MLB Playoff Bracket Maker - 12-Team Postseason
Build an MLB playoff bracket. The postseason features 12 teams, six from each league, across four rounds: Wild Card Series, Division Series, League Championship Series, and the World Series. Enter your teams, seed them, share the link, and print.
The MLB playoff bracket is a 12-team field, six seeds per league. The top two seeds in each league get a first-round bye; seeds 3 through 6 play a best-of-3 Wild Card Series (3v6, 4v5). Winners advance to the best-of-5 Division Series, then the best-of-7 League Championship Series and World Series. Generate, seed, share, and print your bracket free below, no signup.
MLB Postseason Structure
12 Teams, 4 Rounds, Best-of Series
- -12 teams: 6 from the American League, 6 from the National League
- -Each league: 3 division winners plus 3 Wild Cards (the next 3 best records)
- -Seeds 1 and 2 in each league get a first-round bye
- -Wild Card Series (Bo3), Division Series (Bo5), LCS (Bo7), World Series (Bo7)
- -Home-field advantage goes to the higher seed; in the World Series, to the pennant winner with the better regular-season record
Series Count
The Wild Card Series and Byes
Before the Division Series, seeds 3 through 6 in each league play a best-of-3 Wild Card Series. The two best division winners - seeds 1 and 2 - sit out and wait:
- 1.No. 3 seed hosts No. 6 seed, best-of-3, all games at the No. 3 seed's ballpark.
- 2.No. 4 seed hosts No. 5 seed, best-of-3, all games at the No. 4 seed's ballpark.
- 3.Seeds 1 and 2 rest with a bye, then open the Division Series at home.
Because the higher seed hosts every Wild Card game, there is no travel in the first round. The two winners in each league move on to face the rested top seeds.
Fixed Bracket and Seeding
Within each league the bracket is locked. The No. 1 seed plays the winner of the No. 4 vs No. 5 Wild Card Series in one Division Series; the No. 2 seed plays the winner of the No. 3 vs No. 6 series in the other. The two Division Series winners meet in the League Championship Series, and the two pennant winners meet in the World Series.
MLB does not reseed between rounds, so the matchups follow the fixed bracket rather than re-pairing the top remaining seed against the lowest survivor. The American League and National League stay entirely separate until the Stanley Cup-style convergence at the very end, the World Series.
MLB Playoff Office Pool
Pick the Champion + Per-Round
Tiebreak
Most MLB pools use total runs scored in the World Series-clinching game as the tiebreak. Predict the combined runs (closest without going over wins).
Some pools add a World Series MVP prediction as a secondary tiebreak.
FAQ
How many teams make the MLB playoffs?
Twelve teams reach the MLB postseason, six from each league. The three division winners in each league qualify, plus the three best remaining records as Wild Card teams. Seeds 1 and 2 (the two best division winners) get a bye straight to the Division Series; seeds 3 through 6 play the Wild Card Series.
How does the MLB Wild Card Series work?
The Wild Card Series is a best-of-three round. In each league the No. 3 seed hosts the No. 6 seed, and the No. 4 seed hosts the No. 5 seed. All games in a series are played at the higher seed’s ballpark - there is no travel. The two series winners in each league advance to the Division Series.
Which MLB teams get a first-round bye?
The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in each league - the two division winners with the best records - skip the Wild Card round and advance directly to the Division Series. That is four teams in total, two per league.
How are the MLB Division Series matchups set?
The bracket in each league is fixed. The No. 1 seed faces the winner of the No. 4 vs No. 5 Wild Card Series, and the No. 2 seed faces the winner of the No. 3 vs No. 6 series. MLB does not reseed, so the matchups follow the locked bracket.
How many rounds are in the MLB playoffs and how long is each?
Four rounds. The Wild Card Series is best-of-three, the Division Series is best-of-five, and both the League Championship Series and the World Series are best-of-seven (first to 4 wins). The two league champions meet in the World Series.