College World Series 2026 Bracket Dates, TV Schedule and Format

The 2026 College World Series will kick off on Friday in Omaha, Nebraska. Eight teams are still standing with a chance to claim the NCAA Division I crown through the remaining double-elimination bracket.

With teams like Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi still in the mix, the CWS will also give fans a look at a few top MLB draft prospects.

Here, you'll find a look at what you need to know about the 2026 CWS, including format rules, scheduling information, and top major league prospects to track.

Format Information

Steven Branscombe/Getty Images

General view of the stadium at Charles Schwab Field on May 20, 2026 in Omaha,

The NCAA Division I tournament began with a 64-team field, which has been whittled down to eight teams. Those eight teams have been separated into a pair of double-elimination brackets.

The winners of the opening round in each bracket will move on to face one another, while the losers will face off in an elimination game. The winner of the elimination game will then face the loser of the winner's bracket in another elimination matchup.

The winner of the second elimination game will feature the 2-0 team from the winner's bracket. The team coming out of the loser's bracket will need to win two games in that series, with the first victory prompting an "if necessary" game.

The winners of each bracket will then face off in the College World Series championship series.

The championship series is a best-of-three format, meaning the first team to two head-to-head victories will be crowned the NCAA champion.

Bracket Dates and Schedule

David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Friday, June 12 (all times ET)

Game 1: No. 16 West Virginia vs. Troy (2 p.m. on ESPN)

Game 2: No. 5 North Carolina vs. Mississippi (7 p.m. on ESPN)

Saturday, June 16

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)

Sunday, June 14

Game 5: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser (2 p.m. on ESPN)

Game 6: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner (7 p.m. on ESPN)

Monday, June 15

Game 7: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser (2 p.m. on ESPN)

Game 8: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner (7 p.m. on ESPN

Tuesday, June 16

Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (2 p.m. on ESPN)

Game 10: Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser (8 p.m. on ESPN)

Wednesday, June 17

Game 11: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner (2 p.m. on ESPN)

Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner (7 p.m. on ESPN)

Thursday, June 18 (if necessary)

Bracket 1: TBD on ESPN

Bracket 2: TBD on ESPN

CWS Championship Series

Game 1: 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, ESPN

Game 2: 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, ABC

Game 3: 7 p.m. on Monday, June 22, ESPN (if necessary)

MLB Prospects to Watch

David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Alabama SS Justin Lebron.

The eight programs still vying for the championship will need to play team-oriented, complementary baseball to make it all the way through the bracket. However, a few top individuals will always shine. This year, some of the CWS standouts may also be future MLB stars.

Alabama's Justin Lebron is one of the top names to watch. The talented shortstop is the ninth-ranked prospect on MLB.com's draft rankings, and he fell just outside of the top 10 in the recent mock draft of Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter.

"An inconsistent spring has moved Lebron down draft boards, but the raw tools that made him a candidate to go No. 1 overall heading into the spring are still present," Reuter wrote. "He has a 60-power, 60-speed profile and all the physical traits to be a plus defender at shortstop."

Lebron's combination of power and defense should give Alabama a legitimate chance to go deep in the final bracket.

Mississippi is bringing a pair of MLB-caliber pitching prospects into the tournament. Cade Townsend, the 27th-ranked prospect on the MLB board, is the bigger name, but Taylor Rabe (ranked 90th) could be drafted early.

Reuter mocked Rabe 39th to the Toronto Blue Jays while mocking Townsend 28th to the Houston Astros.

"He has a great feel for spinning his breaking stuff and a plus changeup, and his pure stuff makes him a nice upside play at the back of the first round," Reuter wrote of Townsend.

It won't be a shock to see Townsend and Rabe both drafted early.

Texas outfielder Aidan Robbins (ranked 30th), Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson (39th), Georgia pitcher Joey Volchko (73rd), Texas catcher Carson Tinney (86th), and North Carolina shortstop Jake Schaffner (91st) are also on the list of prospects to watch.