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MLB’s 2026 NBC & Peacock Schedule: Sunday Night Baseball, Sunday Leadoff, and July 5 “Star-Spangled Sunday”

Matt TallariniJan 11, 20269 MIN READ
MLB’s 2026 NBC & Peacock Schedule Sunday Night Baseball, Sunday Leadoff, and July 5 “Star-Spangled Sunday”

Major League Baseball’s return to NBC in 2026 comes with a full-season national schedule across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN, headlined by Sunday Night Baseball, MLB Sunday Leadoff, a league-wide July 5 showcase branded “Star-Spangled Sunday”, and postseason coverage that includes the MLB Wild Card Series.

With marquee matchups and event windows locked in months ahead of Opening Day, the rollout also signals a shift from the month-to-month selection approach fans were used to under ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball era.

NBC Sports Press Box announced their game time schedule for the 2026 Major League Baseball season on January 9.

NBC and Peacock will televise Sunday Night Baseball and MLB Sunday Leadoff during the 2026 season.

MLB Sunday Leadoff begins on May 3 on Peacock and NBCSN, when the American League Champion, Toronto Blue Jays go on the road against the Minnesota Twins. After the Leadoff Games there will be a Sunday Afternoon Whip-Around Show, including a Special Final Day of Regular-Season Whip-Around Show on September 27, televised on Peacock and NBCSN.

All 15 games on July 5 will have a special “Star-Spangled Sunday” event on NBCU platforms.

According to the NBC Sports press release, “Spanish-Language Coverage for all NBCU-Produced Games: Universo will televise all games broadcast on NBC, and SAP will be provided for all games on Peacock.” 

The World Series Champion, Los Angeles Dodgers will raise their title banner and host their National League West Division Rival, the Arizona Diamondbacks at 8 p.m. ET on March 26 on NBC and Peacock and the New York Mets will play at Citi Field on the same date against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1 p.m. ET on both the exact channels for NBC and Peacock.

NBC Sunday Night MLB Schedule For 2026 Season

Date
Time (ET)
Game
Platforms
March 26*
1 p.m.
Pittsburgh Pirates at N.Y. Mets
NBC/Peacock
March 26*
8 p.m.
Arizona Diamondbacks at L.A. Dodgers
NBC/Peacock
March 29
7 p.m.
Cleveland Guardians at Seattle Mariners
Peacock
April 5
7 p.m.
St. Louis Cardinals at Detroit Tigers
Peacock
April 12
7 p.m.
Cleveland Guardians at Atlanta Braves
NBC/Peacock
April 19
7 p.m.
Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
Peacock
April 26
7 p.m.
L.A. Angels at Kansas City Royals
Peacock
May 3
7 p.m.
Texas Rangers at Detroit Tigers
Peacock
May 10
7 p.m.
Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals
Peacock
May 17
7 p.m.
San Diego Padres at Seattle Mariners
Peacock
May 24
7 p.m.
Texas Rangers at L.A. Angels
Peacock
May 31
7 p.m.
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
NBC/Peacock
June 7
8 p.m.
San Francisco Giants at Chicago Cubs
NBC/Peacock
June 14
7 p.m.
Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox
NBC/Peacock
June 21
7 p.m.
N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
NBC/Peacock
June 28
7 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees at Boston Red Sox
NBC/Peacock
July 5**
12:30 p.m.
N.Y. Mets at Atlanta Braves
NBC/Peacock
July 5
7 p.m.
San Diego Padres at L.A. Dodgers
NBC/Peacock
July 19
7 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers at N.Y. Yankees
NBC/Peacock
July 26
7 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees at Philadelphia Phillies
NBC/Peacock
August 2
7 p.m.
Boston Red Sox at L.A. Dodgers
NBC/Peacock
August 9
8 p.m.
Houston Astros at San Diego Padres
NBC/Peacock
August 16
7 p.m.
Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros
NBC/Peacock
August 23
3 p.m.
San Francisco Giants at Boston Red Sox
NBC/Peacock
August 30
3 p.m.
Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs
NBC/Peacock
August 30
7 p.m.
Houston Astros at N.Y. Mets
NBC/Peacock
Sept. 6
3 p.m.
Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies
NBC/Peacock
Sept. 6
7 p.m.
Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals
Peacock
Sept. 7***
8 p.m.
St. Louis Cardinals at San Francisco Giants
NBC/Peacock
Sept. 13
7 p.m.
San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants
Peacock
Sept. 20
7 p.m.
Milwaukee Brewers at Baltimore Orioles
Peacock

