MLB 2026 Season: Schedule, Standings & Playoff Race Guide
Major League Baseball's roots go back to the National League's founding in 1876, making it one of the oldest organized professional sports leagues anywhere. Here's how the 2026 season is structured. New to streaming sports over IPTV? our beginner's guide to IPTV is a good place to start.
Regular Season Format
30 teams split into the American and National Leagues, each with three divisions, play a 162-game regular season running from late March or early April through late September or early October — by far the longest season of any major North American sport.
Playoff Format
Twelve teams make the postseason — three division winners plus three wild-card teams per league. The two top division winners in each league get a first-round bye, while the rest work through a wild-card round, division series, and league championship series before the World Series between the two league champions.
Key Dates
Spring training runs through March, the regular season spans roughly six months into early October, and the postseason typically concludes with the World Series in late October or early November. As always, exact matchup dates come from MLB's official schedule release.
With 162 games a team across six months, a proper program guide is the easiest way to keep up — see our guide to the EPG for setup details.
FAQ
Why is the MLB season so much longer than other major sports? It comes down to tradition and the sport's schedule format — 162 games has been the standard since the early 1960s, giving baseball by far the highest game count of any major North American league.
How many teams make the playoffs? Twelve total — six per league, including three division winners and three wild cards.
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