How Many MLB Wild-Card Teams Make the 2025 Playoffs?

The upcoming Major League Baseball postseason looks like it’ll be a wild ride—intense competition, dramatic moments, and a new format that’ll keep fans on edge with every pitch.

With 12 teams chasing the World Series trophy, the new bracket structure is all about ramping up the excitement. From the first game in October to the final out of the fall classic, it’s going to be unpredictable.

Here’s a breakdown of how the playoffs will go, some key dates to keep in mind, and the rules that could decide who advances if teams finish with the same record.

MLB Playoff Format: How the 12-Team Bracket Works

Major League Baseball’s postseason format now includes six teams from each league. That means three division winners and three wild card teams.

This setup gives both season-long consistency and late surges a chance to shine in October baseball.

The top two division champs in each league get a real bonus—they skip the Wild Card round entirely and head straight to the Division Series.

Wild Card Series Breakdown

The chase for the title kicks off with two best-of-three Wild Card Series in each league:

• The No. 3 seed (the third division winner) hosts the No. 6 seed, which is the third wild card team. All games happen at the division winner’s park.
• The No. 4 seed faces the No. 5 seed—both wild cards—and the higher seed hosts every game.

This setup rewards teams for strong regular seasons, giving them home-field advantage. That’s always been a big deal in the postseason.

From Wild Card Wins to the World Series

After the Wild Card Series, winners move on to face the league’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in a best-of-five Division Series.

These matchups usually pit fresh energy against playoff-tested veterans. It’s where things get really interesting.

League Championship Showdowns

The Division Series winners meet in the League Championship Series (LCS), which is a best-of-seven battle.

The American League Championship Series (ALCS) starts Sunday, Oct. 12. The National League Championship Series (NLCS) gets underway Monday, Oct. 13. This is the round where legends are made, for real.

World Series: The Grand Finale

The AL and NL champs collide in the World Series, set to begin Friday, Oct. 24.

This is baseball’s biggest stage—full of tradition, rivalries, and moments that stick with you for years.

Key Dates You Need to Know

Here are the crucial postseason dates to mark down:

• Wild Card Series: Tuesday, Sept. 30
• Division Series: Saturday, Oct. 4
• ALCS: Sunday, Oct. 12
• NLCS: Monday, Oct. 13
• World Series: Friday, Oct. 24

Tiebreaker Rules: No More Game 163

They’ve scrapped the old one-game tiebreaker, Game 163. Now, MLB uses a formula based on performance to settle ties:

• Head-to-head record between tied teams
• Intradivision performance
• Intraleague performance
• Interleague performance

It’s not as dramatic as a sudden-death showdown, but it does reward teams that play well all season. Plus, it keeps the postseason schedule tight.

Building Anticipation for October Baseball

For players, the postseason means everything. It’s the reward after months of hard work and endless routines.

Fans see it as a festival packed with drama, heated rivalries, and a flicker of hope. With the 12-team bracket, every pitch or swing suddenly feels huge—sometimes even a little nerve-wracking.

As September 30 creeps up, storylines start bubbling up. Underdogs get their shot, and favorites can stumble.

By October 24, two teams will make it to baseball’s biggest stage. Before that first World Series game, we’ll probably see walk-off home runs and some wild extra innings.

There’s just something about October baseball. The expanded postseason this fall guarantees a wild ride, no matter who you’re cheering for.

 
Here is the source article for this story: MLB playoffs explainer: How many wild-card teams make postseason?