* Opening Day (Thursday)    ** Also on MLB Sunday Leadoff schedule (below)    *** Labor Day (Monday)

2026 MLB Sunday Leadoff Schedule

Date
Time (ET)
Game
Platforms
May 3
12:30 p.m.
Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins
Peacock
May 10
Noon
Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins
Peacock
May 17
Noon
Miami Marlins at Tampa Bay Rays
Peacock
May 24
Noon
Pittsburgh Pirates at Toronto Blue Jays
Peacock
May 31
Noon
Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles
Peacock
June 7
3 p.m.
Washington Nationals at Arizona Diamondbacks
Peacock
June 14
Noon
Miami Marlins at Pittsburgh Pirates
Peacock
June 21
3 p.m.
Minnesota Twins at Arizona Diamondbacks
Peacock
June 28
3 p.m.
Athletics at L.A. Angels
Peacock
July 5
12:30 p.m.
N.Y. Mets at Atlanta Braves
NBC/Peacock
July 12
Noon
Milwaukee Brewers at Pittsburgh Pirates
Peacock
July 19
Noon
Chicago White Sox at Toronto Blue Jays
Peacock
July 26
Noon
Cleveland Guardians at Tampa Bay Rays
Peacock
August 2
3 p.m.
Milwaukee Brewers at L.A. Angels
Peacock
August 9
Noon
Cincinnati Reds at Washington Nationals
Peacock
August 16
Noon
Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays
Peacock
August 23
4 p.m.
Cincinnati Reds at Arizona Diamondbacks
Peacock
August 30
Noon
Miami Marlins at Washington Nationals
Peacock

NBC Sports July 5 MLB “Star-Spangled Sunday” Schedule – All Start Times EDT

Time
Game
Platforms
12:30 p.m.*
N.Y. Mets at Atlanta Braves
NBC/Peacock
1 p.m.
Pittsburgh Pirates at Washington Nationals
Peacock
1 p.m.
Baltimore Orioles at Cincinnati Reds
Peacock
1:30 p.m.
Minnesota Twins at New York Yankees
Peacock
2 p.m.
Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians
Peacock
2:30 p.m.
St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs
Peacock
3 p.m.
Philadelphia Phillies at Kansas City Royals
Peacock
3:30 p.m.
Detroit Tigers at Texas Rangers
Peacock
3:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay Rays at Houston Astros
Peacock
4:00 p.m.
San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies
Peacock
4:00 p.m.
Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks
Peacock
4:30 p.m.
Miami Marlins at Athletics
Peacock
5:00 p.m.
Toronto Blue Jays at Seattle Mariners
Peacock
7 p.m. **
San Diego Padres at L.A. Dodgers
NBC/Peacock
9:30 p.m.
Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Angels
Peacock

*MLB Sunday Leadoff    **Sunday Night Baseball

NBC Sports announced the return of MLB action on November 19. 

Logistics of the Television Rights Agreement with NBC and MLB

Twenty-five Sunday Night Baseball games per season. When available, games will air on NBC, otherwise, games will air on NBCSN and Peacock.

Eighteen MLB Sunday Leadoff games per season. Games will primarily air on NBCSN and Peacock, with select games airing on NBC.

All games from the MLB Wild Card round on NBC, NBCSN and Peacock.

All MLB games played on Sunday, July 5, 2026, will air on NBC or Peacock.

Yearly primetime Labor Day and Opening Day games on NBC and Peacock.

