Brewers Lead 2026 MLB Playoff Bracket After Franchise-Best 103 Wins
The short version
- The Brewers went 103-59, the best record in baseball, and hold home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
- Wild-card series begin Sept. 29; the Brewers open the NLDS at home Oct. 3 against the Padres-Cubs winner.
- The Cubs beat the Padres in last year's wild-card round; Milwaukee then eliminated Chicago in the NLDS.
- The NLCS begins Oct. 11 and the World Series begins Oct. 23, both best-of-seven.
Milwaukee finished 103-59 for the best record in baseball and holds home-field advantage as the postseason opens with wild-card series on Sept. 29.
The 2026 Major League Baseball regular season is complete, and the Milwaukee Brewers sit atop the playoff field after the finest campaign in franchise history. Milwaukee finished 103-59, six wins better than the club record it set last year, adding another division title, the best record in the game and home-field advantage through every round. The Brewers became baseball's first 100-win team since 2023, a mark the Los Angeles Dodgers matched on the final day of the season at 100-62.
The National League bracket sends the No. 6 Philadelphia Phillies (88-74) to the No. 3 Atlanta Braves (94-68), with the winner meeting the No. 2 Dodgers in the Division Series. In the other matchup, the No. 5 Chicago Cubs (89-73) visit the No. 4 San Diego Padres (91-71), and that winner draws the No. 1 Brewers.
In the American League, the No. 6 Chicago White Sox (84-78) face the No. 3 Houston Astros (81-81), with the winner advancing to the No. 2 Cleveland Guardians (85-77). The No. 5 Boston Red Sox (87-75) meet the No. 4 New York Yankees (93-68), and the survivor takes on the No. 1 Tampa Bay Rays (98-64).
The best-of-three wild-card round opens Tuesday, Sept. 29. Milwaukee bypasses that round entirely and will open the best-of-five Division Series at home. The Brewers will know their opponent as soon as Wednesday, Sept. 30, if the Padres or Cubs sweep, and no later than Thursday, Oct. 1.
The Padres-Cubs matchup is a rematch of last year's wild-card round, which the Cubs won at Wrigley Field, including a 3-1 victory in the winner-take-all Game 3. This year's series will be played in San Diego. Milwaukee has never faced the Padres in the postseason. The Brewers eliminated the Cubs in last year's Division Series 3-2, winning the deciding game 3-1, and went 9-4 against Chicago this season compared with 2-4 against San Diego.
Milwaukee hosts Game 1 of the Division Series on Saturday, Oct. 3, and Game 2 on Sunday, Oct. 4, with a potential Game 5 at home on Oct. 9. The best-of-seven National League Championship Series begins Sunday, Oct. 11, and the best-of-seven World Series starts Friday, Oct. 23. Additional Brewers home dates, should they advance, would fall on Oct. 11-12 and Oct. 18-19 in the NLCS and Oct. 23-24 and Oct. 30-31 in the World Series.
Atlanta is the only new team in the National League field. Last year Cincinnati grabbed a wild-card spot, giving the NL Central three qualifiers, and Philadelphia won the NL East.
The bracket does not re-seed between rounds, so Milwaukee is locked into the Padres-Cubs winner even if Philadelphia knocks off Atlanta. The NFL is the only major league that re-seeds its postseason; the WNBA once used the format before switching to a fixed bracket. The issue looms larger in the American League, where division winners take the top three seeds: No. 2 Cleveland, based on the records of its possible opponents, holds an easier path than No. 1 Tampa Bay, which draws either Boston or New York.
