2026 MLB playoff schedule: Dates set for full postseason bracket, including World Series start

Four Wild Card Series will open on Sept. 29 Aug 10, 2026 at 1:00 pm ET • 3 min read Getty Images Major League Baseball released this year's postseason schedule Monday afternoon, more than a month before the regular season wraps. The playoffs will officially begin on Tuesday, Sept. 29, with the four Wild Card Series. Those best-of-three sets will conclude no later than Thursday, Oct. 1. From there, the Division Series will begin on Saturday, Oct. 3, with the League Championship Series getting underway no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 11. The 2026 World Series, meanwhile, will kick off on Friday, Oct. 23. A potential Game 7, should it come to that, would take place on Saturday, Oct. 31. Here's the full postseason schedule, beginning with the Wild Card Series. Wild Card Series DayDateSeriesNetwor