Atlanta Dream move WNBA finals to State Farm Arena

• The relocation comes after questions were raised across social media over the weekend about whether the Dream's current home base — the 5,000-seat Gateway Center Arena — would have enough space to accommodate its rapidly growing fan base.

Zoom in: Game 3 against the Golden State Valkyries will now be played at 8pm Wednesday, Oct. 21, one day sooner than the previous Oct. 22 date.

• That original date conflicts with the Sombr: You Are The Reason Tour that will make a stop at State Farm Arena.
• Game 4 will be on Saturday, Oct. 24, and will be a basketball doubleheader.
• Tipoff for the Dream's game will now be at 1pm and the Atlanta Hawks' home opener against the Houston Rockets will start at 8:30pm.

What they're saying: The Dream said in a statement that moving the games to State Farm Arena was a "complex undertaking that required extraordinary collaboration to navigate numerous challenges in a short time period."

• WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the new venue allows the Dream "to provide an extraordinary atmosphere" for the team's first appearance in the finals since 2013.
• "We are pleased that thousands more fans across the Southeast region will have the opportunity to experience the ultimate WNBA action – the WNBA Finals – in person."

State of play: Gateway Center Arena in College Park has been the Dream's home since 2021. Last week, the team announced a multi-year deal to begin playing its home games at the nearly 16,000-seat State Farm Arena starting in 2027.

What's next: Games 1 and 2 of the finals will be at Chase Center in San Francisco. The first game will begin at 3:30pm ET Saturday and Game 2 starts at 8pm ET Monday, Oct. 19.

• Tickets for next week's Dream home games go on sale at 10am Friday. Superfans can get early access to the tickets by joining the Dream's priority list.