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The best month of the baseball season is almost here.
October means it’s postseason time — with 12 teams battling to win the 2026 World Series. The last day of the regular season is set for this coming Sunday, with several playoff spots still up for grabs in the final week.
Can the Los Angeles Dodgers win their third straight title? Will the New York Yankees finally get over the hump after years of heartbreak? Or is another contender going to step up and win it all?
Here’s everything to know for the 2026 MLB postseason, including the schedule, format and teams to watch:
When does the MLB postseason start?
We all associate playoff baseball with October, but it technically starts before the calendar flips months in 2026.
The first games of the Wild Card Round will be on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
2026 MLB postseason format
The MLB playoff format is unchanged for the fifth straight year, with the three division winners and top three non-division winners in each league making the postseason.
The two division winners with the best record in each league automatically advance to the Division Series. The division winner with the worst record in each league faces the wild card team with the worst record, leaving the top two finishing wild card teams to also face off. The Wild Card Round is a best-of-three series with the higher seed hosting every game.
There is no reseeding, so the No. 1 seed in each league faces the winner of the No. 4 (first wild card) vs. No. 5 (second wild card). The No. 2 seed faces the winner of the No. 3 (third division winner) vs. No. 6 (third wild card). The ALDS and NLDS are best-of-five series with the higher seed hosting Games 1, 2 and 5 and the lower seed hosting Games 3 and 4.
The Championship Series’ are best-of-seven, with the higher remaining seed hosting Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 and the lower seed hosting Games 3, 4 and 5. The World Series is the same format, giving the team with the better regular-season record home-field advantage for Games 1, 2, 6 and 7.
MLB postseason bracket and seeds
The 2026 regular season will wrap up this weekend, but most of the postseason spots are already locked up. Here’s a breakdown of the playoff field heading into Thursday’s action:
American League (clinched)
Tampa Bay Rays (AL East champion, clinched No. 1 seed)
New York Yankees (clinched wild card berth)
Boston Red Sox (clinched wild card berth)
American League (not clinched)
AL Central: Cleveland Guardians (82-76), Chicago White Sox (81-77)
AL West: Houston Astros (78-80), Texas Rangers (78-80), Seattle Mariners (74-84)
Wild card longshot: Baltimore Orioles (78-81)
National League (clinched)
Milwaukee Brewers (NL Central champion)
Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West champion)
Atlanta Braves (NL East champion)
National League (not clinched)
Wild card contenders: San Diego Padres (88-70), Chicago Cubs (87-71), Philadelphia Phillies (87-71)
Wild card longshot: Arizona Diamondbacks (84-74)
MLB postseason schedule 2026
The full postseason schedule for every series has already been released. Here’s the slate:
Wild Card Series (NBC and Peacock)
Game 1 (of all Wild Card Series): Tuesday, Sept. 29
Game 2 (of all Wild Card Series): Wednesday, Sept. 30
Game 3 (of all necessary Wild Card Series): Thursday, Oct. 1
Division Series
ALDS (both series on TBS/HBO Max)
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 3
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 5
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 7
Game 4 (if necessary): Thursday, Oct. 8
Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, Oct. 10
NLDS (both series on FOX/FS1)
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 3
Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 4
Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 6
Game 4 (if necessary): Wednesday, Oct. 7
Game 5 (if necessary): Friday, Oct. 9
Championship Series
ALCS (on TBS/HBO Max)
Game 1: Monday, Oct. 12
Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 13
Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 15
Game 4: Friday, Oct. 16
Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, Oct. 17
Game 6 (if necessary): Monday, Oct. 19
Game 7 (if necessary): Tuesday, Oct. 20
NLCS (on FOX/FS1)
Game 1: Sunday, Oct. 11
Game 2: Monday, Oct. 12
Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 14
Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 15
Game 5 (if necessary): Friday, Oct. 16
Game 6 (if necessary): Sunday, Oct. 18
Game 7 (if necessary): Monday, Oct. 19
World Series (FOX)
Game 1: Friday, Oct. 23
Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 24
Game 3: Monday, Oct. 26
Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 27
Game 5 (if necessary): Wednesday, Oct. 28
Game 6 (if necessary): Friday, Oct. 30
Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday, Oct. 31
When does the World Series start?
The World Series will start on Friday, Oct. 23, regardless of how early the ALCS and NLCS wrap up.