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  5. Playoff Bracket

MLB Playoff Bracket

The 2026 MLB playoff bracket as the current records seed it: six clubs from each league, the two first-round byes, and every series from the Wild Card round through the World Series. Seeds move with every game until the regular season ends, so each card is labelled as a projection.
6 of 12 clubs confirmedUpdated Tuesday, Sep 22, 2026 · 1:21 PM ET
How this bracket is built: Seeds come from the clubs' current records. The three division leaders take seeds 1–3 — every division leader is seeded above every wild card, however good the wild card's record — and the next three records in each league take the wild cards. This is today's seeding, not the final field: it moves with every game until the regular season ends. The pairings are not projected at all: MLB does not reseed, so the No. 1 seed always plays the 4/5 winner and the No. 2 seed the 3/6 winner.
The bracket

2026 MLB playoff bracket

Eleven series, both leagues. The top two seeds in each league skip the Wild Card round; the third division winner does not, and plays as the No. 3 seed — the detail that makes MLB's bracket different from every other league's.
Wild CardSep 29 – Oct 1
First-round bye1TB95-60Plays the 4/5 winner
PROJECTEDBest of 3
4NYY89-665BOS84-72Winner meets the No. 1 seed
First-round bye2CLE81-75Plays the 3/6 winner
PROJECTEDBest of 3
3TEX78-786CWS80-76Winner meets the No. 2 seed
Division SeriesOct 3 – Oct 9
AFTER WCBest of 5
1TB95-604/5WCwinnerNo. 1 seed hosts
AFTER WCBest of 5
2CLE81-753/6WCwinnerNo. 2 seed hosts
ALCSOct 11 – Oct 19
AFTER DSBest of 7
DSwinner29%DSwinner16%Market favourite: Tampa Bay 29%
World SeriesOct 23 – Oct 31
AFTER LCSBest of 7
ALAL championNLNL championMarket favourite: Los Angeles 31%
NLCSOct 11 – Oct 19
AFTER DSBest of 7
DSwinner28%DSwinner41%Market favourite: Los Angeles 41%
Division SeriesOct 3 – Oct 9
AFTER WCBest of 5
1MIL98-584/5WCwinnerNo. 1 seed hosts
AFTER WCBest of 5
2LAD96-603/6WCwinnerNo. 2 seed hosts
Wild CardSep 29 – Oct 1
First-round bye1MIL98-58Plays the 4/5 winner
PROJECTEDBest of 3
4CHC87-695SD87-69Winner meets the No. 1 seed
First-round bye2LAD96-60Plays the 3/6 winner
PROJECTEDBest of 3
3ATL92-646PHI86-70Winner meets the No. 2 seed
AL
NL
Every series

All eleven postseason series

The same eleven series as plain rows, with the format each one is played over. Every matchup here is the one these projected seeds imply.
All eleven series of the 2026 MLB postseason as this bracket projects them, with the round, the matchup, the format and the dates.
RoundMatchupFormatDatesStatus
AL Wild CardNo. 4 New York Yankees vs No. 5 Boston Red SoxBest of 3Sep 29 – Oct 1PROJECTED
AL Wild CardNo. 3 Texas Rangers vs No. 6 Chicago White SoxBest of 3Sep 29 – Oct 1PROJECTED
AL Division SeriesNo. 1 Tampa Bay Rays vs the winner of the 4 v 5 seriesBest of 5Oct 3 – Oct 9AFTER WILD CARD
AL Division SeriesNo. 2 Cleveland Guardians vs the winner of the 3 v 6 seriesBest of 5Oct 3 – Oct 9AFTER WILD CARD
AL Championship Seriesa Division Series winner vs the other Division Series winnerBest of 7Oct 11 – Oct 19AFTER DIVISION SERIES
NL Wild CardNo. 4 Chicago Cubs vs No. 5 San Diego PadresBest of 3Sep 29 – Oct 1PROJECTED
NL Wild CardNo. 3 Atlanta Braves vs No. 6 Philadelphia PhilliesBest of 3Sep 29 – Oct 1PROJECTED
NL Division SeriesNo. 1 Milwaukee Brewers vs the winner of the 4 v 5 seriesBest of 5Oct 3 – Oct 9AFTER WILD CARD
NL Division SeriesNo. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers vs the winner of the 3 v 6 seriesBest of 5Oct 3 – Oct 9AFTER WILD CARD
NL Championship Seriesa Division Series winner vs the other Division Series winnerBest of 7Oct 11 – Oct 19AFTER DIVISION SERIES
World Seriesthe American League champion vs the National League championBest of 7Oct 23 – Oct 31AFTER BOTH LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Kalshi market view

