Citizens Bank Park hosted the 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game during America’s 250th-anniversary year. The Philadelphia ballpark was selected for the 96th edition of the midsummer showcase.
The game’s Philadelphia setting connected a major national sporting event with one of the central locations of the American founding story. Philadelphia hosted the Continental Congress, the drafting and proclamation of the Declaration of Independence, and earlier national anniversary expositions. The city was also one of the leading locations for 2026 semiquincentennial programming.
Citizens Bank Park is home to the Philadelphia Phillies and is located in South Philadelphia’s sports complex. It opened in 2004, replacing Veterans Stadium as the Phillies’ home. The 1976 Bicentennial-era All-Star Game had been played at Veterans Stadium, creating a direct baseball link between the 200th and 250th anniversaries.
The All-Star Game is not the same event as the World Series or the MLB season opener. It is an American League–National League exhibition and celebration held around the middle of the regular season.