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MLB playoff bracket 2026
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This is the 2026 MLB postseason bracket, drawn from MLB's own standings feed each time the page loads. Until the regular season ends on Sunday, September 27, it shows the field as if the season ended today, and the seeds move as the last games are played.
HideScore is a sports board that never prints a score. Series winners here wait behind one tap, so a finished series is never shown to you unasked. The Odds tab beside the bracket has each club's chances, and the Picks tab lets you fill out a bracket of your own.
How the 12-team bracket is built
Six clubs from each league get in. The three division winners take seeds 1, 2 and 3, ordered by record, and the three best records among everyone else take seeds 4, 5 and 6 as wild cards. Seeds 1 and 2 skip the first round. In the best-of-three Wild Card Series the 3 seed hosts the 6 and the 4 seed hosts the 5, with every game at the higher seed's park. The 3-6 winner then plays the 2 seed and the 4-5 winner plays the 1 seed in a best-of-five Division Series. The two survivors meet in a best-of-seven League Championship Series, and the two pennant winners meet in a best-of-seven World Series.
The 2026 postseason calendar
All four Wild Card Series start on Tuesday, September 29, and a third game, where one is needed, is on Thursday, October 1. The ALDS and NLDS both begin on Saturday, October 3. The NLCS opens on Sunday, October 11 and the ALCS a day later on Monday, October 12. World Series Game 1 is Friday, October 23, and a Game 7 would be played on Saturday, October 31.
Who carries each round on TV
Each round's column in the bracket names its network, so you can see where a series airs without leaving the page. For 2026 the Wild Card Series is on NBC and Peacock in both leagues. The ALDS and ALCS are on TBS and HBO Max. The NLDS and NLCS are on FOX and FS1, and the World Series is on FOX.
Seats that are still open
While a seat has not been clinched, its card lists the clubs outside the six that can still take it, under a small Chasing this spot label, each with its own chance of making the playoffs. A club chases one seat, the division lead when that is its likelier road and otherwise the last wild card still open. A clinched club carries a check mark, and its seat takes no chasers. Empty seats further on say where they are filled from, such as the winner of a named wild-card pair.
Series winners, one tap away
When a series ends, MLB's postseason feed names the winner, and that club moves into the seat its pairing feeds while the loser stays on its card, dimmed. On this page those results wait behind a Show series results button, because a winner is exactly the thing a viewer on delay is avoiding. The tap counts for this visit only, so coming back after the next series never shows it to you unasked. A seed can give something away too. If your club dropped from the 4 seed to the 5 overnight, the bracket just told you how last night's game ended, which is why HideScore's main board keeps this whole panel under a cover.
Pick the whole bracket before it locks
The Picks tab turns the same bracket into a pick sheet. Choose a winner for each series, enter a name, and your bracket joins a shared leaderboard. A right wild-card pick is worth 1 point, a Division Series pick 2, a League Championship pick 4 and the World Series 8, so the champion matters more than a perfect first round. Picks lock at the first pitch of the first wild-card game on September 29. Seeds can still move until the regular season ends, and a pick that a moved seed touches is cleared so you can make it again.
What HideScore helps with
- The full 2026 bracket for both leagues, drawn live from MLB's standings.
- Clubs still chasing an open seat, listed under that seat with their odds.
- The network for every round, from NBC's wild-card games to FOX's World Series.
- A Picks tab to call every series before the September 29 first pitch.
- Series winners behind one tap, so a finished series is never shown unasked.
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Open the spoiler-free boardFrequently asked questions
What does the MLB playoff bracket look like right now?
The panel at the top of this page draws it from MLB's live standings, six seeds in each league, the two wild-card pairings on each side and the Division Series seats waiting for their winners. Until the last day of the regular season it is the bracket as if the season ended today. Once a series ends, its winner moves into the next round.
When do the 2026 MLB playoffs start?
The regular season ends on Sunday, September 27. The Wild Card Series starts on Tuesday, September 29 and runs through Thursday, October 1. Both Division Series open on Saturday, October 3.
How many teams make the MLB playoffs?
Twelve. Each league sends six, its three division winners and its three best remaining records as wild cards.
Which teams get a bye in the MLB playoffs?
Seeds 1 and 2 in each league. Those are the two division winners with the best records, and they skip the Wild Card Series and wait in the Division Series.
Does MLB reseed the bracket after each round?
No. The bracket is fixed on the final day of the regular season. The winner of 3 against 6 always meets the 2 seed, and the winner of 4 against 5 always meets the 1 seed, however the first round goes.
When is the 2026 World Series?
Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, October 23. A seventh game, if the series needs one, falls on Saturday, October 31. FOX has the World Series.
Can I fill out an MLB playoff bracket here?
Yes. The Picks tab in the same panel lets you choose a winner for every series, from the wild-card round to the World Series, and enter your bracket under a name on a shared leaderboard. Picks lock at the first pitch of the first wild-card game.
Will looking at the bracket spoil a game I recorded?
The seeds can, because their order is worked out from every result so far. Series winners stay hidden until you tap Show series results, and that tap lasts only for your visit. On HideScore's main board the whole panel sits under a cover.