Major League Baseball's 2026 postseason gets underway on Tuesday, Sept. 29 with the best-of-three wild card series – two in each league – that determines which teams advance to the Division Series to face the teams who received a bye.
It's the fifth year under baseball's new postseason format, with three wild-card teams in each league (up from two) for a total of 12 playoff teams. The top two division winners in each league get the bye while the third and the three wild-card teams face off in the short series.
The best-of-five Division Series all begin on Saturday, Oct. 3 and can run through Oct. 10 if an AL series has a winner-take-all Game 5. The best-of-seven National League Championship
Series gets underway on Oct. 11 with the AL following on the 12th, deciding which two teams will advance to the World Series.
The World Series is scheduled to begin on Friday, Oct. 23 with the team who has the better record having home-field advantage in the Fall Classic. If the World Series goes a full seven games, the season would end on Halloween.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the World Series each of the last two seasons and are looking to become the first NL team in history to three-peat.
Here's what to know about the playoffs:
When do MLB playoffs start?
MLB's 2026 postseason begins on Tuesday, Sept. 29 with a quadruple-header featuring all four wild card series.
MLB wild card series schedule
The best-of-three AL and NL wild-card playoffs will begin with all four series playing on the same days. The division winners with the worst overall record in each league, along with the wild-card teams with the best record in each league, will host all games.
- Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29
- Game 2: Wednesday, Sept. 30
- Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 1 (if necessary)
MLB division series schedule
The best-of-five AL and NL division series will open with all four series on the same day. However, the AL and NL games will be staggered after that.
AL division series
- Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 3
- Game 2: Monday, Oct. 5
- Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 7
- Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 8 (if necessary)
- Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 10 (if necessary)
All ALDS games will air on TBS/truTV/HBO Max.
NL division series
- Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 3
- Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 4
- Game 3: Tuesday, Oct. 6
- Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 7 (if necessary)
- Game 5: Friday, Oct. 9 (if necessary)
All NLDS games will air on Fox/FS1.
MLB league championship series schedule
The best-of-seven AL and NL championship series will begin on Oct. 11 and 12.
ALCS schedule
- Game 1: Monday, Oct. 12
- Game 2: Tuesday, Oct. 13
- Game 3: Thursday, Oct. 15
- Game 4: Friday, Oct. 16
- Game 5: Saturday, Oct. 17 (if necessary)
- Game 6: Monday, Oct. 19 (if necessary)
- Game 7: Tuesday, Oct. 20 (if necessary)
All ALCS games will air on TBS/truTV/HBO Max.
NLCS schedule
- Game 1: Sunday, Oct. 11
- Game 2: Monday, Oct. 12
- Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 14
- Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 15
- Game 5: Friday, Oct. 16 (if necessary)
- Game 6: Sunday, Oct. 18 (if necessary)
- Game 7: Monday, Oct. 19 (if necessary)
All NLCS games will air on Fox/FS1.
When is the World Series?
The best-of-seven World Series will begin on Oct. 23 at the home park of the team with the better regular-season record.
- Game 1: Friday, Oct. 23
- Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 24
- Game 3: Monday, Oct. 26
- Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 27
- Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 28 (if necessary)
- Game 6: Friday, Oct. 30 (if necessary)
- Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 31 (if necessary)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When do MLB playoffs start? Full 2026 postseason schedule
