In August, Major League Baseball announced the dates for when each of the four playoff series for 2026 will begin, including the World Series. Here’s what you need to know, plus what networks the games will air on in the United States.
When do the playoffs start?
The playoffs are scheduled to begin on September 29, 2026, two days after the conclusion of the 2026 regular season on the 27th.
On the 29th, the eight teams slated to be in the four Wild Card series will start off. The four teams that received first-round byes by winning their respective division & finishing in the top two seeds of the league will start in the Division Series later that week.
Division & Championship Series
The ALDS & NLDS will start on October 3, 2026. All four series will begin on that day.
As for the two Championship Series, the NLCS is scheduled to begin on October 11, 2026. This would come two days after any hypothetical Game 5 for either NLDS. Should there be a Game 5 for one of those two series (or both), it would come on the 9th.
The ALDS will start on October 12.
World Series
The 2026 World Series is set to begin on October 23, 2026. It’s a Friday and would fall roughly in line with when the 2025 World Series in Toronto (October 24) started.
Games 1 & 2 will run on October 23 and 24, respectively; Games 3 through 5 would take place on the 26, 27, and 28th of October. Finally, Game 6 would run on October 30, and the seventh & final game (if necessary) on October 31.
Meaning, unless a game gets postponed or delayed, baseball is not scheduled to run through November.
What networks will it be on?
New for 2026, NBC & Peacock will have the rights to the 2026 MLB Wild Card games. ESPN, which previously had the rights for all Wild Card contests from 2022 through 2025, agreed to a new skinny deal this past winter that granted the network 30 regular-season games, broadcast between it & ABC.
TBS/TNT/truTV will have the rights for ALDS & ALCS contests, while FOX will have the NLDS, NLCS, & the 2026 World Series.
Check out our MLB coverage, including a look at what the playoff picture looks like right now.