The World Series 2026 schedule is set. After sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, the Milwaukee Brewers will open the Fall Classic at home on Friday, October 23, against the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays. Every game of the best-of-seven series airs on FOX, with first pitch at 8 p.m. ET, according to the schedule released by Major League Baseball on October 16.

This is the Brewers’ first trip to the World Series since 1982, when the franchise was still in the American League and lost a seven-game Fall Classic to the St. Louis Cardinals. Milwaukee ended that 44-year wait in emphatic fashion, sweeping the two-time defending champion Dodgers in four games and clinching the pennant with a 6-4 comeback win at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night. The Brewers now wait to see which American League club survives a rain-disrupted ALCS to meet them.

World Series 2026 schedule: dates, times, TV channel

MLB announced the full World Series schedule on October 16, with the Brewers hosting Games 1 and 2 at American Family Field because they owned baseball’s best regular-season record. All seven potential games air on FOX, with Spanish-language coverage on FOX Deportes and streaming on FOX One, per FOX Sports. The series follows the standard 2-3-2 format: the Brewers host the first two games, the AL champion hosts Games 3, 4 and 5, and the series returns to Milwaukee for Games 6 and 7 if necessary. Travel days are set for October 25 and October 29.

• Game 1: Friday, Oct. 23 — AL champion at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET, FOX
• Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 24 — AL champion at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET, FOX
• Game 3: Monday, Oct. 26 — Brewers at AL champion, 8 p.m. ET, FOX
• Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 27 — Brewers at AL champion, 8 p.m. ET, FOX
• Game 5*: Wednesday, Oct. 28 — Brewers at AL champion, 8 p.m. ET, FOX
• Game 6*: Friday, Oct. 30 — AL champion at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET, FOX
• Game 7*: Saturday, Oct. 31 — AL champion at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET, FOX

*If necessary.

How the Brewers got here: an NLCS sweep for the ages

The Brewers didn’t just beat the Dodgers — they authored one of the great postseason turnarounds of the modern era. Los Angeles swept Milwaukee in the 2025 NLCS. This time, the Brewers returned the sweep, completing a four-game demolition of the back-to-back champions on October 15. Milwaukee became the first club in MLB history to be swept in a postseason series and sweep the same opponent the following year, according to reports on the series.

The clincher was a masterpiece of Milwaukee resilience. Shohei Ohtani’s three-run homer — his first since August 18 — staked the Dodgers to a 4-0 lead in the second inning, but the Brewers clawed back: Jake Bauers drove in two runs in the fourth, a bases-loaded walk tied it in the fifth, Garrett Mitchell’s sixth-inning solo shot gave Milwaukee its first lead of the night, and David Hamilton added insurance with a ninth-inning homer off Edwin Díaz. Aaron Ashby recorded a three-inning save, per USA Today’s Game 4 coverage.

Bauers was named NLCS MVP after delivering the series’ biggest hits. Every game of the series followed the same script: the Brewers came from behind in all four wins, becoming the first team to sweep a best-of-seven postseason series with four straight comeback victories, per the series record-keeping. Milwaukee’s improbable formula held all October — a club that finished last in the National League in home runs out-homered the star-studded Dodgers seven to one in the series.

As the NL’s top seed, the Brewers had dispatched the San Diego Padres 3-1 in the Division Series, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s playoff tracking.

Who will the Brewers face? Guardians lead Rays 2-1 in a rain-delayed ALCS

As of Friday night, the Brewers’ opponent remains undecided. The Cleveland Guardians lead the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 in the American League Championship Series, but rain has disrupted the schedule. Game 4, originally set for Friday, October 16 in Cleveland, was postponed by weather — the game will now be played Saturday, October 17 at 8 p.m. ET on TBS, HBO Max, truTV and Univision, USA Today reported.

The series has been tight. The Guardians took Game 1, 7-3, in Tampa on October 12, and the Rays answered with a 3-1 win in Game 2. In Game 3 on October 15 — moved up to 1 p.m. ET because of the forecast — Cleveland reclaimed the lead with a 3-2 win at Progressive Field. Petey Halpin’s two-run homer in the fifth was the difference, and closer Cade Smith recorded a four-out save, according to USA Today’s live coverage.

