Every venue option for Dream in WNBA Finals to avoid 3,500-seat capacity problem image
In 10 days, the Dream will be hosting a WNBA Finals game. They do not yet know where it will be.
Atlanta has faced scheduling conflicts after securing its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013; after starting their playoff run at State Farm Arena, the home of the NBA's Hawks that can seat over 17,000 fans, the Dream will be unable to continue playing at the venue for the Finals. A concert on Oct. 22 conflicts with Game 3 of the series, while Game 4 on Oct. 24 and a potential Game 6 on Oct. 29 conflict with two regular-season Hawks games.
Considering the stage of the games for the Dream, they're looking to avoid playing at their usual home, Gateway Center Arena in College Park, which doesn't even hold 4,000 fans. But their options appear pretty limited with the WNBA Finals approaching.
Here's a look at the Dream's venue options for their WNBA Finals games.
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Dream WNBA Finals venue options
Gateway Center Arena in College Park
The easiest path forward would also be a disappointing one. The Dream certainly want to capitalize on their WNBA Finals run by bringing in as many Atlanta fans as possible, and playing at their usual home, Gateway Center Arena, would not allow them to do that.
Just 3,500 spectators could watch the Dream in the Finals if they play at their usual home arena. Only six of the Dream's 22 home regular-season games were not played at Gateway Center Arena, so there would be plenty of familiarity, but it also wouldn't be much of a financial boost to the franchise after reaching the biggest stage in the sport.
The Dream announced last week that they will move to State Farm Arena full-time beginning in 2027 under a multi-year agreement, so this isn't an issue that will last for the long term. But if they can't find any other options, the only fallback venue is where they would typically play in front of fewer fans.
As of Sunday, Oct. 11, the Dream's pushes to move their WNBA Finals games to a new arena have been "unsuccessful," per USA Today. If things don't change, the team will have to settle for a smaller group of fans in attendance.
Barring any last-second changes, Game 3, 4 and 6 of the WNBA Finals in Atlanta will be played at Gateway Center Arena (3,500+ seats), multiple sources tell USA TODAY. Efforts to move games to State Farm Arena (17,000 seats) have proved unsuccessful. https://t.co/sTCPNdW02b
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) October 11, 2026
Gas South Arena
One of the only other feasible options is Gas South Arena in Duluth, which has 13,000 seats and is around 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. It would not be the first time the venue helped out during a WNBA Finals scheduling conflict — Atlanta hosted a game during the 2013 WNBA Finals at what is now Gas South Arena.
According to USA Today, the Dream have "explored" the possibility of WNBA Finals games at Gas South Arena, but there haven't been any successful talks so far, hitting a "roadblock."
The 2026 ACC women's basketball tournament was held at Gas South Arena, so it has a proven ability to host women's hoops fans for a big event. Whether the Dream can make it work remains to be seen.
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McCamish Pavilion
Georgia Tech basketball's home stadium, McCamish Pavilion, is another option on the table. It holds 8,600 fans, and the Dream are also familiar with it, playing at McCamish Pavilion in 2017-2018 during refurbishments at what is now State Farm Arena.
McCamish Pavilion is the other option being explored by the Dream in talks, but unsuccessfully so far, per USA Today.
Since its 2012 renovation, a January 2025 game between Georgia Tech men's basketball and North Carolina had the largest crowd at McCamish Pavilion, drawing 8,700 fans. That could be the target for the Dream if they can make it work with the school.
The Convocation Center
Another college in the area is Georgia State University, which has an arena, The Convocation Center, that can seat 7,500 fans for basketball games.
The last time the WNBA Finals were played at a venue that had fewer than 8,000 seats, outside of the 2020 season, was in 2019, when the Mystics held a maximum of 4,200 fans at CareFirst Arena. If the Dream head to The Convocation Center, it would still be a limited attendance, though better than their fallback option.
Opening in 2022, Georgia State's Convocation Center is fairly new, which could help. It's likely not a high-priority option for the Dream because of its limited capacity, though.
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