Breaking down Liberty’s 2026 schedule as they seek return to dominance

Mark your calendars.

Dates for the Liberty’s revenge tour have been set.

After being bounced in the first round of last year’s playoffs and falling well below their championship expectations, the Liberty plan to return to action this spring with a new coach, possibly new faces and overall determination to get back to their winning ways.

New York is set to tip off its 30th season — and first under coach Chris DeMarco — at Barclays Center on May 8 against the Connecticut Sun.

The Libs will then hit the road for a three-game trip, including games in Portland on May 12 and 14.

Upon returning to Brooklyn, the Liberty will enjoy a seven-game homestand, their longest of the season.

The 44-game season will have two breaks in the schedule. The first will be for All-Star weekend festivities, which are scheduled to happen July 23-25 in Chicago. The WNBA will also have an 18-day pause at the beginning of September for the FIBA Women’s World Cup.

The WNBA regular season is set to end Sept. 24, though the Liberty’s will come to a close one day prior.

Here’s what else to know about the Liberty’s 2026 slate:

Must-see games

1. May 24, vs. Dallas: Paige Bueckers and the 2026 No. 1 overall pick are expected to make their 2026 debut in Brooklyn. The Wings, who went 10-35 last season, should be better than they were a year ago.

2. May 27 & 29, vs. Phoenix: The Mercury, who dashed the Liberty’s hopes of back-to-back titles after winning last year’s first-round series, will play two consecutive games at Barclays Center. The Liberty will make their lone trip to Phoenix Aug. 1.

3. June 3, vs. Toronto: Sandy Brondello, whom the Liberty fired in late September, will make her return to Barclays Center as the head coach of one of two new WNBA teams. It’ll be Toronto’s lone trip to Brooklyn. The Liberty will make two trips to Toronto: July 14 and Sept. 20.

4. June 6, vs. Indiana: Last year’s Fever-Liberty games provided some drama — even with Caitlin Clark sidelined for two of them. The Liberty went 3-1 against Indiana last season. Once again, these two teams will meet a total of four times: June 6 and Aug. 22 in Brooklyn and July 18 and Aug. 11 in Indianapolis.

5. June 23, at Las Vegas: The Liberty and Aces had built up quite the rivalry after their battles during the 2023 and 2024 postseasons. The defending champions, expected to once again be anchored by A’ja Wilson, will go head-to-head three times. The Liberty will take on Sin City June 23 and July 30, and play host Aug. 9.

6. June 28, at Golden State: DeMarco and Sabrina Ionescu will make their returns to the Bay. DeMarco spent 13 years with the Warriors before taking the Liberty job in December.

7. July 3, 11, Sept. 18, vs. Minnesota: The Liberty and Lynx won’t square off until July 3 at Barclays Center. Their other two matchups are scheduled for July 11 and Sept. 18 in Minneapolis. The latter will be the Liberty’s first game after the World Cup break.

8. Sept. 21 and 23, vs. Atlanta: The Liberty will conclude the regular season with back-to-back home games against the Dream.

Additional scheduling tidbits

The Liberty are scheduled to play a league-high-tying three back-to-back series along with Indiana, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

That includes a home-and-home series May 24 and 25 against the Wings and Fire; a road-and-road July 11 and 12 at the Lynx and Tempo; and a road-and-home series that starts in Toronto Sept. 20 and ends Sept. 21 against the Dream in Brooklyn.

The schedule also includes two four-game road trips.

The first is scheduled to be played from June 21-28 with stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle and San Francisco. The second long road trip is scheduled from July 11-18, when the Liberty play at Minnesota, Toronto, Dallas and Indiana.

The Liberty’s busiest months are June and August when they play 11 games.

They are scheduled to play nine in May and June and will have four after the World Cup break.