World Series 2026: How Canadians Can Watch Rays vs. Brewers on Sportsnet

A year ago, an average of 11.6 million Canadians watched the Blue Jays lose Game 7 of the World Series in 11 innings — the most-watched broadcast of the entire TV year, reaching 45% of the country. This October, there's no Canadian team in the Fall Classic. But if you think that means Canadians won't be watching, you haven't been paying attention.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays meet in the 2026 World Series starting Friday, and it's a matchup with plenty for Canadian baseball fans to latch onto — including a couple of our own. Here's your complete guide.

How to Watch in Canada

Every game of the 2026 World Series airs on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, MLB's English-language broadcaster in Canada. First pitch is 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT for all seven games.

The schedule: Games 1 and 2, Friday Oct. 23 and Saturday Oct. 24, in Milwaukee. Games 3 through 5, Oct. 26–28, in St. Petersburg. Games 6 and 7, if needed, back in Milwaukee on Oct. 30 and 31. Yes — a possible Game 7 on Halloween.

The Miz vs. Everybody

The headline act is Milwaukee's 24-year-old ace, Jacob Misiorowski, who the Brewers confirmed Tuesday will start Game 1 on 11 days' rest. If the name doesn't ring a bell yet, the numbers will: a 104.8 mph first pitch earlier this postseason, the fastest since pitch tracking began in 2008. An MLB-best 252 strikeouts. A 16-5 record with a 1.80 ERA. He's the likely NL Cy Young winner, and his 1,115 pitches at 100 mph or more this season shattered the previous tracking-era record.

The Fall Classic record for the fastest pitch — