The 2025 WNBA season may 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 will be set on Tuesday.
The Indiana Fever are in prime position to advance to the Commissioner’s Cup final for the first time in franchise history following the return of superstar Caitlin Clark, who missed five consecutive games with a quad injury. Clark recorded 32 points and nine assists in the Fever’s 102-88 win over the New York Liberty on Saturday, a victory that could play a pivotal role in determining who plays for the Commissioner’s Cup championship.
The team atop the Commissioner’s Cup standings from each conference will advance to play in the title game on Tuesday, July 1. The standings for the Commissioner’s Cup will be locked in after Tuesday’s slate of games.
The Minnesota Lynx are the reigning champions after defeating the Liberty 94–89 in New York in the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup title game. The Lynx are one win away from returning to the championship game, but the road to the final isn’t as straight forward for every other team, including the Liberty.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup, including the current standings, 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 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.
Commissioner’s Cup standings
Here’s the Commissioner’s Cup standings heading into Tuesday’s matchups, including each team’s record point differential in Commissioner’s Cup games, which could serve as a tiebreaker if needed:
Eastern Conference
1. Atlanta Dream (3-1)
2. Indiana Fever (3-1)
3. New York Liberty (3-1)
4. Washington Mystics (1-3)
5. Chicago Sky (1-3)
6. Connecticut Sun (1-3)
Western Conference
1. Minnesota Lynx (4-1)
2. Phoenix Mercury (4-2)
3. Golden State Valkyries (3-2)
4. Seattle Storm (3-2)
5. Los Angeles Sparks (2-3)
6. Las Vegas Aces (2-3)
7. Dallas Wings (0-5)
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
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fever, Lynx could reach WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final: 2025 standings
