Each MLB team was scheduled to play 162 regular-season games in 2026.
That schedule is divided into home and road dates, normally producing 81 home games and 81 away games for each club. Because every game involves two teams, 30 teams playing 162 games creates 2,430 regular-season games across the league.
The 162-game format has been MLB’s standard since 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League. Before that expansion era, teams generally played 154 games, which explains why that number sometimes appears in baseball-history questions.
The figure applies to the regular season, not spring training, the All-Star Game, or the postseason. A team may ultimately play more than 162 games if it reaches the playoffs, while postponements or cancellations can affect the number actually completed. The published 2026 schedule, however, assigned 162 regular-season games to every club.