta in College Park. Efforts to relocate the Finals to other venues like Georgia Tech’s McCavish Pavilion (8,600 seats), Georgia State’s Convocation Center (7,500 seats), or Gas South Arena (12,750 seats) were unsuccessful.

The Dream has also announced plans to play all 25 of their 2027 home games at State Farm Arena, though this does not resolve the immediate Finals venue issue. Guard Rhyne Howard previously noted the intensity of playoff games at State Farm Arena, suggesting it could have helped prepare the team for the championship series.

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