The offseason has dragged into 2026 with little movement since the MLB Winter Meetings. With little excitement happening around the league, the Philadelphia Phillies dropping their 2026 regular season schedule easily draws the attention of Phillies fans at this juncture.
The actual schedule was announced back in August, but the start times weren't announced until this week. It's a necessary update, but a fun one for fans to chew on as the regular season gets closer. It's only January, but it's still fun to think about regular season baseball returning to Citizens Bank Park. The season ended nearly three months ago, but feels much longer than that right now.
Phillies fans get fun schedule update as the offseason wears on
The season opener, which is also the home opener, is scheduled for Mar. 26 at a 3:05 p.m. ET start time against the Texas Rangers. Ironically, It's the second time in four seasons that the Phillies will start their season against the a Rangers.
The rest of the scheduling is similar to this past season, with the main broadcast being NBC Sports Philadelphia. Night time home games are starting at their normal 6:40 p.m. start, while Saturday home games will alternate between 4:05 p.m. and 6:05 p.m. start time, with the occasional 7:15 p.m. start for nationally televised games. Sunday’s normal start time will be 1:35 p.m., with Sunday Night Baseball yet to drop their 2026 schedule. Once they do, certain games will be flexed to night games.
The Phillies updated 2026 Schedule with every start time. pic.twitter.com/CH9mpgqfdj
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) December 29, 2025
Phillies fans also have the option of watching games through multiple streaming services. They have the option of watching games through MLB.TV with the update to the TV licensing agreement, avoiding blackouts. The games outside the traditional broadcasts will consist of Apple TV, FOX, ESPN, and Peacock.
The biggest changes to the schedule for the Phillies isn't the start times or even the opponents, but the big events that are coming in 2026. For the first time since 1996, Philadelphia is hosting the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game. At the time it was held at Veterans Stadium, so Citizens Bank Park will get it's first taste of the event since it opened in 2004.
The Phillies also get the privilege of playing the fan-favorite Field of Dreams Game against the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 13, 2026. The game is a play off of the Field of Dreams movie from 1989 and will also be played where the field was built, in Dyersville, Iowa. That game will be streamed live on Netflix.
The return of Phillies baseball will be a familiar, yet welcoming feeling once March rolls around. The 2026 regular season may be similar in a lot of ways to 2025, but the additions to the season should make it a memorable one, hopefully topped with a Phillies World Series championship.