Brewers and Rays Meet in World Series Guaranteed to Crown First-Time Champion

The 2026 World Series will produce a first-time champion when the Milwaukee Brewers face the Tampa Bay Rays. It is the first matchup between two franchises without a World Series title since the Phillies met the Royals in 1980. The Brewers began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee the following year. Their only previous World Series appearance came in 1982, when they led St. Louis three games to two but lost the final two games. Milwaukee belonged to the American League then; this will be its first Fall Classic as a National League club. This year’s Brewers set a franchise record with 103 wins and claimed a fourth consecutive division title. Their pitching depth, defense, baserunning and emerging young talent helped drive the run. They swept the Dodgers in the NLCS to end a 44-year wait. Founded in 1998, the Rays are making their third World Series appearance after losses in 2008 and 2020. Junior Caminero, Drew Rasmussen and Trade Deadline acquisition Freddy Peralta, the ALCS MVP, have been central to their success. Tampa Bay now has another opportunity to secure the championship that has eluded it. Game 1 is scheduled for October 23 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, or October 24 at 9 a.m. in Japan, at Milwaukee’s American Family Field. Five current MLB franchises have never won the World Series. By the end of this matchup, that number will be four.