With the WNBA’s popularity soaring, and recent March Madness stars like No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers and No. 4 pick Kiki Iriafen entering the conversation, there’s a lot to look forward to when the regular season tips off this Friday.
The first two spots in the WNBA title odds appear to signal business as usual with the New York Liberty (+225) and Las Vegas Aces (+275) firmly in the lead. But slide down to the third and fourth rung, and we have ourselves a new reality in 2025: A crowded field at the top.
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Well, at least the top four. The Indiana Fever, who opened last year at +2500 odds to win it all, are now in third place with +300 odds. Then, 2024’s big risers, the Minnesota Lynx, who began last year at 50-to-1 odds, round out the top four at +400.
Thanks to their big-market star, Caitlin Clark, the Fever are one of the biggest pre-season stories, and fans are showing that attention with their betting slips.
“Bettors are all over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever,” Hannah Luther, a trader at BetMGM, tells “The Fever have moved from +2500 to +300 and currently hold roughly 80 percent of the WNBA futures handle at BetMGM.”
Will the Fever deliver this year? And who might be this year’s Lynx — the unexpected long shot that rises to the top? We’ve got picks from our WNBA experts Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant.
2025 WNBA champion odds
The Liberty opened last year in second place on the betting board behind the Aces, who were favored to three-peat. Instead, the Liberty dispatched their perennial rivals in the 2024 semifinals and went on to beat the Minnesota Lynx 3-2 in the WNBA Finals. Now — returning all five starters from that championship squad, including Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, and adding defensive juggernaut Natasha Cloud — the Liberty are favored to defend that championship title.
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The Aces are close on their heels, though, with MVP candidate A’ja Wilson at the helm of a star quartet featuring Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and former Seattle Storm star Jewell Loyd. Gray and Young struggled with injuries over the last year, but are looking healthy and in rhythm in the preseason.
Next up, the Fever are the only top-four team in the odds who didn’t make it out of the playoffs’ first round last year. They opened 2024 with 25-to-1 chances to win it all and ended that season with a 20-20 record and a playoff berth just to get swept by the Connecticut Sun in the first round. But that ending belies the Fever’s trajectory: They had the league’s best offense after last year’s All-Star break. Now, with their roster revamped with heavy-hitters like DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson, the Fever are serious contenders.
The Fever’s short odds are reflective not only of their big-market star, Clark, but also the impact of their new head coach, Stephanie White, who was hired back to the Fever from the Connecticut Sun where she was named 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year and head coach of the WNBA All-Star Game that same year.
The Lynx were the rising power in 2024. Starting the season at +5000 (50-to-1 odds to win it all), they rode a 30-win regular season straight to the WNBA Finals — and almost won. The Lynx established themselves as one of the top defensive squads in the league last year, and are bringing back top MVP contender, Napheesa Collier.
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After these top four, the odds drop off, with the Phoenix Mercury at +1400 odds to win the title. Paige Bueckers’ Dallas Wings are fourth from the bottom in the 13-team field with +6600 odds (66-to-1). Dallas is approaching this season as a foundational building year with young talent. At the very bottom of the odds, the league’s brand-new franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, sits at +20000 (200-to-1). In their inaugural season, the Valkyries are building around veteran talent like Kayla Thornton, Tiffany Hayes and Kate Martin, plus young stars like Kaitlyn Chen, who just won the NCAA title with UConn.
Expert picks for WNBA Championship winner
Sabreena Merchant:
Favorite: Minnesota Lynx (+400). The last time the Lynx lost a Finals in five games, they came back and avenged their defeat the following season. With all five starters returning and a bolstered bench, that continuity should help Minnesota survive the longest season in WNBA history and end it on top.
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Long shot: Chicago Sky (+6600 or 66-to-1). Quality point-guard play in the W is a huge luxury, and Chicago added the best floor general on the open market in Courtney Vandersloot. The Sky may have hamstrung their future this offseason, but they added several quality veterans (including Ariel Atkins and Rebecca Allen) who could help them surprise this year.
Ben Pickman:
Favorite: Liberty (+225). Natasha Cloud has provided New York with a rejuvenated energy throughout training camp, and I don’t expect that to change once regular-season play begins. While it’s a bit chalky to pick the favorite, each of the league’s other three title contenders has enough questions to make New York’s repeat title case still seem feasible.
Long shot: Atlanta Dream (+5000 or 50-to-1). Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada helped create a foundation that attracted some of the top free agents in last year’s market. Now, having added stars Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, the Dream have a core capable of making a run at a top-four seed.
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