2026 MLB Playoffs Begin with Wild Card Series Game 1s on Tuesday
Quick Look
- The 2026 MLB playoffs begin Tuesday with four Wild Card Series Game 1 matchups: Phillies at Braves, White Sox at Astros, Red Sox at Yankees, and Cubs at Padres.
- Winners advance one win from the Division Series, while losers face elimination.
- The Rays, Guardians, Brewers and Dodgers earned byes and await the winners in the next round.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The 2026 MLB postseason begins with the Wild Card Series, a best-of-three format where the winners advance to the Division Series. The top seeds in each league received byes based on regular season performance.
Welcome to the 2026 MLB playoffs, baseball fans. The postseason gets started Tuesday with a quartet of Game 1s in the best-of-three Wild Card Series. The Braves host the Phillies, the Astros face the White Sox, the Yankees and Red Sox renew their rivalry in the Bronx and the surging Padres take on NL MVP frontrunner Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Cubs. Tuesday is a full day of high-stakes baseball.
In these short series, the Game 1 winners are one victory away from the LDS round, and the Game 1 losers are one loss away from their season being over.
The Rays, Guardians, Brewers and Dodgers all secured byes and await the winners in the next round. The Rays are the American League's top seed and will face a division rival in the ALDS, whether it's the Yankees or the Red Sox. The Guardians, despite an 85-77 record that ranks 10th out of the 12 playoff teams, earned the No. 2 seed in the AL and will face either the 84-win White Sox or 81-win Astros in the next round.
The Brewers (103 wins) and Dodgers (100 wins) both hit triple digits in the win column in the regular season, and they will host NLDS Game 1s on Saturday. The Brewers get the Padres-Cubs winner, while the two-time reigning champion Dodgers get either the Braves or the Phillies.
Below is a look at the full 2026 MLB playoff bracket and the playoff schedule.
2026 MLB playoff bracket
2026 MLB playoff schedule
*if needed
Wild Card Series
Tuesday, Sept. 29
NL Wild Card Series Game 1: Phillies @ Braves, 2 p.m., NBC/fubo
AL Wild Card Series Game 1: White Sox @ Astros, 5 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN
AL Wild Card Series Game 1: Red Sox @ Yankees, 8 p.m., NBC/fubo
NL Wild Card Series Game 1: Cubs @ Padres, 10 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN
Wednesday, Sept. 30
NL Wild Card Series Game 2: Phillies @ Braves, 2 p.m., NBC/fubo
AL Wild Card Series Game 2: White Sox @ Astros, 5 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN
AL Wild Card Series Game 2: Red Sox @ Yankees, 8 p.m., NBC/fubo
NL Wild Card Series Game 2: Cubs @ Padres, 10 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN
Thursday, Oct. 1
NL Wild Card Series Game 3*: Phillies @ Braves, 2 p.m., NBC/fubo
AL Wild Card Series Game 3*: White Sox @ Astros, 5 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN
AL Wild Card Series Game 3*: Red Sox @ Yankees, 8 p.m., NBC/fubo
NL Wild Card Series Game 3*: Cubs @ Padres, 10 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN
Game times subject to change based on Game 3 schedule.
Division Series
Saturday, Oct. 3
ALDS Game 1: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
ALDS Game 1: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
NLDS Game 1: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
NLDS Game 1: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Sunday, Oct. 4
NLDS Game 2: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
NLDS Game 2: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Monday, Oct. 5
ALDS Game 2: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
ALDS Game 2: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
Tuesday, Oct. 6
NLDS Game 3: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
NLDS Game 3: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Wednesday, Oct. 7
ALDS Game 3: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
ALDS Game 3: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
NLDS Game 4*: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
NLDS Game 4*: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Thursday, Oct. 8
ALDS Game 4*: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
ALDS Game 4*: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
Friday, Oct. 9
NLDS Game 5*: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
NLDS Game 5*: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Saturday, Oct. 10
ALDS Game 5*: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
ALDS Game 5*: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
Championship Series
Sunday, Oct. 11
NLCS Game 1: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Monday, Oct. 12
ALCS Game 1: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
NLCS Game 2: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Tuesday, Oct. 13
ALCS Game 2: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
Wednesday, Oct. 14
NLCS Game 3: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Thursday, Oct. 15
ALCS Game 3: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
NLCS Game 4: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Friday, Oct. 16
ALCS Game 4: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
NLCS Game 5*: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Saturday, Oct. 17
ALCS Game 5*: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
Sunday, Oct. 18
NLCS Game 6*: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Monday, Oct. 19
ALCS Game 6*: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
NLCS Game 7*: Fox/FS1/Fox Deportes/fubo
Tuesday, Oct. 20
ALCS Game 7*: TBS, truTV, HBO Max
World Series
Friday, Oct. 23
World Series Game 1: Fox/Fox Deportes/fubo
Saturday, Oct. 24
World Series Game 2: Fox/Fox Deportes/fubo
Monday, Oct. 25
World Series Game 3: Fox/Fox Deportes/fubo
Tuesday, Oct. 27
World Series Game 4: Fox/Fox Deportes/fubo
Wednesday, Oct. 28
World Series Game 5*: Fox/Fox Deportes/fubo
Friday, Oct. 30
World Series Game 6*: Fox/Fox Deportes/fubo
