Two leagues play a wild card round, at opposite ends of the calendar: MLB in late September or early October, the NFL in January. Here is the complete schedule for both, with unannounced details marked as such.
Every date, filterable
| Season | League | Round | Date | Game or result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Begins Saturday, January 16, 2027 | Six games — matchups, days and kickoff times to be announced | Date confirmed |
| 2026 | NFL | Divisional round | January 23–24, 2027 | Four games — matchups to be announced | Date confirmed |
| 2026 | NFL | Conference Championships | Sunday, January 31, 2027 | AFC and NFC Championship Games — matchups to be announced | Date confirmed |
| 2026 | NFL | Super Bowl | Sunday, February 14, 2027 | Super Bowl LXI, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles | Date confirmed |
| 2027 | MLB | Wild Card Series | To be announced | MLB's next wild card round follows the 2027 regular season | To be announced |
| 2026 | MLB | Wild Card Series | Thursday, October 1, 2026 | NL Game 3, 8 p.m. ET — Braves 6, Phillies 2 | Final |
| 2026 | MLB | Wild Card Series | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | NL Game 2, 2 p.m. ET — Phillies 4, Braves 3 (10 innings) | Final |
| 2026 | MLB | Wild Card Series | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | AL Game 2, 5 p.m. ET — White Sox 7, Astros 3 | Final |
| 2026 | MLB | Wild Card Series | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | AL Game 2, 8 p.m. ET — Yankees 9, Red Sox 2 | Final |
| 2026 | MLB | Wild Card Series | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | NL Game 2, 10 p.m. ET — Padres 4, Cubs 1 | Final |
| 2026 | MLB | Wild Card Series | Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | NL Game 1, 2 p.m. ET — Braves 5, Phillies 3 | Final |
| 2026 | MLB | Wild Card Series | Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | AL Game 1, 5 p.m. ET — White Sox 6, Astros 3 | Final |
| 2026 | MLB | Wild Card Series | Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | AL Game 1, 8 p.m. ET — Yankees 9, Red Sox 0 | Final |
| 2026 | MLB | Wild Card Series | Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | NL Game 1, 10 p.m. ET — Padres 8, Cubs 0 | Final |
| 2025 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Monday, January 12, 2026 | AFC — Houston Texans 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 6 | Final |
| 2025 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Sunday, January 11, 2026 | AFC — Buffalo Bills 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 24 | Final |
| 2025 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Sunday, January 11, 2026 | NFC — San Francisco 49ers 23, Philadelphia Eagles 19 | Final |
| 2025 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Sunday, January 11, 2026 | AFC — New England Patriots 16, Los Angeles Chargers 3 | Final |
| 2025 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Saturday, January 10, 2026 | NFC — Los Angeles Rams 34, Carolina Panthers 31 | Final |
| 2025 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Saturday, January 10, 2026 | NFC — Chicago Bears 31, Green Bay Packers 27 | Final |
| 2024 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Monday, January 13, 2025 | NFC — Los Angeles Rams 27, Minnesota Vikings 9 | Final |
| 2024 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Sunday, January 12, 2025 | AFC — Buffalo Bills 31, Denver Broncos 7 | Final |
| 2024 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Sunday, January 12, 2025 | NFC — Philadelphia Eagles 22, Green Bay Packers 10 | Final |
| 2024 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Sunday, January 12, 2025 | NFC — Washington Commanders 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 | Final |
| 2024 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Saturday, January 11, 2025 | AFC — Houston Texans 32, Los Angeles Chargers 12 | Final |
| 2024 | NFL | Wild Card Weekend | Saturday, January 11, 2025 | AFC — Baltimore Ravens 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 14 | Final |
| No dates match those filters. | |||||
Seasons are named for the year they begin, so the 2026 NFL season's wild card round is played in January 2027. Rows marked To be announced are dates the league has not published; we do not fill them in.
Filter by league, round, status or season, or sort any column. The same dates are written out in full below.
NFL wild card schedule, 2026 season
| Round | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Card Weekend, six games | Begins Saturday, January 16, 2027 | Date confirmed; matchups and times to be announced |
| Divisional round, four games | January 23–24, 2027 | Date confirmed |
| AFC and NFC Championship Games | Sunday, January 31, 2027 | Date confirmed |
| Super Bowl LXI, SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles | Sunday, February 14, 2027 | Date and venue confirmed |
Six wild card games are played: three in the AFC and three in the NFC, with the No. 2 seed hosting the No. 7, the No. 3 hosting the No. 6 and the No. 4 hosting the No. 5. Which teams fill those seeds is decided in the final week of the regular season, so the matchups, the day each game lands on and the kickoff times are all to be announced.
MLB wild card schedule, 2026 season (completed)
| Date | Games |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | Game 1 of all four series |
| Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | Game 2 of all four series |
| Thursday, October 1, 2026 | Game 3, Phillies at Braves only |
MLB’s wild card round is scheduled as a three-day window with no travel day, because the higher seed hosts every game. Three of the four 2026 series were sweeps, so only one Game 3 was needed. Results are on the 2026 MLB Wild Card Series.
How each schedule is built
| NFL | MLB | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of games | Exactly 6 | 8 to 12, depending on sweeps |
| Format | Single elimination | Best-of-three |
| Dates announced | With the regular-season schedule, months ahead | With the postseason schedule, at the end of the regular season |
| Matchups known | After the final regular-season week | After the final regular-season day |
| Game times announced | After the regular season | With the postseason schedule |
For first-pitch and kickoff times specifically, see wild card game times; for broadcasters, see how to watch wild card games.
Sources: NFL Football Operations (“2026 NFL Schedule Announced”); MLB.com, “How MLB playoffs work” FAQ and “How to watch the 2026 Wild Card Series on NBC and Peacock”; Wikipedia, “2026 American League Wild Card Series” and “2026 National League Wild Card Series”.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
When is the next wild card game?
The NFL's Wild Card Weekend for the 2026 season begins Saturday, January 16, 2027. MLB's next wild card round follows the 2027 regular season.
How many wild card games are on the schedule?
Six in the NFL, three per conference. MLB schedules four best-of-three series, which means between eight and twelve games.
Are kickoff times on the schedule yet?
Not for January 2027. The NFL announces days and kickoff times for individual wild card games after the regular season ends.