Major League Baseball spring training is happening early this year. Players started reporting to training camp in Arizona and Florida last week. That’s because 2026 is a World Baseball Classic year, with the international tournament running from March 5-11, which pushes the entire spring schedule forward a bit. That means reporting dates are a little earlier, and the first spring training game of the season will be this Friday, Feb. 20. You can catch spring training games this year on MLB Network and with a subscription to MLB.TV to get you ready for Opening Day on March 26.
If you’re an avid MLB fan, you may have already heard that ESPN is now the streaming home of MLB.TV, which means fans can buy an MLB.TV subscription directly through ESPN, a partnership that will bring thousands of out-of-market live games each season to the ESPN App and ESPN.com, though the catch is that you’ll still have to pay for MLB.TV as an add-on. If that change has been confusing, don’t worry, we’ll break it all down below.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch this year’s spring training matchups live.
How to watch spring training games live:
Dates: Feb. 20 – March 24
Channel: MLB Network, local RSNs
Streaming: DirecTV, MLB.TV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling + More
How to watch MLB Spring Training games:
MLB spring training games will be available to watch on MLB Network. You can also tune in to games on MLB.TV, MLB.com, and in the MLB App, and select games are viewable on local RSNs.
An MLB.TV subscription is a great way to catch all your favorite teams’ out-of-market games and spring training games live.
Starting this February, new MLB.TV subscriptions are available through ESPN. New subscribers who purchase MLB.TV must do so through the ESPN App and are required to sign up for a 1-month free trial of ESPN Unlimited in order to sign up for MLB.TV. After 1 month, ESPN auto-renews at $29.99/month, or you can cancel the trial at any time. ESPN is not required to maintain an MLB.TV subscription.
Existing ESPN Unlimited subscribers have the opportunity to add-on an MLB.TV subscription in 2026 for $134.99 per season, down from $149.99.
Monthly subscription options are also available for $29.99, with new subscribers eligible for a free month of ESPN Unlimited.
A number of DirecTV packages will get you the essential channels for the 2026 MLB season, including Fox, FS1, ESPN, ABC, and MLB Network, which you’ll need to watch spring training games live. Every plan also includes a subscription to ESPN Unlimited, ESPN’s new streaming platform.
DirecTV Choice, which starts at $60 for your first month, is a great option for a robust but cost-effective streaming plan that includes all the channels you need to watch baseball in 2026. You can even try it all out for free first. Every DirecTV subscriber, regardless of tier, enjoys access to an unlimited cloud DVR.
How do I subscribe to MLB.TV through ESPN?
New subscribers who purchase MLB.TV must do so through the ESPN App and are required to sign up for a 1-month free trial of ESPN Unlimited in order to sign up for MLB.TV. After 1 month, ESPN auto-renews at $29.99/month, or you can cancel the trial at any time. ESPN is not required to maintain an MLB.TV subscription. If you’re a current subscriber to MLB.TV, your subscription will be renewed directly through your MLB.TV account for the 2026 season (though this may change in the future). You can continue to access the streaming content in the MLB App, or if you have the ESPN App, you can link your MLB.TV subscription to it and watch there. If you get ESPN Unlimited through another provider like DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV or Spectrum, click here for instructions on how to access MLB.TV with your account.
Is MLB.TV free through ESPN?
This new partnership between ESPN and MLB.TV does not mean that MLB.TV is now a free part of the ESPN App, it will be available as an add-on feature. ESPN+ subscribers will have the opportunity to purchase an MLB.TV subscription at a discount, though: in 2026, the full season will cost $134.99 instead of $149.99 and subscribers can stream games either through the MLB App or the ESPN App.
MLB Spring Training 2026 Opening Weekend Schedule
You can find a complete schedule of spring training games here; RSN broadcasts are noted below.
All Times Eastern
Friday, Feb. 20
New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles, 1:05 p.m. (Gotham, MASN)
Kansas City Royals vs. Texas Rangers, 3:05 p.m.
