The 2026 Major League season will have an unusual detail: the playoffs will begin before October. The MLB confirmed this Monday the official postseason schedule and established September 29 as the start date of the Wild Card Series, the first step towards the World Series.

The league specified that the dates are still subject to change, although the general scheme has already been defined.

The four wild card series, best of three games, will start on Tuesday, September 29 with Game 1 of each bracket. The second matches will be played on September 30 and, if necessary, the third matches will be played on October 1.

Not all qualified teams will participate in this round. The two best seeds in each league will advance directly to the Division Series and will await the winners of the matches between the third and sixth seeds, and between the fourth and fifth seeds. The teams with the best classification will be home for the entire wild card series.

This is how the road to the World Series will be

The Division Series will begin on Saturday, October 3. This phase will be played in the best of five games with a 2-2-1 format, so the first two games and an eventual fifth game will be played at the home of the highest seed.

If any National League Division Series requires a fifth game, it will be held on October 9. In the American League, an eventual Game 5 was scheduled for October 10.

The Championship Series will maintain the traditional best-of-seven format. The National League will open on Sunday, October 11 and the American League will begin on Monday, the 12th.

MLB pre-set the start of the World Series, regardless of when previous series end.

Game 1 of the Fall Classic will be played on Friday, October 23. The series will be played in the best of seven games with a 2-3-2 format and the team with the best regular season record will have home field advantage.

The league also confirmed two travel days, Oct. 25 and Oct. 29, the latter only if the series goes beyond five games.

If a seventh game is necessary, the 2026 champion will be defined on Saturday, October 31, coinciding with Halloween night.

NBC returns and the offer in Spanish is expanded

One of the most notable announcements was NBC's return to playoff broadcasts for the first time since the 2000 American League Championship Series between the Mariners and the Yankees.

The Wild Card Series will air on NBC, Peacock and NBC Sports Network.

The Divisional and Championship Series of the American League will be seen on TBS, truTV and HBO Max, while those of the National League will be broadcast on FOX or FS1, in addition to FOX Deportes.

All World Series games will be on FOX and FOX Deportes.

Spanish-language coverage will also include television broadcasts on Universo and Univision, and Univision Radio will provide radio commentary of the entire postseason. ESPN Radio will have English audio rights.

MLB also reported that MLB.TV subscribers will be able to access games broadcast by FOX, FS1 and TNT Sports platforms as long as they have valid authentication from a participating television provider.

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