We're still weeks away from being able to watch MLB teams take the field in Spring Training. But if you're trapped amid the snow and ice and looking for some real, live baseball to help pass the remaining winter, we've got some good news: The 2026 Caribbean Series is here.
It's a competition that dates all the way back to the 1940s, pitting the best professional teams from various Latin American countries against one another. Some of the biggest names in baseball history have taken part over the years, from Robert Clemente to Miguel Cabrera to David Ortiz, and the atmospheres are always electric as fans pack the house and players compete for national pride.
Who's competing in the 2026 Caribbean Series?
For some four decades, the Caribbean Series featured the champions of the top domestic leagues of the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, with other countries like Cuba, Panama, Curacao and Colombia making intermittent appearances. This year's field was originally supposed to include the core four and Panama, but the ongoing political turmoil in Venezuela led that country to pull out of the event altogether — with their spot going to the second-place team in the Mexican League.
Manager Albert Pujols led the Dominican Republic's Leones de Escogido to the 2025 title, and the team is back to defend its crown this year. Here's everything you need to know as well as how to catch all the action live.
Here are the five teams taking part in the 2026 Caribbean Series:
- Leones del Escogido, Dominican Republic (defending champion and winners of this year's Dominican Professional Baseball League)
- Charros de Jalisco, Mexico (champions of the Mexican Pacific League)
- Tomateros de Culiacán, Mexico (runners-up of the Mexican Pacific League)
- Federales de Chiriquí, Panama (champions of the Panamanian Professional Baseball League)
- Cangrejeros de Santurce, Puerto Rico (champions of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League)
Caribbean Series format and stages, explained
It's a five-team tournament, with competition divided into two stages. First is the round robin stage, in which the teams all play one another one time (four games per team in all). Standings are determined by winning percentage, with run differential serving as the first tiebreaker in the event that two or more teams finish with identical records.
The top four teams in the standings after the conclusion of round robin play move on to the semifinal round: fourth place vs. first place, third place vs. second place. The two winners advance to the final, one game to decide a champion.
Full Caribbean Series schedule
Here's the full, day-by-day schedule of the 2026 Caribbean Series, beginning with the start of round-robin play on Sunday, Feb. 1, through the knockout stages to the championship game on Sunday, Feb. 8.
Sunday, Feb. 1
- Puerto Rico 5, Mexico Verde 4
- Dominican Republic 5, Mexico Rojo 4
Monday, Feb. 2
- Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic, 3 p.m. ET
- Mexico Rojo vs. Panama, 8 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Feb. 3
- Panama vs. Mexico Verde, 3 p.m. ET
- Mexico Rojo vs. Puerto Rico, 8 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Feb. 4
- Panama vs. Dominican Republic, 3 p.m. ET
- Mexico Verde vs. Puerto Rico, 8 p.m. ET
Thursday, Feb. 5
- Puerto Rico vs. Panama 3 p.m. ET
- Dominican Republic vs. Mexico Verde, 8 p.m. ET
Friday, Feb. 6
- Semifinal No. 1: Third-place team vs. second-place team, 3 p.m. ET
- Semifinal No. 2: Fourth-place team vs. first-place team, 8 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 7
- Championship game, 8 p.m. ET
Caribbean Series standings and results so far
Standings entering Mon., Feb. 2
Team | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Winning Pct. | Runs scored | Runs allowed | Run differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leones de Escogido | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Cangrejeros de Santurce | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Federales de Chiriquí | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tomateros de Culiacán | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 4 | 5 | -1 |
Charros de Jalisco | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 4 | 5 | -1 |
The 2026 Caribbean Series began with the start of round robin play on Sunday, Feb. 1. Puerto Rico kicked the tournament off with a 5-4 win over Mexico's Tomateros de Culiacán (referred to officially as Mexico Verde in order to easily distinguish it from the other Mexican team in the competition), while the Dominican Republic's Leones de Escogido began their title defense with a victory against Mexico's Charros de Jalisco (referred to officially as Mexico Rojo).
Results
Sunday, Feb. 1
- Puerto Rico 5, Mexico Verde 4
- Dominican Republic 5, Mexico Rojo 4
How to watch the Caribbean Series
- Dates: Sunday, Feb. 1-Sunday, Feb. 8
- Location: Estadio Panamericano de Béisbol, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
- TV Channel: MLB Network
If you have a cable subscription in the United States, MLB Network will be your home for the entirety of the 2026 Caribbean Series. You can either watch the action on television or online at MLB.com/network by entering your cable log-in. If you don't have access to MLB Network, though, worry not: You can still stream the games online via Fubo, which offers a free trial for new customers.