The 2025 WNBA season might have started only one month ago, but the games are more meaningful than ever as the league’s annual in-season Commissioner’s Cup final matchup was set on June 17.
The Indiana Fever advanced to the Commissioner’s Cup final for the first time in franchise history following a 88-71 win over the Connecticut Sun on June 17, where superstar Caitlin Clark dropped 20 points and six assists. The Fever climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference standings on Tuesday with their victory over the Sun and the New York Liberty’s 86-81 win over the Atlanta Dream.
The Minnesota Lynx, the reigning Commissioner’s Cup champions, are returning to the championship game for the second consecutive year after downing the A’ja Wilson-less Las Vegas Aces, 76-62, on June 17.
The Commissioner’s Cup title game will be held on Tuesday, July 1.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup, including the standings, previous clinching scenarios and past champions:
How does Commissioner’s Cup work?
The WNBA’s annual in-season tournament, known as the Commissioner’s Cup, is a competition that features 36-games from June 1-17 with a $500,000 prize pool up for grabs. The rules are simple: Each team goes head-to-head against each team in their conference over the course of a two-week span. The team from each conference with the best record will advance to the Commissioner’s Cup final on July 1, which will be hosted by the team with the overall best winning percentage among all Cup games. Coinbase, the official sponsor of the Commissioner’s Cup, chipped in an extra $120,000 in cryptocurrency to the prize pool to sweeten the pot.
Commissioner’s Cup standings
Here’s the Commissioner’s Cup standings following the June 17 games, not including the Storm vs. Sparks, which is still ongoing. The Fever own the tiebreaker over the Liberty.
(x-clinched berth in Commissioner’s Cup final)
Eastern Conference
- x-1. Indiana Fever (4-1)
- 2. New York Liberty (4-1)
- 3. Atlanta Dream (3-2)
- 4. Washington Mystics (2-3)
- 5. Chicago Sky (1-4)
- 6. Connecticut Sun (1-4)
Western Conference
- x-1. Minnesota Lynx (5-1)
- 2. Phoenix Mercury (4-2)
- 3. Seattle Storm (3-2)
- 4. Golden State Valkyries (3-3)
- 5. Los Angeles Sparks (2-3)
- 6. Las Vegas Aces (2-4)
- 7. Dallas Wings (1-5)
Commissioner’s Cup clinching scenarios
Let’s take a look at the different clinching scenarios, starting with the Eastern Conference:
- If the Atlanta Dream defeats the New York Liberty on the road, the Dream will represent the Eastern Conference in the Commissioner’s Cup final.
- If the Dream losses to the Liberty and the Indiana Fever defeat the Connecticut Sun, the Fever and Liberty would be tied 4-1 in the Commissioner’s Cup standings. The Fever, however, have the tiebreaker following Indiana’s June 14 win over New York in Caitlin Clark’s return from injury, meaning the Fever would advance to the final.
- If the Liberty defeat the Dream AND the Sun beat the Fever, the Liberty will advance to the Commissioner’s Cup final for the second consecutive year.
Here’s the clinching scenarios in the Western Conference:
- If the Minnesota Lynx defeat the Las Vegas Aces, then Minnesota will represent the Western Conference in the Commissioner’s Cup final for the second consecutive year.
- If the Lynx lose, but the Seattle Storm also lose to the Los Angeles Sparks, the Lynx will advance to the Commissioner’s Cup final.
- If the Storm defeats the Sparks AND the Lynx lose to the Aces, then Seattle will move on to the Commissioner’s Cup final.
WNBA Commissioner’s Cup champions, by year
Here’s every team that has won the WNBA’s in-season tournament since it began in 2021:
- 2024: Minnesota Lynx def. New York Liberty
- 2023: New York Liberty def. Las Vegas Acers
- 2022: Las Vegas Aces def. Chicago Sky
- 2021: Seattle Storm def. Connecticut Sun
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
