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Upcoming World Series dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Picking a World Series seat fast
The World Series is a best-of-seven series between the American League and National League champions, played at night in the two clubs' home ballparks in late October. You will usually have only days between the pennant clinch and Game 1, so decide your priorities now: the lower infield between the dugouts for the best view of every pitch, the upper deck behind home plate for value and the whole-field picture, or the outfield bleachers for noise.
Then pick the game, not just the seat. Game 1 and any game in which a team can clinch carry the most demand; Games 5, 6 and 7 might never be played.
Seat zones in an October ballpark
Lower infield
Seats between first and third base, closest to home plate, show pitch location, the pitcher-catcher exchange and every play at the bases. They carry the highest demand in every park.
Upper deck behind home plate
Distance costs you detail on pitches but gives you the full field, including how defenders shift before each batter. This is often the smartest dollar in the building.
Outfield and bleachers
The bleachers (the uncovered, often bench-style seats beyond the outfield wall) are the loudest part of the park and a strong pick for atmosphere. You lose depth on pitches and see plays at home plate from a long way off.
Cold and wind
A night game in late October can be cold at open-air ballparks in northern cities. The upper deck catches more wind than the lower bowl. Bring layers, and treat a covered seat as a real advantage in a cold market.
For layouts of specific ballparks, see the guides to Dodger Stadium and Yankee Stadium.
The 2-3-2 schedule and Games 5 to 7
Under the 2-3-2 pattern, adopted for good in 1925, the club with home-field advantage hosts Games 1 and 2, the other club hosts Games 3, 4 and 5, and the series goes back to the first park for Games 6 and 7. Since 2017 home field goes to the pennant winner with the better regular-season record; head-to-head results break a tie, then division record. Between 2003 and 2016 the league that won the All-Star Game earned it, and earlier the leagues took turns.
A sweep ends the series in four games, so tickets to Games 5, 6 and 7 are sold as "if necessary." Clubs refund those under their own postseason terms. The Dodgers, for example, have posted refunds automatically to the original card for single-game buyers and credited season-ticket accounts instead. A resale purchase follows the marketplace's own policy for unplayed games, so read it before you buy a late-series ticket.
Who gets first crack at tickets
No central box office exists. Each club sells its own home dates, and MLB's postseason ticket page links out to each team's sale and terms.
- Full-season holders and members: served first, often with strips covering every possible home game.
- The general public: gets what remains, typically through registrations or presales announced days ahead, with tight order limits.
- Resale buyers: the majority of fans, because season-ticket holders already hold much of each park.
The face value on the ticket is set by the club; resale prices follow demand and can sit far above it. Reserved Seat orders carry a 100% guarantee.
What pushes demand up or down
- Clinch scenarios: once a team can win the title in a given game, that ticket becomes the hardest in baseball; a Game 7 is the far end of the scale.
- Opening night: Game 1 absorbs the home market's built-up demand from the league championship series.
- Droughts and debuts: a long wait for a title, or a club's first trip, can send demand well past normal.
- Big-market matchups: two large fan bases meeting, as the Yankees and Dodgers did in 2024, tightens supply on both coasts.
- Capacity: a smaller ballpark simply has fewer seats.
Prices can shift hour to hour as the series score changes. Buying early secures a seat but risks a game that is never played; waiting can cost more if a clincher is set.
Fall Classic records and recent champions
The modern series dates to 1903. It was skipped in 1904, when the New York Giants declined to play, and in 1994, when a players' strike wiped out the postseason. Every game is now played at night for television; the last day game was Game 6 in 1987 under the Metrodome roof. The New York Yankees lead all clubs with 27 titles, and the Yankees and Dodgers have met in the series 12 times, the most of any matchup.
- 2020: Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field, a neutral site.
- 2021: Atlanta Braves beat the Houston Astros.
- 2022: Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies.
- 2023: Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks for the franchise's first championship.
- 2024: Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees.
- 2025: Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in an 11-inning Game 7.
Frequently asked questions
Is the upper deck a good seat for the World Series?
The upper deck behind home plate is often the best value, since it shows the whole field and defensive shifts. It can be cold and windy on a late-October night, so dress in layers.
Which ballpark hosts Game 7?
The club with home-field advantage, which since 2017 is the pennant winner with the better regular-season record. That team hosts Games 1, 2, 6 and 7.
Do I get a refund if Game 6 is not played?
Clubs refund unplayed if-necessary games under their postseason terms. For a resale ticket, the marketplace's policy on unplayed games applies, so check it before buying.
Are World Series games played during the day?
No. Modern World Series games are scheduled at night, and the last daytime game was Game 6 in 1987 at the Metrodome.
Why are most World Series seats bought on resale?
Each club sells its home games to season-ticket holders and members first, leaving limited public sales. The resale market is where most remaining seats appear.