How to watch MLB Wild Card games for free this week

The 2026 MLB Playoffs are finally here, and it gets started with one of the most exciting Wild Card Rounds in recent memory. Storied rivalries take center stage in Red Sox vs. Yankees and Braves vs. Phillies; offensive threats Pete Crow-Armstrong and Fernando Tatis Jr. square off in Cubs vs. Padres; and a 2021 ALDS rematch is on deck for White Sox vs. Astros.

It all gets started Tuesday, September 29 at 2 p.m. ET as the road to the 2026 MLB World Series begins. Here’s how to watch every game free this week.

Every game during the Wild Card Round airs on NBC and Universo, and the best way to watch all the games for free is with a 5-day free trial of DIRECTV. Games also stream on fuboTV and Peacock, but free trials vary with those services.

Stream live sports, breaking news and must-see shows, and enjoy up to $30 off your first month of DIRECTV Entertainment.

fuboTV also offers a free trial and has all games in the round, but at this time, the free trial length is only 1 day. Peacock will carry all games as well, but does not offer a free trial.

Sling does not reliably carry local networks, such as ABC or NBC, but it does offer cheap day passes, for fans who want to watch single, specific games and are in markets where the local NBC station is available.

The 2026 MLB playoffs start at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. ET on NBC and Universo, with streaming available via DIRECTV. The Wild Card Round features best-of-three series that run through Thursday, October 1, if necessary.

Here’s the full, can’t miss MLB Wild Card schedule this week.

The best-of-five Divisional Series kick off Saturday, October 3. League Championship series begin on October 11, and the 2026 MLB World Series runs October 23 through October 31.

The MLB playoffs feature 12 teams, with six from the American League and six from the National League. Each league sends its three division winners plus three Wild Card teams, which are the non-division winners with the best records.

The top two division winners in each league earn a first-round bye straight to the Division Series. The remaining four teams play in the Wild Card Series, where the No. 3 seed faces the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 seed faces the No. 5 seed in a best-of-three series. All games are hosted by the higher seed.

After that, the postseason moves to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series. The American League and National League champions then meet in the best-of-seven World Series to decide the MLB champion. Teams are not reseeded after the Wild Card round, so the bracket stays fixed throughout October.

Ben Axelson is the eCommerce Content Supervisor for syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, covering sports, TV, streaming and tickets for teams including the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, New York Giants, New York...

This article was produced with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by Syracuse.com staff.