World Series 2026 Predictions, Full Schedule and Bracket Picks for Fall Classic

Major League Baseball hasn't seen a World Series three-peat since the New York Yankees went back-to-back-to-back from 1998 to 2000.

Barring a miracle, it looks like that drought will continue.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, champions of the past two seasons, are sitting on the brink of elimination following their 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. Milwaukee now has an overwhelming 3-0 lead in the series and will host the next two games (if the second is even necessary).

As far as the NLCS goes, things seem all but cemented. Still, there's another league championship playing out and a World Series to follow, so there's plenty left to be figured out. And, hey, if anyone can crawl out of a hole this deep, you would think it would be a team with L.A.'s blend of talent and big-stage experience, so maybe a surprise could still happen.

Game 1: ALCS winner at NLCS winner on Fox

Game 2: ALCS winner at NLCS winner on Fox

Game 3: NLCS winner at ALCS winner on Fox

Game 4: NLCS winner at ALCS winner on Fox

Game 5: NLCS winner at ALCS winner on Fox*

Game 6: ALCS winner at NLCS winner on Fox*

Game 7: ALCS winner at NLCS winner on Fox*

Before crowning a predicted World Series winner, a predicted matchup must be set.

Again, on the NL side, that seems easy. The Dodgers aren't mathematically out of it, but history says they face a near impossible task. If they somehow completed a comeback from down 3-0, they'd double the list of teams to have ever pulled it off.

The ALCS, meanwhile, feels more like a coin flip, as it'll be a best-of-five from here. The Rays have been the better team this season, but the Guardians are in a groove (4-1 over their last five) and have wrestled away home-field advantage. It still feels like Tampa will get this figured out.

If this winds up with a Brewers-Rays finale, that series could have all-time potential pitting the top seeds from each league against one another. Plus, they share a ton of similarities, both with their situations as small-market clubs and with their on-field approaches.

Tampa is an awesome team, and it can win contests in myriad ways, but who's picking against Milwaukee right now? Certainly not us. The Brewers had the best regular season (by wins and run differential), and they might be on the verge of sweeping the two-time defending champs.

Prediction: Brewers over Rays in six games.

Breaking down why Brewers can stop Dodgers 3-peat