MLB Playoff Bracket 2026

About the MLB playoffs

This page follows the 2026 MLB postseason series by series. The bracket at the top shows every matchup with its seeds and the series score, and the schedule below lists each game with its first-pitch time in US Eastern and, once it is over, the final score.

Twelve teams qualify, six from each league: the three division winners and three wild cards. The two division winners with the best records skip the first round, while the third-best division winner hosts the sixth seed and the fourth seed hosts the fifth, in best-of-three Wild Card Series played entirely at the higher seed's park.

The 2026 postseason began on Tuesday, September 29. The Division Series opened on Saturday, October 3, the NL Championship Series on October 11, the AL Championship Series on October 12 and the World Series on Friday, October 23. It ended on Wednesday, October 28, when the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 for their first championship.

How to use the MLB playoffs

• Read the bracket from left to right: Wild Card Series, Division Series and Championship Series for each league, with the World Series at the bottom.
• Every series shows the two seeds and the wins, and once a team has the wins it needs, who went through; while a series is still alive, the next game is shown too.
• A slot still to be filled names the two teams that can reach it, such as the winner of a Wild Card Series.
• The schedule under the bracket lists every game with both teams set; a game marked If necessary is played only if its series is still alive.
• Regular-season results, night by night, are on the MLB schedule.

MLB playoffs FAQ

From the blog

• Barry Bonds Has the Most Home Runs, but He Trailed Hank Aaron at Every Age Until 42Barry Bonds leads MLB's all-time home run list with 762, then Hank Aaron with 755. By age, Bonds was 14th through 35 and trailed Aaron until his last season.
• Every World Series MVP Since 1955, From Johnny Podres to William ContrerasWilliam Contreras of the Brewers won the 2026 World Series MVP. All 74 awards since 1955 by team and position, with the two-time winners and the co-MVPs.
• Every World Series Winner Since 1903, Led by the Yankees' 27 TitlesThe New York Yankees have won the most World Series titles, 27 of 122 since 1903. Every winner by year, titles by team and decade, and the Brewers' first title.