Tampa Bay is getting a full slate of places to gather for the Rays’ World Series run, with watch parties and events lining up around town as the 2026 Fall Classic begins against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The matchup already carries a heavy dose of history. The Rays and Brewers have both reached the World Series before, but neither has ever won the championship. That means this series will produce the first Commissioner's Trophy for one of them.
For the Rays, it’s their third trip to the World Series. They fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.
For Milwaukee, it’s the club’s second World Series appearance, after the 1982 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Fans looking to catch the games with a crowd have a few options in Tampa Bay. A running list of official watch parties and events is being updated around the area.
At Tropicana Field, fans can take in Games 1 and 2, plus Games 6 and 7 if necessary, on the big screen while the team is in Milwaukee. General admission is $10, parking is $5, and parking must be purchased in advance. A buffet ticket costs $35, while an all-inclusive option with beer, wine and soft drinks is $60.
Tropicana Field will also host Games 3, 4 and 5 if needed.
In St. Pete, block parties are set for Games 1 and 2 on Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct.
- The parties will run from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., just before first pitch.
Central Avenue will be closed between 13th and 15th Streets, and limited-edition posters will be available.
The 2026 World Series opens with Game 1 on Friday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m., followed by Game 2 on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 8 p.m. Games 3 and 4 are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26 and Tuesday, Oct. 27, both at 8 p.m. Game 5, if needed, is set for Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m., with Games 6 and 7, if needed, following on Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31, both at 8 p.m.
FOX 13 Tampa Bay and FOX are carrying the series, and it can also be streamed through FOX One.
In Other News...
Brewers World Series Run May Hinge On One Massive October Question
The 2026 World Series brings together two franchises still chasing their first title, which gives this matchup an extra layer of urgency even before the first pitch. Tampa Bay and Milwaukee both got here on the strength of strong pitching and enough October depth to survive a long season, and the series already looks like it could come down to how each team navigates the margins where bullpens, matchup plans and late-inning decisions usually decide everything.
For the Rays, one of the biggest questions is not about their offense or their rotation, but about how much relief help they can count on when the games tighten up. Garrett Cleavinger was removed from the ALCS roster with a forearm issue, and any uncertainty around him matters because Tampa Bay has spent the postseason leaning on every available arm. Against a Brewers team built to make runs feel precious, even one bullpen absence can shift the shape of the whole series. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Get An Unexpected World Series Opener Twist From Tampa Bay
The Rays World Series pitching plan has taken a different shape than many around the matchup likely expected, with Kevin Cash opting for Nick Martinez to handle the opener against the Brewers. The move reflects Tampa Bays usual blend of matchup thinking and rest management, with the club leaning on performance splits and the kind of planning that has helped the Rays navigate pressure spots on the road before.
Drew Rasmussen is still positioned to play a major role in the series, just not in Game 1, and Milwaukee will have to adjust its opening-night approach accordingly. The rotation setup also sets up a key sequencing wrinkle later in the series, with Freddy Peralta lined up for Game 3 at Tropicana Field, giving both teams a very different look once the scene shifts to St. Petersburg. [Read more 🡒]
Rays World Series Hopes May Rest On One Dangerous Bullpen Issue
As the Rays chase a title against the Brewers in the 2026 World Series, the spotlight is landing on the part of the roster that can swing October faster than almost anything else: the bullpen. Tampa Bay has gotten here with enough pitching depth to stay alive this deep into the postseason, but the late innings have a way of exposing even the smallest cracks, and ESPNs Jesse Rogers flagged the relief corps as one area that could decide how far this run goes.
The concern is not the whole group so much as the stretch in the middle, where the margin for error gets thin and the matchups get tougher. If the Rays are going to turn this series their way, they may need their starters to go deep or get cleaner work from the relievers who bridge the game to the back end. Otherwise, every close game could come down to whether Tampa Bay can cover the innings it has been able to survive, but not always dominate, so far. [Read more 🡒]