According to Andrew Wagner of 105.7 Fan in Milwaukee and Forbes Sports on September 14, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves will play in the 2026 Major League Baseball Little League Classic on August 23 in Williamsport, Pa., at Bowman Field.
Bowman Field, home of the Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League, seats 2,300 and has hosted the Classic since 2017.
https://twitter.com/ByAndrewWagner/status/1967423119767064804
Wagner also stated that Brewers officials did not return a request for comment or confirmation, but the date falls on the first Sunday of the Little League World Series, which runs from Aug. 19-30 next year.
The Little League Classic game will be played on Sunday, August 23, 2026, a date the Brewers were supposed to play the finale of a three-game series against the Braves at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wis.
According to Wagner, the Little League Classic, however, is unavailable for buyers of season-ticket packages, according to emails and screenshots provided to SportsMoney by multiple season ticket holders.
Since the start of the Little League Classic in 2017, all eight of the previous events have been held on that first Sunday of the tournament.
The teams that have appeared at the Little League Classic are the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies in 2018, the Chicago Cubs and the Pirates in 2019, the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians in 2021, the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles in 2022, the Phillies and the Washington Nationals in 2023, the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers in 2024, and the Seattle Mariners and the Mets in 2025.
The other neutral site MLB events that have happened in the United States during the regular season included the Civil Rights Game from 2007-08 in Memphis, Tenn., the Fort Bragg Game in 2016, the Field of Dreams Game from 2021-22 in Dyersville, Iowa, the historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., in 2024, and a game earlier this season between the Reds and Braves inside Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn.
All of the games for the Little League Classic have been televised on ESPN and broadcast on ESPN Radio since the beginning of the event in 2017.
On February 20, ESPN and MLB ended their broadcast deal after the 2025 season, having mutually opted out of their contract three years early.
As of August 21, ESPN and MLB are now reportedly in advanced talks for a new three-year agreement worth around $550 million annually.
All other logistics of ESPN and MLB negotiations for next year’s deal can be found on FrontOfficeSports.
ESPN will no longer carry Sunday Night Baseball during the 2026 season. Instead, NBC and Peacock will take over that time slot.
ESPN has carried the broadcast of Sunday night games since 1990 and is opting out of its contract with MLB at the end of the 2025 season.
Taiwan’s Liu Wei-Heng, center left, gets a hug from Las Vegas, Nev.’s Garrett Gallegos, center right, in the handshake line following the Little League World Series Championship baseball game in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
