NBC Sports to broadcast 2026 MLB Wild Card Series across NBC, Peacock and NBCSN

NBC Sports announced that its exclusive coverage of the 2026 Major League Baseball Wild Card Series will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and run through Thursday, Oct. 1. The schedule includes four best-of-three series, two games each day on NBC or Peacock and two on Peacock or NBCSN. The National League East champion Atlanta Braves will host the Philadelphia Phillies at 2 p.m. ET, followed by the Houston Astros hosting the Chicago White Sox at 5 p.m. ET. A primetime matchup between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees is set for 8 p.m. ET, and the Chicago Cubs will play the San Diego Padres at 10 p.m. ET.

If necessary, Game 3s for each series will be played on Thursday, Oct. 1, with exact times to be determined after Wednesday’s results. Spanish-language coverage of the Phillies-Braves game and the first three games on Wednesday will be provided by Universo, and SAP will be available on Peacock for all contests.

Ahmed Fareed will host pre-game shows on Peacock and NBCSN at 1:30 p.m. ET, and a post-game show will follow the Cubs-Padres nightcap from NBC Sports studios in Stamford, Conn., featuring Hall of Famer CC Sabathia and former All-Star Eric Hosmer. Bob Costas will be on site at Yankee Stadium for pre-game coverage alongside Anthony Rizzo.

A media conference call to preview the coverage is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 28, at 3 p.m. ET, with participants including play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti, former player Anthony Rizzo and former MVP Joey Votto.

"We are thrilled to bring fans comprehensive, multi-platform coverage of the Wild Card Series, highlighted by the classic Red Sox-Yankees rivalry," said an NBC Sports spokesperson.

The network highlighted its long-standing relationship with baseball, noting that NBC aired the first televised MLB game in 1939 and has broadcast more World Series than any other network.