How does the 2026 MLB Championship Series format work?

Both Championship Series are best-of-seven rounds played in a 2-3-2 pattern, and each one decides a league pennant. The higher seed hosts Games 1, 2 and, if the series runs that far, Games 6 and 7; the lower seed hosts Games 3, 4 and 5. Nothing is reseeded between rounds, so the bracket that came out of the Division Series on 10 October 2026 stands all the way to the World Series.

The two series run in parallel. The National League Championship Series (NLCS) opened on Sunday 11 October 2026 in Milwaukee, and the American League Championship Series (ALCS) opens on Monday 12 October 2026 in St. Petersburg. At least one LCS game is scheduled every day from 11 to 19 October 2026, with 20 October 2026 held for a possible ALCS Game 7.

When does each series start, and how do the two schedules line up?

The full 2026 LCS calendar fits in one table, and reading the two columns side by side is the fastest way to plan a viewing week. Monday 12 October carries games from both leagues, and the middle of the month stacks doubleheaders on 15 and 16 October.

All times are Eastern. Games marked with an asterisk are played only if necessary. One quirk is worth flagging: the two series start a day apart and finish a day apart. A full seven-game NLCS would end on Monday 19 October 2026, while a full seven-game ALCS would end on Tuesday 20 October 2026, because the ALCS sits out 14 October while the NLCS plays Game 3 and the NLCS sits out 17 October while the ALCS plays its possible Game 5. If both series run long, Monday 19 October also stacks a possible NLCS Game 7 at 8:00 PM ET three hours after a possible ALCS Game 6 at 5:00 PM ET.

How did the four LCS teams get here?

The NLCS is a rematch of the 2025 NLCS, which the Los Angeles Dodgers swept 4-0. Milwaukee arrives with the best record in baseball at 103-59, a franchise record that beat the 97 wins the club posted in 2025, and the best run differential in the majors. The Brewers beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 in the Division Series. The Dodgers finished 100-62, won the National League West, and removed the Atlanta Braves 3-1.

The ALCS pairs the top two seeds in the American League. The Tampa Bay Rays went 98-64, won the AL East for the first time since 2021, and swept the New York Yankees 3-0 in the Division Series by scores of 1-0, 5-2 and 4-3. The Cleveland Guardians won the AL Central at 85-77 and became the 11th team in MLB history to win a best-of-five series after trailing 0-2, beating the Chicago White Sox in five after dropping the first two games.

Where are the games played, and what should you wear to each ballpark?

Four ballparks host the 2026 Championship Series, and two of them have roofs. Milwaukee's American Family Field can close its retractable roof against a Wisconsin October, St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field is a fixed dome that reopened for 2026 after roughly $60 million in hurricane repairs, Dodger Stadium sits outdoors in a mild Los Angeles October, and Progressive Field is an open-air lakefront park in Cleveland. The Rays went 55-26 at the Trop this season, a home record tied with Milwaukee for the best in MLB.

What that means for clothing differs by stop, and it is the one part of the LCS trip that no schedule table will tell you.

1. Roofed buildings: dress for the concourse, not the weather. Inside American Family Field and Tropicana Field the temperature is controlled, so a jersey on its own is enough for the seats.
2. Open-air nights: plan a layer. Dodger Stadium evenings in October are usually comfortable, but Progressive Field sits on Lake Erie, and a mid-October night game there regularly takes a hoodie or jacket over or under the jersey.
3. Pick the cut you will actually wear. A supporter replica cut is the roomier, layering-friendly choice for cold stands; close-fitting on-field cuts are labelled as such in the product title.

How can you watch the NLCS and the ALCS?

The two series split across two broadcast families, and both are easy to follow from outside the United States because ESPN Radio carries every postseason game nationally. The 2026 LCS TV picture looks like this.

Time zones shape the viewing week. The NLCS opens with 8:00 PM and 5:00 PM Eastern starts out of Central-time Milwaukee, and then the Los Angeles half of the series pushes first pitches back to 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM Eastern. The ALCS never leaves the Eastern time zone, and its 6:00 PM starts on 15 and 16 October are the earliest regular slots of the round.

What is at stake for all four franchises?

The two series carry opposite kinds of history. Milwaukee is playing for the first World Series title in club history and its first pennant since 1982, when the franchise still played in the American League. Los Angeles is chasing a third consecutive championship after winning the 2024 and 2025 World Series, and it was the Dodgers who eliminated Milwaukee 4-0 in the 2025 NLCS, outscoring the Brewers 15-4 across four games.

Game 1 in Milwaukee was built around a starting-pitching duel: Tarik Skubal (12-7), the two-time defending American League Cy Young winner, took the ball for the Dodgers against Jacob Misiorowski (16-5), who led MLB in ERA at 1.80 and in strikeouts at 252. In the American League, Tampa Bay is chasing a third pennant after the 2008 and 2020 World Series runs, with Junior Caminero's 42 home runs powering the lineup, while Cleveland seeks its first title since 1948.

Which Championship Series jerseys are in stock?

All four LCS clubs are stocked, which is not always the case deep into October. As of 12 October 2026 the Rays collection holds 13 jerseys, the Guardians, Brewers and Dodgers collections hold 16 each, and adult replicas across the four teams are priced at $59.77. The name and number printed on the product photo is the print that ships, because there is no name field at checkout.

Tampa Bay RaysHome Jersey · CAMINERO 13White home replica with navy lettering · the Rays went 55-26 at the Trop in 2026View this shirtCleveland GuardiansHome Jersey · KWAN 38White home replica with red trim · the Guardians won the AL Central at 85-77View this shirtMilwaukee BrewersHome Jersey · YELICH 22Cream home replica with navy and gold · the Brewers won a franchise-record 103 gamesView this shirtLos Angeles DodgersHome Jersey · OHTANI 17White home replica with royal script · the Dodgers have won the last two World SeriesView this shirt

Rays jerseys Guardians jerseys Brewers jerseys Dodgers jerseys All MLB jerseys

For the round-by-round bracket this series sits inside, our MLB postseason 2026 guide tracks the path to the World Series, and the World Series itself starts on Friday 23 October 2026 on FOX. If your viewing week stretches past baseball, the NHL 2026-27 season guide covers a league that opened on 29 September, and the NBA 2026-27 season guide covers one that starts on 20 October.

Every date, tip-off time, venue and record on this page was verified against MLB.com on 12 October 2026.