Major League Baseball released the 2026 schedule and the season begins on Wednesday March 25 with a single Opening Night game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco. It is the earliest scheduled Opening Day in MLB history.
The San Diego Padres, and everyone else in MLB, begin on March 26.The Friars will open at home with a three-game series versus the Detroit Tigers followed by an off day and then another three-game series against the Giants before another off day.
They then hit the road for three games in both Boston and Pittsburgh.
The April schedule then has the Padres playing Colorado twice (home and away) as well as the Mariners and Angels for a heavy American League opening to the season. They also have an April series against Arizona (in Mexico City) and the Cubs.
The heaviest part of the schedule hits after the All-Star break (Philadelphia hosts next season) with two 10-game roadtrips. One in July, right after the break, and one in September. They have 11 days straight at home in May with off days after the first series against the Dodgers and at the end of six games versus the A’s and Phillies. That is their longest stretch of days at home for the season.
As part of their schedule next season, the Padres and the Diamondbacks are slated to play a two-game series in Mexico City on April 25-26. Once again, Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú will host the event. This is a make-up of sorts for the planned series of 2020 that was cancelled during the Covid pandemic. The Padres also played in Mexico City in 2023 against the Giants. That series is followed by a home series against the Cubs and then they will have an off day before three more home games against the White Sox.
The regular season ends with a home series against Arizona with the final game on September 27. The Padres do play their division rivals during September with series against the Dodgers, Rockies, Dbacks and Giants during the month.
