How to watch the 2026 MLB playoffs: a round-by-round guide to where every series airs

The 2026 MLB playoffs bring a shuffled TV map: the Wild Card round moves to NBC and Peacock, the Division and Championship Series split between FOX and TBS (and HBO Max), and the World Series stays on FOX. Here's a round-by-round guide to where every series airs, and the cheapest way to watch the whole thing.

The gist: October baseball looks different this year. For the first time in decades the playoffs aren't on ESPN; they're spread across NBC, FOX, and TBS and their streaming apps, with a new round-by-round map. With the pennant races heating up and the Wild Card round now a few weeks out, here's where every series airs and the cheapest way to follow your team all the way to the World Series.

What changed this year

The headline for October: ESPN is out. After years of carrying the Wild Card round, ESPN is no longer part of the MLB postseason. In its place, NBC and Peacock take over the Wild Card round, marking the return of playoff baseball to NBC for the first time since 2000. The Division Series, Championship Series, and World Series are split between FOX and TBS, much as they were before. We covered the Wild Card shift when the schedule dropped, here; below is the full round-by-round map.

The round-by-round map

Twelve teams make the field, six per league, with the top two division winners in each league getting a first-round bye. Here's where each round airs:

• Wild Card Series (September 29 to October 1): all four series on NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Network. Best-of-three, with the higher seed hosting every game.
• Division Series (begins October 3): the American League series on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max; the National League series on FOX, FS1, and FOX One.
• League Championship Series (begins October 11): the same split, with the ALCS on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max and the NLCS on FOX or FS1 (and FOX One).
• World Series (begins October 23): every game on FOX (and FOX One), with a potential Game 7 on Halloween.

Spanish-language broadcasts run on FOX Deportes, Universo, and Univision.

How to watch it, from cheapest to most complete

Because the postseason is split across NBC, FOX/FS1, and TBS/truTV, no single antenna or app catches everything. Here's how the options stack up:

• An antenna (over the air): pulls in NBC and FOX, which covers the Wild Card round and every FOX game, including the entire World Series. That's a big chunk of October at no monthly cost. What it misses: FS1, TBS, and truTV (so some Division and Championship Series games), plus any Peacock-only Wild Card streams.
• A live-TV streaming service (YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, Sling, or DirecTV): the simplest all-in-one option. Any package that carries NBC, FOX, FS1, TBS, and truTV gets you every round. Double-check that your plan includes TBS and truTV, since those carry the American League Division and Championship Series.
• The streaming-app route (no cable): stack Peacock (Wild Card), HBO Max (the AL Division and Championship Series, via the TBS/truTV simulcast), and FOX One (the NL Division and Championship Series, plus the World Series). Together those three cover the whole bracket. One catch on Peacock: its cheapest Select tier carries no live sports, so you'll need Peacock Premium for the Wild Card games.
• MLB.TV: postseason games on FOX, FS1, and the TBS/truTV platforms are available inside MLB.TV, but only if you authenticate with a pay-TV login for those networks, so it isn't a standalone path to the playoffs.

The bottom line

• Just want the World Series? An antenna or any FOX option (including FOX One) does it.
• Following one team through the whole bracket? The cleanest single answer is a live-TV streaming package that carries NBC, FOX, FS1, TBS, and truTV.
• Going app-only? Peacock plus HBO Max plus FOX One covers every round.

Which of these is actually cheapest depends on which teams you're following and how far they go, and that is exactly the "what's the cheapest correct setup for me?" question StreamCaddy is built to answer.

Not sure which of this week's games you can already watch? StreamCaddy maps the cheapest correct way to watch all of your teams and events for your exact location and subscriptions.

Sources

1. MLB.com — "2026 MLB Playoff and World Series schedule" (all Wild Card Series games air on NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports Network, the first postseason baseball on NBC since the 2000 ALCS; the ALDS and ALCS are simulcast on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max; the NLDS and NLCS air on FOX or FS1 with FOX Deportes and FOX One; all World Series games air on FOX; postseason games on TNT Sports platforms, FOX, and FS1 are available in MLB.TV for authenticated pay-TV subscribers), August 2026 — https://www.mlb.com/news/2026-mlb-playoff-and-world-series-schedule
2. FOX Sports — "How to Watch the 2026 MLB Playoffs: TV Channels, Streaming, Dates" (the Wild Card Series begins Tuesday, Sept. 29; the Division Series begin Oct. 3; the League Championship Series begin Oct. 11; the World Series begins Friday, Oct. 23, with a potential Game 7 on Oct. 31; twelve teams qualify, six per league, and the two highest-seeded division winners in each league receive byes; FOX and FS1 postseason games, including the NLDS, NLCS, and World Series, are available with FOX One), August 2026 — https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/how-watch-2026-mlb-playoffs-tv-channels-streaming-dates
3. Cord Cutters News — "MLB's Wild Card Series Has a New Home This Year as the League Reveals Its 2026 Postseason Schedule" (the Wild Card Series moves to NBC Sports after years on ESPN; the Division and Championship Series split between FOX Sports (FOX, FS1, FOX One) and TNT Sports (TBS, truTV, HBO Max); the World Series remains on FOX; games can be streamed via DIRECTV, Fubo, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and Hulu + Live TV, and FOX and NBC games are available over the air with an antenna), August 2026 — https://cordcuttersnews.com/mlbs-wild-card-series-has-a-new-home-this-year-as-the-league-reveals-its-2026-postseason-schedule/
4. Dodger Blue — "2026 MLB Postseason Schedule: Wild Card Round To World Series Dates & TV Info" (each of the four Wild Card Series is covered by NBC/Peacock/NBC Sports Network; FOX or FS1 with FOX Deportes covers all NL playoff games while TNT Sports simulcasts AL postseason games on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max; FOX presents the World Series; ESPN Radio provides national radio coverage of all postseason games), August 10, 2026 — https://dodgerblue.com/2026-mlb-postseason-schedule-wild-card-round-to-world-series-dates-tv-info/2026/08/10/