The earliest domestic Opening Day, America’s 250th birthday, and much more highlight the 2026 MLB schedule
Photo Credit: Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball released its 2026 season schedule on Tuesday, which includes an early Opening Day, the Athletics making their Las Vegas debut, a special Subway Series matchup, and much more. Let’s highlight the biggest games and events on the 2026 MLB calendar.
The 2026 MLB season will mark the earliest Opening Day on American soil. The New York Yankees will visit the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday, March 25, while everyone else will begin their seasons the following day. While Opening Day games have been played at earlier dates overseas, this will be the earliest the MLB regular season starts domestically. The previous earliest Opening Day was March 27, 2025. For the first time since 2023, there will be no international series to open the MLB season.
Along with there being no international series to start the season, MLB didn’t make note of any other international or specialty games when the schedule was released on Tuesday. According to multiple credible reports from The Athletic, MLB will return to Dyersville, Iowa, for the third edition of the Field of Dreams game, featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and the Minnesota Twins. The league hasn’t made an official announcement, but the Phillies and Twins will play a three-game series from Friday, August 14, through Sunday, August 16, with the Twins being the home team. The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks are set to play a two-game series in Mexico City, Mexico, in late April, but those details are still being finalized. While it looks like the London Series won’t return for the second consecutive season, the popular MLB Little League Classic will likely return.
“Rivalry Weekend” returns for its second season after the league debuted the initiative this year. Teams will play in-city, in-state, or divisional teams on the weekend of May 15 through May 17. Some of the intriguing rivalry series are the Yankees at the New York Mets, the Chicago Cubs at the Chicago White Sox, the “Freeway Series” between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels, and an in-state matchup with the Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Athletics will play two series in Las Vegas next season. The Athletics will make their debut in the city they are soon to call home by the end of this decade. They will host the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies from June 8 through June 14 at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Athletics’ Triple-A team, the Las Vegas Aviators. The Athletics will continue to play the rest of their home games at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California, for a second consecutive season.
The schedule makers had a more difficult task this season, as they had to work around the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted in America, Canada, and Mexico next summer. The matches will take place in June and July, the heart of the baseball season. Many MLB teams share parking lots with the football or soccer stadiums hosting the World Cup matches, including Texas, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Seattle. Extra off days, extended road trips, and doubleheaders were added to avoid scheduling conflicts with FIFA. The World Cup Final takes place on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, across the river from New York City, where the Yankees will host the Dodgers in a 2024 World Series rematch that same day.
The 96th MLB All-Star Game will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love last hosted an MLB All-Star Game in 1996. The game will coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which was signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1776. To accommodate for the All-Star Game preparation and World Cup games happening across the street at Lincoln Financial Field, the Phillies will have just four home games and one day off in a 21-day span from the end of June to the middle of July. The Home Run Derby and All-Star Game will take place on Monday, July 13, and Tuesday, July 14.
There has been no official word from the league or team on where the Tampa Bay Rays will be playing home games next season. The Rays are currently using George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the Yankees, after the roof of Tropicana Field was destroyed by Hurricane Milton in 2024. The Rays and the City of St. Petersburg are working on installing a new roof, with the Rays’ home opener set for April 6. The Rays will start the season on a nine-game road trip, something the team reportedly requested to allow more time to get the stadium ready, which they expect to happen by then.
September 11, 2026, marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on New York City. The Yankees will host the Mets for a three-game series from Friday, September 11, through Sunday, September 13. This is the second time both New York teams have met on 9/11. The Mets hosted the Yankees on that day five years ago to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
Sunday, September 27, is the final day of the regular season, with all 30 teams in action. The final weekend will feature nine divisional matchups, including the Baltimore Orioles visiting the Yankees, the St. Louis Cardinals visiting the Brewers, the Seattle Mariners hosting the Angels, and the Giants hosting the Dodgers. The dates for the 2026 MLB Postseason will be released later next season.
