The 2026 MLB regular season is now in the books. Playoff baseball will officially begin on September 29, starting with the Wild Card Round. Here’s a breakdown of the 12 teams currently positioned to play playoff baseball.
Which teams would make the playoffs as of today?
American League
- AL East leader: Rays (98-64)
- AL Central leader: Guardians (85-77)
- AL West leader: Astros (81-81)
- Wild Card 1: Yankees (93-68) — GB: +9.5
- Wild Card 2: Red Sox (87-75) — GB: +3.0
- Wild Card 3: White Sox (84-78) — GB: –
National League
- NL East leader: Braves (94-68)
- NL Central leader: Brewers (103-59)
- NL West leader: Dodgers (100-62)
- Wild Card 1: Padres (91-71) — GB: +3.0
- Wild Card 2: Cubs (89-73) — GB: +1.0
- Wild Card 3: Phillies (88-74) — GB: –
Above is what the playoff picture would look like as of today. As of this writing, the Brewers, Rays, Dodgers, Yankees, Braves, Red Sox, White Sox, Cubs, Guardians, Padres, Phillies, and the Astros have clinched a spot.
Milwaukee (NL Central), Los Angeles (NL West), Atlanta (NL East), Tampa Bay (AL East), Cleveland (AL Central), Houston (AL West) clinched their respective divisions.
Remember, the three division winners all make it to the MLB Postseason, plus the top three Wild Card teams from each respective league.
How the format works
The top two seeds in each league — so, the top two division winners — receive an automatic bid into the Division Series. The other four teams must qualify for either the ALDS or NLDS through the Wild Card Round.
For that round, the #3 seed in each league (the division winner that didn’t receive a bye) must play the #6 seed. The other matchup would pit the #4 seed against the #5 seed. In both series, the higher seed will host all games in a best-of-three.
In the 2026 Wild Card Round, Atlanta will host Philadelphia, San Diego will host the Cubs, Houston will host the White Sox, and the Yankees will host Boston.
After that, either the #4/#5 seed will meet the #1 seed, while the #3/#6 winner will face the #2 seed in the ALDS/NLDS. From that point, it’s pretty simple to explain.
The Division Series is a best-of-five, while the Championship Series and World Series are best-of-seven.
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