Chicago White Sox vs. Chicago Cubs, 3:05 p.m. (MARQ)
San Diego Padres vs. Seattle Mariners, 3:10 p.m. (SDPA, SEA Video)
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies, 3:10 p.m. (ARID, COLR)
Saturday, Feb. 21
Atlanta Braves vs. Tampa Bay Rays, 1:05 p.m. (RAYS)
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Baltimore Orioles, 1:05 p.m (MASN)
Boston Red Sox vs. Minnesota Twins, 1:05 p.m. (NESN, MNNT)
Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m. (DETT, YES)
Washington Nationals vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 1:05 p.m
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 1:07 p.m. (NBCSP)
Miami Marlins vs. New York Mets, 1:10 p.m. (SNY)
Oakland Athletics vs. Chicago White Sox, 3:05 p.m. (CHSN)
Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Guardians, 3:05 p.m. (CINR, CLEG)
San Diego Padres vs. Kansas City Royals, 3:05 p.m.
Texas Rangers vs. Chicago Cubs, 3:05 p.m. (MARQ)
L.A. Dodgers vs. L.A. Angels, 3:10 p.m. (SNLA)
Cleveland Indians vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 3:10 p.m.
San Francisco Giants vs. Seattle Mariners, 3:10 p.m. (NBCSBA, SEA Video)
Colorado Rockies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 3:10 p.m. (ARID)
Sunday, Feb. 22
St Louis Cardinals vs. Houston Astros, 1:05 p.m. (SCHN)
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox, 1:05 p.m. (NESN)
Baltimore Orioles vs, Detroit Tigers, 1:05 p.m.
N.Y. Mets vs. N.Y. Yankees, 1:05 p.m. (Gotham)
Minnesota Twins vs. Atlanta Braves, 1:05 p.m. (GTV)
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies, 1:05 p.m. (NBCSP)
Tampa Bay Rays vs Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:05 p.m. (RAYS, SNP)
Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins, 1:10 p.m.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago White Sox, 3:05 p.m. (BREW, CHSN)
Cleveland Guardians vs. Oakland Athletics, 3:05 p.m.
Colorado Rockies vs. Texas Rangers, 3:05 p.m.
Seattle Mariners vs. Cincinnati Reds, 3:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants, 3:05 p.m. (SF Video)
Kansas City Royals vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 3:10 p.m.
L.A. Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres, 3:10 p.m.
L.A. Angels vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, 3:10 p.m.
Monday, February 23
Boston vs. Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m.
Atlanta Braves vs. Baltimore Orioles, 1:05 p.m.
Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers, 1:05 p.m.
N.Y. Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:05 p.m. (Gotham, SNP)
Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 1:05 p.m. (Matrix)
N.Y. Mets vs. Toronto Blue Jays, 1:07 p.m.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cleveland Guardians, 3:05 p.m.
Chicago Cubs vs. Kansas City Royals, 3:05 p.m.
Seattle Mariners vs. L.A. Dodgers, 3:05 p.m. (SNLA)
Oakland Athletics vs. San Francisco Giants, 3:05 p.m.
Texas Rangers vs. L.A. Angels, 3:10 p.m
Milwaukee Brewers vs. San Diego Padres, 3:10 p.m. (BREW, SDPA)
Chicago White Sox vs. Colorado Rockies, 3:10 p.m.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals, 6:05 p.m.
When does the 2026 MLB season start?
The 2026 MLB season begins earlier than ever. The 2026 season will begin on Wednesday, March 25, with an Opening Night matchup between the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees at Oracle Park in San Francisco, followed by a 14-game Opening Day slate on Thursday, March 26.
How to watch the 2026 MLB season without cable:
A number of DirecTV packages will get you the essential channels for the 2026 MLB season, including Fox, FS1, ESPN, ABC and MLB Network, which you’ll need to watch spring training games live. Every plan also includes a subscription to ESPN Unlimited, ESPN’s new streaming platform.
DirecTV Choice, which costs $60/month for your first month, is a great option for a robust but cost-effective streaming plan that includes all the channels you need to watch baseball in 2026. You can even try it all out for free for 5 days first. Every DirecTV subscriber, regardless of tier, enjoys access to an unlimited cloud DVR.
While Sling doesn’t offer a free trial these days, since the MLB season obviously lasts longer than your standard trial would, anyway, it ends up being a solid option to catch a lot of games in the season.
For $76/month, you’ll get over 60 channels included with Sling Orange and Blue, and with the Sports Extra add-on, you’ll get more than a dozen sports channels, including the MLB Network, where you can tune in to Spring Training 2026.
Where to stream MLB games:
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