The WNBA will crown a first-time champion this year, as the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries will contest the Finals beginning Oct. 17.

The historic championship matchup will feature the W’s most and least valuable franchises, with the Valkyries topping Sportico’s latest rankings at $850 million and the Dream No. 13 at $280 million. Both teams have featured award-winning performances this season, including Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese in Atlanta and the unanimous Sixth Player of the Year Janelle Salaün at Golden State.

In addition to being the league’s most valuable franchise, the Valkyries now hold the record for the fastest advancement to the Finals for an expansion team, making it to the championship in only their second season. The Dream, meanwhile, are making their fourth Finals appearance and first since 2013.

It has been a banner year for both teams off the court as well.

The Valkyries recently became the first women’s sports franchise to record $100 million in revenue, even before accounting for income related to this year’s Finals.

The Dream this month announced that the team has struck a multiyear contract to host all home games at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, beginning next season. The 16,900-capacity arena, also home to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, has hosted the Dream’s playoff appearances this season. The team has primarily played in the 3,500-seat Gateway Arena in College Park, where it has sold out every home game of the previous three seasons, as well as eight sellouts at State Farm for high-demand matchups.

Separately, the Dream earlier this year struck an agreement with women’s sports investment firm Monarch Collective to operate their merchandise business.

The Valkyries defeated the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Friday night to advance to next week’s Finals, led by an overtime scoring flurry from Gabby Williams in their 87-77 win. Earlier in the evening, Reese scored a team-high 22 points for the Dream as defeated the 2024 WNBA champion New York Liberty, 85-83, in Game 3 to clinch a semifinals sweep.

Players on the winning team of this year’s Finals will each take home $60,000, while runners-up will earn $20,000 apiece, under terms of the historic collective bargaining agreement signed earlier this year between owners and players. Previously, champions and runners-up took home $22,908 and $8,521 apiece, respectively.