MLB gives each league six postseason spots: three division winners and three Wild Cards. Division winners take seeds 1–3, even if a Wild Card has a better regular-season record; the top two division winners receive byes. Hosting is determined by seed through the League Championship Series, but World Series home field goes to the pennant winner with the better regular-season record.
How the 12 playoff teams are seeded
Each league—the American League and National League—sends six clubs to the postseason: its three division winners and three Wild Card teams. Within a league, the division winners are seeded Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in order of their regular-season records. The Wild Cards are seeds Nos. 4, 5 and 6, also ordered by record. A Wild Card team cannot move ahead of a division winner in the seedings, even if its record is better. Major League Baseball’s format explainer describes the current arrangement.
How the bracket works
Wild Card Series
The top two division winners in each league—the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds—skip the Wild Card round and advance directly to the Division Series. The No. 3 seed plays the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed plays the No. 5 seed. Each Wild Card Series is best-of-three: the first team to win two games advances. The higher seed hosts all games, so the series does not alternate ballparks.
Division Series and fixed bracket
The bracket does not reseed after the Wild Card round. The winner of the 3-versus-6 series faces the No. 2 seed; the winner of the 4-versus-5 series faces the No. 1 seed. As Major League Baseball stated in its September 1, 2026 format explainer, “The No. 1 seed will face the winner of the Wild Card Series between the Nos. 4/5 seeds, while the No. 2 seed will face the winner of the Nos. 3/6 series.” The Division Series is best-of-five. The higher seed hosts Games 1 and 2 and, if needed, Game 5.
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League Championship Series
The League Championship Series (LCS) is best-of-seven. The higher remaining seed has home-field advantage, hosting Games 1 and 2 and, if needed, Games 6 and 7. The winner of each league’s LCS becomes that league’s pennant winner and advances to the World Series.
Which team hosts each round?
| Round | Format | Who hosts, and when |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Card Series | Best-of-three | Higher seed hosts every game. |
| Division Series | Best-of-five | Higher seed hosts Games 1 and 2 and, if needed, Game 5. |
| League Championship Series | Best-of-seven | Higher remaining seed hosts Games 1 and 2 and, if needed, Games 6 and 7. |
| World Series | Best-of-seven | Pennant winner with the better regular-season record hosts Games 1 and 2 and, if needed, Games 6 and 7. |
How World Series home field is decided
World Series hosting is based on the two pennant winners’ regular-season records, not their seeds within their leagues. The team with the better record hosts Games 1 and 2, then—if the series goes that far—Games 6 and 7. If the clubs’ records are tied, MLB uses its regular-season tiebreak order. The rule that gave home field to the league that won the All-Star Game has not applied since 2016. MLB’s postseason FAQ explains the current distinction.
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How MLB resolves ties—and whether Game 163 still exists
MLB no longer schedules a tiebreaker game such as Game 163. Ties that affect a division title, Wild Card place or postseason seeding are settled using regular-season results. For a two-team tie, the criteria are applied in this order:
- Head-to-head record.
- Record within the division.
- Record within the league.
- Record in the second half of intraleague games, after the All-Star break.
- Results in the last half plus one intraleague game, worked backward until the tie is broken.
Three- and four-team ties involve additional group-record procedures, so the two-team sequence should not be treated as a complete rule for those cases. MLB’s tiebreaker explainer provides the relevant procedures.
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What home-field advantage does—and does not—tell you
In the rules, home-field advantage means a team is assigned the specified games at its own ballpark. It does not guarantee a win or establish how much more likely a team is to advance. MLB reported in a 2022 postseason Q&A that home teams won 54.7% of all postseason games, and that home teams won 55.6% of games in the 2020 best-of-three Wild Card Series. The 2020 series was played without fans. Those are historical results reported by MLB, not a current-season estimate or proof that hosting caused a particular outcome. See MLB’s 2022 postseason Q&A.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to check this season’s bracket
The format is stable, but the teams, seeds and game dates change each season. Use MLB’s current standings and postseason bracket coverage for season-specific matchups and schedules rather than carrying over a prior year’s seeds. The rules described here reflect MLB’s September 2026 format and tiebreak explainers.
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