The rest of the ALCS slate: Game 5 (if necessary) is Sunday, October 18 at 5 p.m. ET in Cleveland; Game 6 would be Monday, October 19 at Tropicana Field; and a decisive Game 7 would be Tuesday, October 20, also in Tampa. The Rays hold home-field advantage in the ALCS as the league’s top seed.

Both clubs took contrasting paths to get here. The Rays (98-64) steamrolled the New York Yankees in a three-game ALDS sweep, with Drew Rasmussen carrying a no-hit bid into the eighth inning of the Game 1 shutout, per NBC Sports’ playoff tracking. The Guardians (85-77) authored the postseason’s wildest comeback, falling behind 2-0 to the Chicago White Sox before winning three straight, capped by a 2-0 Game 5 clincher in which José Ramírez homered and Gavin Williams carried a no-hitter through 5⅔ innings.

World Series 2026 storylines to watch

A title drought ends — no matter what

This Fall Classic guarantees a feel-good champion. The Brewers and Rays have never won a World Series, and the Guardians own MLB’s longest championship drought at 77 years, dating back to 1948, per theScore’s coverage of the announced schedule. Whichever pennant the AL winner brings, a fanbase starved for a title will leave October with the Commissioner’s Trophy.

Small-market baseball’s biggest stage

All three surviving clubs rank in the bottom third of the league in payroll, according to theScore. The 2026 World Series is a showcase for roster-building over checkbook-building: the Brewers rode the best record in baseball from baseball’s smallest market, the Rays churned another contender out of the AL East, and the Guardians — the 85-win underdog — are two wins from a pennant.

Rest versus rust for Milwaukee

The Brewers have seven full days off between clinching on October 15 and Game 1 on October 23. That layoff is either a gift or a trap: Milwaukee’s bullpen, one of October’s most dominant units, gets complete rest — but hitters riding one of the hottest stretches in franchise history may need a day or two to find their timing again. If the ALCS runs to a Game 7 on October 20, Milwaukee’s opponent would have just three days off, flipping the rest equation entirely.

The Bauers factor and Milwaukee’s depth

Jake Bauers’ NLCS MVP turn is the latest proof of Milwaukee’s depth. The Brewers didn’t need a $300 million superstar to sweep the Dodgers — they got a two-way Game 4 rally from Bauers, Mitchell and Hamilton, and a bullpen that shut down one of the sport’s most fearsome lineups. Whoever wins the AL pennant, Milwaukee’s roster is built to exploit exactly this kind of matchup.

How to watch the World Series 2026

Every game of the 2026 World Series airs on FOX, with Spanish-language coverage on FOX Deportes and streaming through FOX One, per FOX Sports. FOX also streams via the FOX Sports app and FOXSports.com with a TV provider login. With the Brewers hosting Games 1 and 2 at American Family Field, Milwaukee is six days away from its first World Series home game in 44 years.

World Series 2026 schedule FAQ

When does the World Series 2026 start?
Game 1 is Friday, October 23 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, with the Milwaukee Brewers hosting at American Family Field. The series can run through Game 7 on Saturday, October 31, if necessary.

What channel is the World Series 2026 on?
Every game airs on FOX, with Spanish-language coverage on FOX Deportes and streaming on FOX One, according to FOX Sports and MLB’s announced schedule.

Who do the Brewers play in the World Series?
That remains unconfirmed. Milwaukee faces the winner of the ALCS between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays. As of Friday night, the Guardians lead that series 2-1, with Game 4 rescheduled for Saturday, October 17 at 8 p.m. ET after a rainout.

Which team has home-field advantage in the World Series 2026?
The Brewers. Milwaukee finished with the best regular-season record in baseball (103-59), so the NL champions host Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 at American Family Field, with the AL champion hosting Games 3, 4 and 5 in the 2-3-2 format.