Daily out-of-market games on Peacock.

Coverage of the MLB Draft and the All-Star Futures Game on NBC and Peacock.

A Sunday afternoon whiparound show on Peacock following MLB Sunday Leadoff.

Beginning in 2027, the most important game on the final day of the regular season on NBC or Peacock.

Beginning in 2027, a yearly special event game on NBC and Peacock.

According to MLB.com, “ for the 2026 season, NBCUniversal will also gain a presence during All-Star Week. The MLB Draft will move to the Saturday of All-Star Week where NBC and Peacock will present the first hour of the event. Peacock/NBCSN and MLB Network will carry the remainder of the first round. NBC and Peacock also will present the Futures Game, a game featuring baseball’s future stars who are the top players in Minor League Baseball on All-Star Sunday. That game will be followed by a new event that will feature former players and celebrities which will be streamed on Peacock.”

MLB categorized NBC coverage on NBCSN and Peacock.

MLBPipeline listed on of the information for NBC’s coverage for the 2026 MLB Draft on July 11 and the Futures Game on July 12.

MLB.com also stated, “that Peacock will regain rights to MLB’s Sunday Leadoff game, which it carried for the 2022-23 seasons. Sunday Leadoff will be a package of 18 games that start prior to or around Noon locally on Sundays and will also be simulstreamed on NBCSN. Sunday Leadoff will be followed by MLB Network-produced studio coverage of the full day of games which will lead into Sunday Night Baseball on NBC and Peacock, or NBCSN and Peacock. Peacock will also regularly feature a game of the day, which will be available to fans outside of the markets of the Clubs competing.”

MLB surfaced the new agreement with ESPN, back on November 19, 2025.

NBC Sports will replace Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN, after the massive sports platform held that time frame with the MLB since the 1990 season.

ESPN public relations stated on November 19, that they will add exclusive local in-market rights to 6 MLB franchises and a 30-game exclusive package.

Reddit reactions: fans notice the NBC vs. Peacock split, schedule diversity, and flex questions

Early reaction on r/baseball centered on the perceived “two-tier” feel of the package, with big-draw matchups more common on NBC-branded windows while Peacock carries a broader rotation. Fans also pointed out how unusual it is to see the full Sunday night slate published this far in advance, which immediately sparked questions about whether late-season games can be flexed if teams fall out of contention. Another recurring theme: international/Canadian viewing logistics, especially with Toronto appearing in multiple Peacock windows.

u/Icy-Refrigerator-517: “There’s a clear dichotomy between the NBC games and the Peacock games.”

u/TheDangiestSlad: “am i crazy or is this way more diverse than usual?”

u/OWSpaceClown: “Toronto appears to have three Peacock games! And we don’t even GET Peacock!”

u/Enough-Ad-3111: “Crazy to actually see the whole SNB schedule listed ahead of the season and not on a month by month basis like ESPN did.”

According to MLB.com

ESPN will stream over 150 out-of-market games, one per day, through the ESPN app. “ESPN has secured the rights to sell and distribute MLB.TV, the league’s out of market streaming service, across ESPN’s industry leading digital and streaming platforms. Starting with the 2026 season, fans will now be able to purchase and watch their favorite teams’ games outside of their home territory on MLB.TV through ESPN. In 2025, MLB.TV set a record with 19.4 billion minutes-watched, breaking last year’s full-season record of 14.5 billion by +34%.”

During the 2025 Major League season, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball game coverage recorded its best season in 12 years and had an average viewing audience of 1.8 million viewers, which exceeded at a +21% increase over last year’s total.

ESPN has secured the right over the term to sell and distribute, via the ESPN app, MLB Network and in-market games for the select MLB teams whose games are being produced and distributed by the league.

This will let fans have the ability to purchase these subscriptions either independently, as part of a bundle with MLB.TV, or packaged with an ESPN subscription alongside for the 2026 season the local in-market streaming products will continue to be available through MLB’s platforms.

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