The Washington Nationals, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, announced their 2026 schedule on Tuesday, highlighted by a home-opening series vs. the Dodgers, the traditional July 4 game in the nation’s capital, three games with the Yankees to close out the first half and more. Washington will begin the 2026 season on the road against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday, March 26 – the earliest start to the season in Nationals history (2005-pres.) before opening the home slate against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ticket Plans for the 2026 season are on sale now and guarantee access to Opening Day. Fans who purchase by Sept. 1 can lock in early bird pricing and receive free tickets to home games in September 2025. More information is available at nats.com/Ticketfinder.

Following the opening series in Chicago, which marks the second time the Nationals have opened a season at Wrigley Field, the Club will travel to Philadelphia to face the Phillies for three games before returning to Washington, D.C. for the home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 3. The Nationals and Dodgers will square off in a three-game series over Easter Weekend before the St. Louis Cardinals come to the nation’s capital for three games (April 6-8) to complete the homestand.

The annual Beltway Series against the Baltimore Orioles will be played across two weekends, May 15-17 at Nationals Park and June 26-28 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The Nationals will host the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game weekend series Friday through Sunday, July 3-5, highlighted by the traditional Fourth of July game at Nationals Park. That series marks the start of a nine-game homestand that will include a series against the Houston Astros (July 6-8) and a weekend series against the New York Yankees (July 10-12) – the final series before the 2026 All-Star break.

Washington’s first series following the break will start in Sacramento against the Athletics, July 17-19, followed by a three-game series at Colorado, July 20-22. The Nationals will return home on Friday, July 24 for a six-game homestand against the Arizona Diamondbacks (July 24-26) and Toronto Blue Jays (July 27-29).

The calendar will flip to August before the Nationals embark on their only 10-day road trip of the season, Aug. 14-23. That trip includes three-game series against the New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Miami Marlins. That trip will be followed by a 10-game homestand with four-game series against the Colorado Rockies (Aug. 24-27), Miami Marlins (Aug. 28-31) and a two-game set against the Atlanta Braves (Sept. 1-2).

The Nationals will cap off the 2026 season with a three-game weekend series against the New York Mets from Friday through Sunday, Sept. 25-27, matching the earliest end to a regular season in Nationals history (2005-pres.) set in 2020.