Pennant and World Series odds

Pennant and World Series prices for the twelve clubs this bracket seeds. These are the markets on the rounds the board can't price directly.

American League bracket odds

Kalshi's 2026 pennant and World Series prices for the American League clubs this bracket projects into the postseason, in projected seed order.
SeedTeamRoutePennantWorld Series7d changeTrade
1Tampa Bay RaysDivision winner29%10%+1ppTrade
2Cleveland GuardiansDivision winner16%4%+2ppTrade
3Texas RangersDivision winner8%2%+1ppTrade
4New York YankeesWild card21%9%−3ppTrade
5Boston Red SoxWild card14%5%+1ppTrade
6Chicago White SoxWild card10%2%−1ppTrade

National League bracket odds

Kalshi's 2026 pennant and World Series prices for the National League clubs this bracket projects into the postseason, in projected seed order.
SeedTeamRoutePennantWorld Series7d changeTrade
1Milwaukee BrewersDivision winner28%16%0ppTrade
2Los Angeles DodgersDivision winner41%31%−2ppTrade
3Atlanta BravesDivision winner13%6%0ppTrade
4Chicago CubsWild card9%5%0ppTrade
5San Diego PadresWild card8%5%+2ppTrade
6Philadelphia PhilliesWild card9%5%−1ppTrade
First-round pairings

What the first-opponent market says

Kalshi lists a separate market on who each club's first playoff opponent will be. Six clubs in this bracket have one, and it is worth comparing against the pairings above — this market prices the matchup directly, where the board infers it from the projected seeds.

Atlanta Braves

First opponent
  • Philadelphia Phillies54%
  • San Diego Padres26%
  • Chicago Cubs10%
  • Arizona Diamondbacks6%
5% chance of missing the postseason entirely.See the full market →

Boston Red Sox

First opponent
  • New York Yankees92%
  • Tampa Bay Rays7%
  • Chicago White Sox5%
  • Houston Astros5%
5% chance of missing the postseason entirely.See the full market →

Los Angeles Dodgers

First opponent
  • Atlanta Braves54%
  • Philadelphia Phillies24%
  • San Diego Padres13%
  • Chicago Cubs11%
5% chance of missing the postseason entirely.See the full market →

Milwaukee Brewers

First opponent
  • Chicago Cubs43%
  • San Diego Padres36%
  • Atlanta Braves22%
  • Philadelphia Phillies16%
5% chance of missing the postseason entirely.See the full market →

New York Yankees

First opponent
  • Boston Red Sox93%
  • Tampa Bay Rays7%
  • Chicago White Sox6%
  • Houston Astros6%
6% chance of missing the postseason entirely.See the full market →

Tampa Bay Rays

First opponent
  • New York Yankees56%
  • Boston Red Sox45%
  • Chicago White Sox6%
  • Houston Astros6%
6% chance of missing the postseason entirely.See the full market →
How it works

How to read the MLB playoff bracket

Twelve clubs reach the MLB postseason — six from each league. The three division winners are seeded 1–3 by record and the three wild cards 4–6, and every division winner is seeded above every wild card: a 100-win wild card is still the No. 4 seed behind an 84-win division champion.

The top two seeds in each league get a bye straight to the Division Series. The other four play a best-of-three Wild Card Series — 3 v 6 and 4 v 5 — with all three games at the higher seed's park. There is no reseeding afterwards, so the bracket is fixed from the start: the No. 1 seed plays whoever comes out of 4 v 5, and the No. 2 seed plays whoever comes out of 3 v 6.

