Every game of the 2026 World Series airs on FOX from October 23, free over the air with an antenna. Here's the schedule, plus which earlier playoff rounds are free and which are stuck on cable.
The 2026 World Series runs Friday, October 23 through Saturday, October 31, and every single game airs on FOX. That matters more than it sounds: FOX is a full-power broadcast network, so the entire Series is free over the air. No cable login, no streaming subscription, nothing to cancel afterward.
- Network
- FOX, every game
- Dates
- Friday, October 23 to Saturday, October 31, 2026
- Format
- Best of seven, with travel days on October 25 and 29
- First pitch
- World Series games have started around 8:00 PM ET in recent years; MLB and FOX confirm exact times once the matchup is set.
If it goes the distance, Game 7 lands on Halloween night.
Which playoff games are actually free
The World Series is the simple part. The rounds before it are split across broadcast and cable, and the 2026 postseason shuffled things again, so it's worth knowing which games your antenna will actually pull in.
| Round | Network | Free over the air? |
|---|
| Wild Card Series | NBC | Yes |
| NL Division Series | FOX and FS1 | FOX games only |
| AL Division Series | TBS, truTV, HBO Max | No |
| NL Championship Series | FOX and FS1 | FOX games only |
| AL Championship Series | TBS, truTV, HBO Max | No |
| World Series | FOX | Yes, all of it |
The Wild Card round is the change worth noting. NBC has all four series in 2026, moving off ESPN, which means the postseason now opens on free broadcast television rather than behind a cable subscription. The American League rounds are the ones an antenna can't help with: those sit on TBS and its streaming siblings.
The short version: You can watch the Wild Card round and the entire World Series for free with an antenna, plus whichever National League games land on FOX rather than FS1. Point an antenna at your local FOX affiliate from October 23 and you'll get every World Series game.
Not sure what channel FOX is where you live?
FOX affiliates broadcast on a different channel number in nearly every market. Search your city or zip code below to find your local FOX station, its exact channel number, and how strong a signal to expect, so you know well before Game 1 whether your current antenna will pull it in cleanly.
We'll update this post with the matchup, the home team for Game 1, and exact first pitch times as MLB and FOX confirm them.
Need help picking out an antenna to watch the Series? Check out our antenna buying guide.
