Ranking all 16 potential 2026 World Series matchups: Dodgers vs. Rays David and Goliath series leads list

There's history, there are payroll narratives and there's the dream of a Junior Caminero vs. Jacob Misiorowski at-bat Oct 3, 2026 at 10:45 am ET • 6 min read The 2026 MLB postseason is underway and the Wild Card Series round is already complete. Three of the four Wild Card Series were sweeps and the home team won three of the four series. From 2022-25, only seven home teams won the Wild Card Series. The best-of-five Division Series gets underway this weekend. Here are the matchups: There are eight teams still standing, which equals 16 possible World Series matchups. A rematch of last year's World Series (Blue Jays vs. Dodgers) is not among them. There has not been a World Series rematch since the Dodgers and Yankees squared off in 1977 and 1978. Anyway, there are 16 possible World Series matchups and none of them are bad! Each and every one is exciting in its own way, but some are more compelling than others. Sometimes there's history (recent or otherwise), sometimes new players have joined the mix, and so on. 2026 MLB playoff predictions: Expert picks for Dodgers vs. Braves, Yankees vs. Rays and every LDS matchup Mike Axisa With that in mind, we are here to rank all 16 possible World Series matchups. What are these rankings based on, exactly? History, watchability, vibes, etc. No need to get scientific. Here now are our 2026 World Series matchup rankings. The bottom six 16. White Sox vs. Brewers 15. Guardians vs. Brewers 14. Guardians vs. Padres 13. White Sox vs. Braves 12. Rays vs. Braves 11. Guardians vs. Dodgers Not much shared history here, unless you go back to the CC Sabathia trade between Cleveland and the Brewers in 2008. This is where I remind you there are no bad World Series matchups! They're all interesting in their own way. White Sox vs. Brewers, if it happens, could make me look very stupid with this ranking. Those are two really fun, entertaining teams. Also, something about Rays vs. Braves gives off "it'll go down as an all-time classic World Series" vibes, too. Notable World Series rematches 10. White Sox vs. Dodgers The Dodgers headed west in 1958 and, one year later, they played the White Sox in the World Series. The 1959 World Series included the first World Series games played on the West Coast, and those games shattered attendance records thanks to the Los Angeles Coliseum's 90,000-plus capacity. The Dodgers won the series in six games. Otherwise, not much of a connection between two franchises that have been around basically since the Big Bang. 9. Guardians vs. Braves The 1995 World Series was the first championship won by an Atlanta-based team in the four major North American pro sports leagues. It went six games and Game 6 was a classic. David Justice hit a solo homer for the game's only run and two Braves pitchers (Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers) combined for a one-hitter. Although these two teams have been around for a very long time, their head-to-head history is lacking outside of that Fall Classic. 8. Yankees vs. Braves Twice during their late-1990s dynasty, the Yankees beat the Braves in the World Series (1996 and 1999). Atlanta won three pennants in five years but walked away with only one championship (1995). As for the 2026 teams, the big connection is Max Fried, who started and threw six shutout innings in Atlanta's 2021 World Series clincher in Game 6. He is now New York's co-ace along with Cam Schlittler and Gerrit Cole. This matchup would scratch the nostalgia itch and also feature some of the very best players in the game today. Could you imagine two Schlitter vs. Chris Sale duels in the World Series? Yes please. 7. Yankees vs. Dodgers We saw this World Series matchup just two years ago, which takes away some of the shine, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be compelling. Aaron Judge could be back by then. Your pitching matchups would look something like Cam Schlittler vs. Tarik Skubal, Max Fried vs Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Gerrit Cole vs. Blake Snell. You can't do much better than that. Downside: Competitive balance complaints from salary cap supporters, and potentially the league itself if it starts running those commercials again. 6. Yankees vs. Padres The Padres have reached the World Series twice and both times they got steamrolled by one of the greatest teams in history. In 1984, they played a 104-win Tigers team that started the season 35-5. Detroit won that series in five games. In 1998, the Padres ran into the 114-win Yankees and were unceremoniously swept in four games. The 2026 Yankees are not one of the greatest teams in history. Perhaps that would finally push San Diego across the finish line? Either way, I may have this matchup ranked too low. Both rosters are loaded with fun, energetic players. Fernando Tatis Jr. is the engine driving the Padres, baseball's hottest team, into NLDS showdown vs. Brewers Matt Snyder The first-time champs 5. Rays vs. Padres Two pennants, two World Series losses for both teams. The Padres lost to the Tigers in 1984 and the Yankees in 1998. The Devil Rays lost to the Phillies in 2008 and the less-devilish Rays lost to the Dodgers in 2020. One team would leave this World Series with its first-ever championship, which is a good enough reason to watch. There is also some history, too, namely the Blake Snell trade and Hall of Famer Fred McGriff suiting up for both teams. 4. Rays vs. Brewers The two No. 1 seeds have not met in the World Series since way back in, well, 2024, but the Brewers and Rays are not your typical No. 1 seeds. They're 19th and 28th in payroll, respectively, and they play a style of offense that no other team does, or at least no other team does well. Both were bottom 10 in home runs, top three in infield hits, and top two in bunt hits. And oh yeah, both teams are looking for their first-ever World Series title. I'm curious to see if the baseball disintegrates on contact if Junior Caminero connects with a Jacob Misiorowski fastball. The top three 3. White Sox vs. Padres Finally, a chance to determine once and for all which team won the Fernando Tatis Jr. trade. Based purely on vibes, this would be such a juicy matchup. Maybe I should have put it in the No. 1 spot? The White Sox and Padres are both offense-first teams, and right off the bat, that's a plus in my book. And they can both be a little adventurous on the defensive side. That is also a plus in my book. Tatis and Munetaka Murakami, Grant Taylor and Mason Miller, Sam Antonacci and Ty France locked in a battle of who can get hit by the most pitches. I love the energy both teams bring to the ballpark. I don't think there could be a more electric ballpark matchup than this World Series. Petco Park always rocks and Rate Field will go nuts, especially if Pope Leo XIV shows up. 2. Yankees vs. Brewers The Brewers won 10 more games than the Yankees during the regular season, yet they would be billed as the underdog in this World Series matchup because of the payroll disparity. Both teams have one thing in common: They never put a bad pitcher on the mound. Both pitching staffs are very good and very deep. Offensively, they're complete opposites. The Brewers are a bat-to-ball team without much power. The Yankees will swing and miss, but they'll put a few balls into the seats each night. Two great teams and there would be an underdog narrative, even if it doesn't align with their regular-season records. Good matchup, that is. 1. Rays vs. Dodgers The ultimate David vs. Goliath matchup. The Dodgers are the two-time defending World Series champions and the answer to the "what if the Rays spent money?" question. Tampa has lost a lot to the Dodgers: the 2020 World Series, head baseball operations honcho Andrew Friedman, and more. There would be intrigue aplenty and I suspect just about everyone outside Southern California would be rooting for the Rays. You can't find a bigger underdog story or mismatch or whatever you want to call it among this year's possible World Series matchups.