The Royals will open the regular season in Atlanta, the first time ever they begin the season in a National League park. Today, MLB unveiled the 2026 regular season schedule, and the Royals will begin play on March 26 at Truist Park against the Braves. This will be the earliest the Royals have ever opened the season. The home opener is scheduled for March 30 against the Twins.
The Cardinals come to town June 18 to 21, although the schedule is a bit odd to accommodate the World Cup. The two teams will
play on Thursday and Friday, with an off day Saturday, and play resuming on Sunday. The Royals will also have an oddly scheduled weekend series against the Phillies on July 4-6, running from Saturday through Monday.
In addition to the Cardinals and Phillies, the National League teams coming to Kauffman Stadium include the Padres (July 17-19), Giants (July 20-22), Cubs (August 7-9), Marlins (September 1-3), and Diamondbacks (Sept 7-9).The Royals will travel to eight National League cities – Atlanta (March 26-29), St. Louis (May 15-17), Cincinnati (June 1-3), Washington (June 15-17), New York (July 7-9), Colorado (July 31-Aug. 2), Los Angeles (Aug. 10-12) and Pittsburgh (Sept. 18-20). The All-Star Game will be played July 14 in Philadelphia.
Game times and promotions will be announced at a later date.
Baseball continues to use its balanced schedule where each team plays every other team in baseball. The Royals will play:
- 52 games vs. American League Central teams (13 games across 4 series vs. all 4 opponents)
- 62 league games vs. American League East and West teams (6-7 games vs. each opponent)
- 48 Interleague games (6 games vs. St. Louis and 3 games vs. all other NL teams)