The seeds here are read from the clubs' own records, which is what MLB seeds by. The three division leaders take 1–3 in record order and the next three records take the wild cards. What that does not mean is that the bracket is settled: these are the seeds as of the last update, and a single weekend can move a division leader into a wild card. Every card is labelled "PROJECTED" for that reason, not because the seeds are guesswork.

6 of the twelve clubs shown are in the field as a matter of record rather than of projection — either the exchange has graded and paid out their playoff-qualifier contract, or their record can no longer be caught for a place. Where they are seeded still moves with the results.

One market on this page prices a pairing directly rather than by inference. Kalshi's "First Playoff Opponent" family asks who a given club will actually face first, including a line for it missing the postseason entirely — so where that market exists it is the best available check on the bracket above, and the two disagreeing is information rather than a bug.

Round dates come from MLB's published postseason calendar. Every figure here is a market probability rather than a forecast we produce: while a contract is open it comes from Kalshi's order book and moves when traders move it, and once the exchange has graded one it carries that settled result instead.

FAQ

MLB playoff bracket questions

How does the 2026 MLB playoff bracket work?
Twelve clubs qualify, six per league. The top two seeds in each league get a bye to the best-of-five Division Series. Seeds 3 through 6 play a best-of-three Wild Card Series — 3 v 6 and 4 v 5, all games at the higher seed's park. The 4/5 winner then plays the No. 1 seed and the 3/6 winner plays the No. 2 seed; there is no reseeding. The Division Series winners meet in a best-of-seven Championship Series, and the two league champions meet in the best-of-seven World Series.
Which MLB teams get a first-round bye?
The top two seeds in each league — four clubs in total. Note that this is not the same as the division winners: MLB has three division champions per league, and the lowest-seeded of them plays in the Wild Card round as the No. 3 seed.
How are the seeds on this bracket decided?
From the clubs' current win-loss records, which is what MLB seeds by: the three division leaders take seeds 1 through 3 in record order, and the next three records in each league take the wild cards. Every card still reads "PROJECTED" because the seeds move with every game until the regular season ends.
Who is favored to win the 2026 World Series?
Los Angeles Dodgers, at 31% on Kalshi as of this update. That is a live market price on the World Series contract, not a projection — it moves as traders trade it.
Who is favored to win the American League pennant?
Tampa Bay Rays, at 29% on Kalshi. The pennant market prices the AL Championship Series outcome directly, which is why it appears on that card in the bracket above.
Who is favored to win the National League pennant?
Los Angeles Dodgers, at 41% on Kalshi. The pennant market prices the NL Championship Series outcome directly, which is why it appears on that card in the bracket above.
When does the 2026 MLB postseason start?
The Wild Card Series run Sep 29 – Oct 1. The Division Series follows Oct 3 – Oct 9; The Championship Series follows Oct 11 – Oct 19; The World Series follows Oct 23 – Oct 31.
Why does this bracket say "projected" even for teams that have clinched?
Because clinching a postseason spot and holding a particular seed are different facts. A settled qualifier contract says a club is in the field; its seed depends on where the records finish, and those are still moving. A club can clinch in August and drop from a bye to a wild card in the last week.
Related MLB pages

Continue exploring the postseason

The markets this bracket is seeded from, and the rest of Kalshi's MLB coverage.
MLB playoff pictureMLB wild card standingsMLB magic numbersMLB playoff oddsAll MLB marketsPro Baseball Champion
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Every MLB team

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MLB championship market

Who wins the World Series?

Buy Yes if you think the team wins it all. Buy No if you think it won't.
  • Los Angeles Dodgers31%
    Yes 30.6¢No 69.5¢
  • Milwaukee Brewers16%
    Yes 16.3¢No 84.3¢
  • Tampa Bay Rays10%
    Yes 9.8¢No 90.3¢
  • New York Yankees9%
    Yes 9.2¢No 90.9¢
  • Atlanta Braves6%
    Yes 6.3¢No 94¢
  • Boston Red Sox5%
    Yes 5.7¢No 95.1¢
  • San Diego Padres5%
    Yes 5.4¢No 94.9¢
  • Chicago Cubs5%
    Yes 5.3¢No 94.9¢
See all 30 teams