2026 MLB Playoffs: Full Postseason Schedule and Where to Watch Every Round
The short version
- Postseason opens Sept. 29 with all wild card games on NBC, NBCSN and/or Peacock
- NL games air on Fox/FS1, AL games on TBS; World Series on Fox starting Oct. 23
- Dodgers enter as two-time defending champions; Shohei Ohtani's health is a concern
- Brewers and Rays had the best records in their leagues; neither has won a World Series
- World Series could run through a Game 7 on Oct. 31
Twelve teams open the 2026 MLB postseason on Sept. 29, with the wild card round on NBC platforms and the World Series beginning Oct. 23 on Fox.
The 2026 MLB postseason begins Tuesday, Sept. 29, with a 12-team bracket and runs through the end of October, when one club will claim the Commissioner's Trophy. The wild card round opens the month-long tournament, followed by the Division Series, the League Championship Series and the World Series.
This year's postseason features a change in the opening round. Every wild card game will be carried on NBC's platforms — NBC, NBCSN and/or Peacock — rather than the usual network rotation used later in the playoffs.
Once the wild card round concludes, the familiar broadcast assignments return. National League games will air on Fox or FS1 throughout the Division Series and Championship Series, while American League games in those rounds will be on TBS. The World Series, scheduled to begin Friday, Oct. 23, will be televised on Fox, as it has been every year since 2000.
On the field, the two-time defending champion Dodgers headline the field. Los Angeles was not especially dominant in the regular season and heads into October with questions surrounding the health of Shohei Ohtani, but the club remains the team to beat given its recent run of success.
The Brewers and Rays posted the best regular-season records in their respective leagues, and neither franchise has ever won a World Series. The Padres are the other postseason entrant still seeking a first title. Among the matchups already set, the Braves and Yankees are hosting wild card series, while the Dodgers and Brewers, and the Rays and the AL's No. 2 seed, await Division Series opponents.
The wild card round runs Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, with Game 3 in each best-of-three series played Thursday, Oct. 1 if necessary. The Division Series runs Oct. 3-10, with Games 4 and 5 in each best-of-five series if necessary.
The League Championship Series run Oct. 11-20. The NLCS opens Sunday, Oct. 11, and the ALCS begins Monday, Oct. 12, with both best-of-seven series allowing Games 6 and 7 if necessary.
The World Series is scheduled for Oct. 23-31. Games 1 and 2 are set for Oct. 23-24, Games 3 and 4 for Oct. 26-27, and Games 5, 6 and 7 for Oct. 28, Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, each if necessary.
Games to watch
