Wild Card Game: Schedule, Format and Results (NFL and MLB)
A wild card game is a game in the opening round of the NFL or Major League Baseball playoffs. The round takes its name from the wild card teams: clubs that qualify for the postseason on their regular-season record alone, without winning a division. This site tracks both versions of the round — the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend and MLB’s Wild Card Series — and clearly separates what has been officially announced from what has not.
The next wild card games
The next wild card games are the NFL’s, for the 2026 season. The NFL has confirmed the dates of every postseason round; it has not yet announced which teams will play, because the field is not set until the regular season ends.
| Round | Date | Matchups |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Card Weekend (six games) | Begins Saturday, January 16, 2027 | To be announced |
| Divisional round (four games) | January 23–24, 2027 | To be announced |
| AFC and NFC Championship Games | Sunday, January 31, 2027 | To be announced |
| Super Bowl LXI, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles | Sunday, February 14, 2027 | To be announced |
Kickoff times and television networks for the individual wild card games are also to be announced. We do not publish projected seeds, matchups or odds as if they were facts. See NFL Wild Card Weekend 2027 for the full confirmed-versus-unannounced breakdown.
How the two wild card rounds differ
| NFL wild card round | MLB wild card round | |
|---|---|---|
| Current name | Wild Card Weekend | Wild Card Series |
| Teams in the round | 12 of the 14 playoff teams | 8 of the 12 playoff teams |
| Length | One game, single elimination | Best-of-three |
| Byes | No. 1 seed in each conference | Top two division winners in each league |
| Pairings | 7 at 2, 6 at 3, 5 at 4 | 6 at 3, 5 at 4 |
| Home games | Higher seed hosts | Higher seed hosts all games |
Start with the NFL wild card format or the MLB wild card format, depending on which sport you came here for.
Most recent NFL wild card results
The six wild card games of the 2025 NFL season were played in January 2026.
| Date | Conference | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, January 10, 2026 | NFC | Los Angeles Rams 34, Carolina Panthers 31 |
| Saturday, January 10, 2026 | NFC | Chicago Bears 31, Green Bay Packers 27 |
| Sunday, January 11, 2026 | AFC | Buffalo Bills 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 24 |
| Sunday, January 11, 2026 | NFC | San Francisco 49ers 23, Philadelphia Eagles 19 |
| Sunday, January 11, 2026 | AFC | New England Patriots 16, Los Angeles Chargers 3 |
| Monday, January 12, 2026 | AFC | Houston Texans 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 6 |
Full recaps: 2026 NFL wild card results and 2025 NFL wild card results.
Most recent MLB wild card results
Baseball’s 2026 Wild Card Series were played from September 29 to October 1, 2026. The Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres advanced to the Division Series.
| Series | Result |
|---|---|
| AL: Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros | White Sox won the series 2–0 |
| AL: Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees | Yankees won the series 2–0 |
| NL: Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves | Braves won the series 2–1 |
| NL: Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres | Padres won the series 2–0 |
Game-by-game detail is on 2026 MLB Wild Card Series, wild card game scores and wild card game times.
Sources: NFL Football Operations (“2026 NFL Schedule Announced”); MLB.com playoff format FAQ and 2026 Wild Card Series broadcast announcement; Wikipedia, “NFL playoffs”, “2025–26 NFL playoffs”, “Wild Card Series”, “2026 American League Wild Card Series” and “2026 National League Wild Card Series”.
Frequently asked questions
What is a wild card game?
A wild card game is a playoff game in the opening round of the NFL or MLB postseason. It is named after the wild card teams that qualify on record alone, without winning their division.
When is the next NFL wild card game?
Wild Card Weekend for the 2026 NFL season begins on Saturday, January 16, 2027, with six games. The matchups, kickoff times and networks are to be announced.
Does MLB still play a one-game wild card game?
No. The single-elimination Wild Card Game was used from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021. Since 2022 the round is a best-of-three Wild Card Series.