Dates, Location & Schedule at a Glance
- Event: 2026 NCAA Division I Men's College World Series
- Dates: June 12–21 (or June 22 if the championship goes to a deciding game)
- Location: Charles Schwab Field Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
- Format: Double-elimination pool play into a best-of-three championship series
The CWS splits eight teams into two four-team double-elimination brackets. Pool play runs through the week, with a best-of-three championship series capping the event. Every team is guaranteed at least two games — no single-elimination gut punches until the finals.
Opening Day Match-ups
Action begins June 12 with two games on ESPN:
- Game 1 (2 p.m. ET): No. 16 West Virginia vs. Troy
- Game 2 (7 p.m. ET): No. 5 North Carolina vs. Ole Miss
Saturday June 13 features the SEC-heavy side of the bracket:
- Game 3 (3 p.m. ET): No. 7 Alabama vs. Oklahoma
- Game 4 (8 p.m. ET): No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Texas
How to Watch
ESPN family of networks carries the entire Men's College World Series, as they have for years. Below is where you can find each game:
Bracket 1
Friday June 12
- Game 1: No. 16 West Virginia vs. Troy; 2 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 2: No. 5 North Carolina vs. Ole Miss; 7 p.m. on ESPN
Sunday June 14
- Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2; 2 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 6: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2; 7 p.m. on ESPN
Tuesday June 16
- Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 2 p.m. on ESPN
Wednesday June 17
- Game 11: Game 6 winner vs. Game 9 winner; 2 p.m. on ESPN
Thursday June 18
- TBD (if necessary)
Bracket 2
Saturday June 13
- Game 3: No. 7 Alabama vs. Oklahoma; 3 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 4: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Texas; 8 p.m. on ESPN
Monday June 15
- Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4; 2 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5; 7 p.m. on ESPN
Tuesday June 16
- Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8; 8 p.m. on ESPN
Wednesday June 17
- Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10; 7 p.m. on ESPN
Thursday June 18
- TBD (if necessary)
Championship series
Bracket 1 winner vs. Bracket 2 winner
- Game 1: 8 p.m. Saturday, June 20 on ESPN
- Game 2: 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21 on ABC
- Game 3: 7 p.m. Monday, June 22 on ESPN (if necessary)
The Teams: Who Made It to Omaha
Eight programs survived the regional and super regional gauntlet to earn their spots. Here's who's in Omaha and why they matter:
No. 3 Georgia — The Favorite
Georgia enters as the top remaining seed with a 51-12 record and the most dangerous lineup in the field. The Bulldogs are headlined by catcher Daniel Jackson, the SEC Player of the Year and Golden Spikes Award front-runner, who became the first catcher in SEC history to post a 25 home run / 25 stolen base season. He hit a walk-off two-run homer in extra innings to send Georgia to Omaha for the first time since 2008. Jackson's supporting cast is deep with five position players hitting over .340 and the Bulldogs have the offense to bury any team in a single inning.
No. 5 North Carolina — Battle-Tested Tar Heels
North Carolina's path to Omaha was not a straight line. The Tar Heels dropped Game 1 of their super regional to USC, then won back-to-back games, including a walk-off by Owen Hull in the clincher, to punch their 13th CWS ticket. North Carolina pitches well, doesn't beat itself, and has the tournament experience to be dangerous regardless of who they draw.
No. 6 Texas — Built on Pitching
Texas swept through both the regional and super regional rounds to reach Omaha for an astonishing 39th time in program history. No college baseball program has more CWS appearances. The Longhorns are built on pitching at their core, led by lefty Dylan Volantis, who posted a 10-1 record and 2.03 ERA across 15 starts entering the CWS. Closer Sam Cozart handles the back end, and together they form arguably the best top-to-bottom pitching tandem in the field. Texas finished 45-13 and their strikeout-to-walk ratio is the best of any remaining team.
No. 7 Alabama — Ending a 27-Year Drought
Alabama is making its sixth trip to the CWS and first since 1999, snapping the second-longest active drought among current SEC teams. The Crimson Tide swept through regionals and dominated St. John's in the super regional, allowing just two runs in two games. They're built differently than most SEC contenders, relying heavily on homegrown talent rather than aggressive transfer portal turnover. Shortstop Justin Lebron is the most electric player on the roster. He is a former top MLB Draft prospect whose speed on the base paths makes him a highlight play waiting to happen every time he reaches base. Alabama finished 42-19.
Ole Miss — The 2022 Champions Are Back
Ole Miss last won the national championship in 2022, a run where they were the last team selected for the field and went on to beat Oklahoma in the finals. This year, they swept No. 4 Auburn on the road in the super regional to reach Omaha for the seventh time. The Rebels finished 41-21, and their pitching staff is anchored by Hunter Elliott, the 2022 CWS champion, and Maxx Yehl, a southpaw with a 2.10 ERA who has gone seven or more innings five times this season. Cade Townsend is a first-round MLB Draft prospect who anchors the lineup.
No. 16 West Virginia — The Big 12's Last Team Standing
West Virginia arrives as the last Big 12 team standing and the first Mountaineers squad to ever reach Omaha. They're a fundamentally sound club that pitches well, hits for average, and rarely beats itself. They are exactly the type of team that can pull off upsets at the CWS. First baseman Matthew Graveline has been one of the tournament's most productive hitters in the regional round and is a player to watch in pool play.
Oklahoma — The SEC's Fifth Team
Oklahoma secured the final CWS spot with a dominant 13-2 win over Kansas to sweep the Lawrence Super Regional, and they arrive as the record fifth SEC team in the field, a historic milestone for the conference. The Sooners went 38-22 on the season and were last in Omaha in 2022, when they lost to Ole Miss in the finals. Infielder Deiten Lachance has been a key piece of their postseason run, and Oklahoma's lineup showed legitimate power in racking up 13 runs in the clinching super regional game.
Troy — The Best Cinderella Story in Years
Troy is making its first-ever CWS appearance, and the Trojans have earned every bit of it. They entered their regional as a No. 3 seed and lost their opening game to Miami. They then proceeded to win six consecutive games, including a regional-clinching victory over Florida and a super regional sweep of Little Rock, to reach Omaha. Catcher Jimmy Janicki (.341, 19 HRs, 85 RBIs) is emerging as a legitimate 2027 MLB Draft prospect, and shortstop Aaron Piasecki hit .407 across the Sun Belt and NCAA tournament rounds. Don't let the long-shot odds fool you, Troy has the roster to make noise.
A Historic Tournament — Five SEC Teams
For the first time in NCAA baseball history, five SEC teams are competing in the College World Series: Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma. The SEC has won the national championship every year since 2019, and the bracket is constructed such that at least one SEC team is guaranteed to be in the championship series. Whether or not that streak continues is one of the defining storylines of the 2026 CWS.
How the MCWS Works
- Pool Play: The 8 teams split into two 4-team brackets, each playing double-elimination until two teams emerge.
- Bracket Winners advance to the championship series. The other two teams are eliminated.
- Championship Series: A best-of-three series determines the national champion. Begins Saturday, June 20.
A team can lose once and still win the national championship. The format rewards depth and pitching staffs — teams that can bounce back after a loss often go the farthest.
Gear up for CWS week — shop baseball bats, gloves, cleats, and everything you need to play the game you're watching. Summer baseball is here.