The 2026 World Series is set, and it brings together two franchises chasing the same kind of breakthrough. The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians in six games to claim the American League pennant, and they’ll face the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers to take the National League title.
Friday night’s opener at American Family Field starts a series that guarantees something new for baseball: a first-time champion. Neither Tampa Bay nor Milwaukee has ever won the World Series.
Milwaukee earned home-field advantage by finishing the regular season with 103 wins, while Tampa Bay came in at 98-64. The Brewers also handled the Rays in two of three regular-season meetings, though those games were played in March and carry little weight now with both clubs looking much different after the trade deadline and the grind of October.
The Brewers arrive with a postseason path built on taking down heavyweights. They knocked out San Diego and then ended the Dodgers’ run in the NLCS, with Jake Bauers taking home NLCS MVP honors. Their pitching staff and bullpen kept finding ways to smother dangerous lineups, and their offense has popped at just the right moments, with Jackson Chourio, Bauers and William Contreras delivering key swings.
Tampa Bay’s route was less tidy, but every bit as effective. After dropping behind Cleveland early in the ALCS, the Rays turned the series around and closed it out in six.
Their calling card has been the same thing that carried them through October: pitching, defense and timely hitting. Freddy Peralta has been excellent since joining the Rays, and Drew Rasmussen turned in two dominant outings against Cleveland.
Tampa Bay has also shown it can win the kind of tight, low-scoring games that define a postseason run.
The matchup also comes with some familiar weight for both clubs. Milwaukee is making its second World Series trip and its first since 1982. Tampa Bay is back for the third time after previous appearances in 2008 and 2020.
The full schedule opens with two games in Milwaukee before the series shifts to Tampa Bay:
Friday, Oct. 23
Rays @ Brewers, Game 1: 8 p.m. (FOX/FOX One/FOX Deportes)
Saturday, Oct. 24
Rays @ Brewers, Game 2: 8 p.m. (FOX/FOX One/FOX Deportes)
Monday, Oct. 26
Brewers @ Rays, Game 3: 8 p.m. (FOX/FOX One/FOX Deportes)
Tuesday, Oct. 27
Brewers @ Rays, Game 4: 8 p.m. (FOX/FOX One/FOX Deportes)
Wednesday, Oct. 28
Brewers @ Rays, Game 5: 8 p.m. (FOX/FOX One/FOX Deportes)
Friday, Oct. 30
Rays @ Brewers, Game 6: 8 p.m. (FOX/FOX One/FOX Deportes)
Saturday, Oct. 31
Rays @ Brewers, Game 7: 8 p.m. (FOX/FOX One/FOX Deportes)
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