Little League World Series 2026 Bracket Schedule, TV Info, Round 1 Predictions

The 2026 Little League Baseball World Series kicks off in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, with teams from around the world vying to be recognized as the best in their sport.

Potential champions, Asia-Pacific Region winners Seoul, South Korea, take to the diamond on day one. Sweetwater Little League out of Bonita, California, will begin its quest to deliver its home state its ninth title.

When can you check out those two teams? Find out in this preview of the first round of action, including predictions for each game.

Participating Teams

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United States

Great Lakes Region: West Side LL (Hamilton, Ohio)

Metro Region: Bayonne Central LL (Bayonne, New Jersey)

Mid-Atlantic Region: East Side LL (West Chester, Pennsylvania)

Midwest Region: Davenport Northwest LL (Davenport, Iowa)

Mountain Region: Paseo Verde, LL (Henderson, Nevada)

New England Region: Bridgewater Joe Lozaro LL (Bridgewater, Massachusetts)

Northwest Region: Soundview LL (Tacoma, Washington)

Southeast Region: Phenix City Youth Baseball LL (Phenix City, Alabama)

Southwest Region: Boerne LL (Boerne, Texas)

West Region: Sweetwater Valley LL (Bonita, California)

International

Asian-Pacific Region: West Seoul (B) LL (Seoul, South Korea)

Australia Region: Ryde Little League (Sydney, New South Wales)

Canada Region: Little Mountain LLC (Vancouver, British Columbia)

Caribbean Region: Los Nacionales LL (Santiago, Dominican Republic)

Curaçao Region: Pariba LL (Willemstad, Curaçao)

Europe and Africa Region: South Czech Republic LL (Brno, Czechia)

Japan Region: Joto LL (Tokyo, Japan)

Latin American Region: Ministerio Sobre Las Alas Del Aguila LL (Leon, Nicaragua)

Mexico Region: Municipal De Tijuana LL (Tijuana, Baja California)

Panama Region: David Doleguita LL (Chiriquí, Panama)

TV Information

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Dates: August 19 - 30

Location: Lamade and Volunteer Stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania

TV: ESPN and ABC

Streaming: ESPN app

First Round Schedule and Predictions

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Wednesday, August 19

• Latin America vs. Caribbean (1:00 p.m., ESPN, Volunteer Stadium) (Prediction: Latin America)

• Northwest vs. Southeast (3:00 p.m., ESPN, Lamade Stadium) (Prediction: Southeast)
• Canada vs. Asia-Pacific (5:00 p.m., ESPN, Volunteer Stadium) (Prediction: Asia-Pacific)
• New England vs. Metro (7:00 p.m., ESPN, Lamade) (Prediction: New England)

Thursday, August 20

• Australia vs. Mexico (12:00 p.m., ESPN, Volunteer Stadium) (Prediction: Mexico)
• Great Lakes vs. Mountain (2:00 p.m., ESPN, Lamade Stadium) (Prediction: Great Lakes)
• Japan vs. Curaçao (4:00 p.m., ESPN, Volunteer Stadium) (Prediction: Japan)
• West vs. Midwest (6:00 p.m., ESPN, Lamade Stadium) (Prediction: West)

Click here for the full schedule

Who Will Win This Year's Tournament?

For one, it will not be last year's victors, as Chinese Taipei did not make the field in 2026.

Representing Asia-Pacific is the team from Seoul, South Korea, itself fully capable of going on a run and winning its third Little League World Series title.

The team from Seoul is as complete a unit as one will find in this year's tournament, thanks to excellent base running, a deep rotation, and the potential to hit the long ball every time a player steps up to the plate.

That squad has the potential to follow in Chinese Taipei's footsteps and win the tournament for the Asia-Pacific region for the second consecutive year.

Should they slip up, however, do not be surprised to see the Caribbean team from the Dominican Republic.

A strong defensive squad with a knack for dramatic, later-inning hitting, it does all of the small things exceptionally well, as evidenced by their 7-1 record in their regional tournament.

Either one of those two teams should be considered favorites in Williamsport, though keep an eye on the West representative out of California. The state has eight Little League World Series titles and has a tendency to produce tough outs.