World Series schedule 2026: dates, matchups and how teams get there
Key takeaways
- The 2026 World Series runs from October 23 to October 31, with a possible Game 7 on Halloween night.
- The Brewers lead the Dodgers 2-0 in the NLCS after a 7-4 Game 2 win in Milwaukee on October 12.
- The Guardians lead the Rays 1-0 in the ALCS after a 7-3 comeback win in Game 1 on October 12.
The 2026 World Series starts on Friday, October 23. The winner of the National League Championship Series will face the winner of the American League Championship Series. If the series goes the distance, Game 7 will be played on Saturday, October 31.
Where the LCS stands right now
The Milwaukee Brewers lead the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0 in the National League Championship Series. Milwaukee won Game 1 by 2-1 on October 11. Then they took Game 2 by 7-4 on October 12 at American Family Field.
William Contreras starred in Game 2. He hit a game-tying home run in the fifth inning. He added a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth.
He drove in a run with each of his three hits, according to Reuters.
Four Milwaukee relievers retired all 15 batters they faced. JoJo Romero earned the win with a clean sixth inning. Aaron Ashby picked up the save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
The bullpen recorded seven of the Brewers' nine strikeouts.
The Dodgers had chances. They led three separate times in the first five innings. The Brewers answered every time.
Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto lasted just 2 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs on four hits. This is the first time in franchise history that the Brewers have held a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series.
The Dodgers are the two-time defending World Series champions, per the Associated Press. They are trying to become the first NL team to win three straight World Series. They last rallied from a 2-0 deficit in 2020 against the Braves.
In the American League Championship Series, the Cleveland Guardians lead the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0. The Guardians won the ALCS opener 7-3 on October 12 at Tropicana Field. They trailed 2-0 into the sixth inning. Then they scored seven runs over the final four innings.
Chase DeLauter started the comeback with a solo home run in the sixth. Patrick Bailey tied the game with a homer in the seventh. Nathaniel Lowe's two-run single in the eighth gave Cleveland the lead for good.
Jose Ramirez added an RBI single in the ninth. The Rays went ahead early on RBI singles from Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca.
The Rays were the top seed in the AL. They swept the Yankees in the AL Division Series. The Guardians came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the White Sox in five games, per NBC Sports.
The Rays have never won a World Series, according to USA Today. The Guardians' title drought goes back to 1948.
How the LCS format works
The ALCS and NLCS are both best-of-seven series. The first team to win four games takes the series. The winner gets the league pennant and a ticket to the World Series.
The higher seed gets home-field advantage. Games 1 and 2, plus potential Games 6 and 7, are played at the higher seed's park. Games 3, 4, and 5 are at the lower seed's park, per NBC Sports.
That is why the NLCS now moves to Los Angeles. Game 3 is Wednesday, October 14. The Dodgers host it at Dodger Stadium. Game 4 is Thursday, October 15. A Game 5, if needed, is Friday, October 16. The ALCS stays in St.
Petersburg for Game 2 today, October 13. It moves to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on October 15 and 16.
The NLCS schedule
Here is the full National League Championship Series slate. All games air on Fox and FS1, per USA Today.
- Game 1: Sunday, October 11, Milwaukee. Brewers won 2-1.
- Game 2: Monday, October 12, Milwaukee. Brewers won 7-4.
- Game 3: Wednesday, October 14, Los Angeles.
- Game 4: Thursday, October 15, Los Angeles.
- Game 5: Friday, October 16, Los Angeles (if necessary).
- Game 6: Sunday, October 18, Milwaukee (if necessary).
- Game 7: Monday, October 19, Milwaukee (if necessary).
The Brewers need two more wins. The Dodgers need four. Milwaukee is chasing its first World Series appearance since 1982, per the Associated Press.
The ALCS schedule
Here is the full American League Championship Series slate. All games air on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max, per USA Today.
- Game 1: Monday, October 12, St. Petersburg. Guardians won 7-3.
- Game 2: Tuesday, October 13, St. Petersburg, 8 pm ET.
- Game 3: Thursday, October 15, Cleveland, 6 pm ET.
- Game 4: Friday, October 16, Cleveland, 6 pm ET.
- Game 5: Saturday, October 17, Cleveland (if necessary), 8 pm ET.
- Game 6: Monday, October 19, St. Petersburg (if necessary), 5 pm ET.
- Game 7: Tuesday, October 20, St. Petersburg (if necessary), 8 pm ET.
Game 2 starters are Parker Messick for Cleveland and Freddy Peralta for Tampa Bay, per NBC Sports. The Guardians have now won four games in a row in this postseason.
The World Series schedule
The best-of-seven World Series will begin on October 23. It uses a 2-3-2 format. That means two games at one park, three at the other, then two back at the first park. The team with the better regular-season record hosts Games 1, 2, 6, and 7.
The whole series will air on Fox, per True Blue LA. Fox Deportes will carry it in Spanish, per TicketSea.
- Game 1: Friday, October 23, at the team with the better record.
- Game 2: Saturday, October 24, at the team with the better record.
- Game 3: Monday, October 26, at the other team.
- Game 4: Tuesday, October 27, at the other team.
- Game 5: Wednesday, October 28 (if necessary), at the other team.
- Game 6: Friday, October 30 (if necessary), at the team with the better record.
- Game 7: Saturday, October 31 (if necessary), at the team with the better record.
Both remaining NL teams have better regular-season records than the remaining AL teams, per Wikipedia. So the NL champion will hold home-field advantage no matter who wins the ALCS.
What happens next
The next game on the calendar is ALCS Game 2 tonight, October 13, at 8 pm ET. The Guardians will try to take a 2-0 lead on the road. The Rays will try to even the series before it moves to Cleveland.
On Wednesday, October 14, NLCS Game 3 starts in Los Angeles. The Dodgers face a must-win game at home. No team has ever come back from 3-0 in a best-of-seven, so Game 3 is close to a must-win for the champs.
Both LCS winners will then get a short break. The League Championship Series can run as late as October 20. The World Series begins on October 23. That gives the winners at least three days of rest before the Fall Classic.
The Dodgers remain the headline story. They have won the last two World Series. A loss to the Brewers would end their title defense one round before the final.
The Brewers, meanwhile, are two wins from their first pennant since 1982. In the AL, the Guardians chase their first title since 1948, while the Rays chase their first ever.
Check back tonight for the result of ALCS Game 2. The road to October 23 is still wide open.
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