The WTA Finals is women's tennis's season-ending championship, and the 2026 edition is being played at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California from 8 to 15 November. Unlike almost every other tournament, it does not start as a straight knockout: the eight best singles players of the season, and the eight best doubles teams, first play each other in round-robin groups.

How the group stage works

The eight singles players are split into two groups of four, Group 1 and Group 2. Every player faces the other three in her group once, so each plays three round-robin matches and a single defeat does not end her tournament. A group win is worth three points in the standings. The top two from each group reach the semi-finals on Saturday 14 November, where each group winner plays the runner-up from the other group. The two winners meet in the final on Sunday 15 November. The singles champion lifts the Billie Jean King Trophy, and the doubles champions lift the Martina Navratilova Trophy.

What happens if players tie on wins?

Wins come first in the standings. If two players are tied, the winner of their match goes ahead. If three are tied on wins, the player who has not finished all three matches is eliminated first, then the highest percentage of sets won decides, followed by the highest percentage of games won.

Who is playing in 2026?

Group 1 is Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Linda Noskova and Marta Kostyuk. Group 2 is Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova. Kostyuk entered as first alternate after world No. 1 and defending champion Elena Rybakina withdrew on the eve of the event with a viral illness. Group 1 plays on 8, 10 and 12 November, and Group 2 on 9, 11 and 13 November.

On day one, Gauff beat Pegula 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2 and Noskova beat Kostyuk 6-2, 6-4. The tournament moved to Indian Wells from Riyadh, and from 2027 it will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, through 2029.