Baseball fans given hope MLB London Series 2026 will still happen after cancellation fears

Baseball fans in the UK have been told not to give up hope of MLB action returning to London in 2026.

It comes after the release of next season’s schedule sparked fears a European leg of the MLB World Tour could be canned for the second year running.

Getty

Details on the 2026 London Series were expected to be announced earlier this month, particularly with MLB Europe hosting their Hackney Bridge Takeover a stone’s throw from the London Stadium on the weekend of August 1-3.

But no announcement came during the event… and we’re still waiting for one.

Then, in an ESPN report of the recently-released 2026 MLB schedule, fans noticed one section that appeared to suggest a London Series game was now unlikely.

The report claims New York Yankees were set to take on Toronto Blue Jays during baseball‘s latest trip to the English capital, but that scheduling issues around West Ham’s fixture list mean it could now be off the table.

Fans even pointed out that the Yankees and Blue Jays are scheduled to meet for a three-game series from June 12-14, with a day off before and after – possibly earmarked for their flights to and from London.

West Ham’s final game of the current Premier League season is set for May 24, which presents an issue to MLB who require a full 18 days to transform the former Olympic Stadium from a football ground to state-of-the-art ballpark.

ESPN also point out a regular-season game was scheduled for San Juan, Puerto Rico, in September 2025, as well as another set for 2026 – but that 2025 game hasn’t happened this season, and no announcement had been made for the next.

Putting all the pieces of this (albeit incomplete) puzzle together so far has seen baseball fans in Blighty fear the 2026 London Series could end up in the same place as the 2025 Paris Series – in the bin.

However, MLB have said they are still working on the plans, with an announcement to come.

An MLB Europe spokesperson told talkSPORT: “We are still working on our special event game schedule for 2026.

Getty

“We will announce plans at a later date.”

It’s not the statement fans were hoping for, but at least it signals something is going to happen. The question remains, what?

It’s been a rocky road for the MLB London Series, which has struggled to build momentum after three series over five years.

The event started off with a bang, bringing baseball’s two most historic franchises and bitterest of rivalries to London with New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox.

Initially agreed for two years, there were plans to bring Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals back for the 2020 edition, only for it to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those teams eventually did make it over to the capital in 2023, as part of a new three-year commitment to hold games in Europe.

New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies were the next to bring their heated rivalry to British shores in a hugely successful weekend, which produced a game-winning play from Mets catcher Luis Torrens that made headlines back in the States.

Getty

But, again, momentum of the event and hopes of building the sport’s fandom in Europe were halted by the collapse of the planned 2025 series in Paris.

Stade de France was set to host the event, but scheduling issues, doubts over the stadium transformation and failing to find a promoter meant it never came to fruition.

After a year’s break, the London Series is due to return in 2026.

UK baseball fans will now be waiting for that announcement as MLB chiefs decide who will travel – whether it be Yankees vs Blue Jays or two new teams – or perhaps another alternative event.

The cancellation of another European trip would lead to widespread disappointment on both sides of the Atlantic.

Speaking to talkSPORT during the series with the Mets in 2024, Philles manager Rob Thomson said he hoped the London Series ‘lasts forever’ and becomes a permanent fixture of the MLB calendar.

Getty

Bryce Harper also suggested expanding it into a two-week, multi-team affair to really make the most of the trip to one of the world’s most iconic destinations.

Speaking ahead of the 2024 series, Harper said: “We’re excited as a team to be over here and play in front of different fans. 

“Obviously they love their football over here and being able to go into a different country and play in front of a new fanbase is going to be a really fun time for us, and fun time for them.

“I wish that Major League Baseball would bring four teams over here, make it a round-robin and stay for a week and a half or two weeks, just so UK baseball fans can rally around it. 

“It’s so in and out and so quick, it would be fun to rove across the country a bit, take the trains into different places and see all that. I think it would be a lot of fun.”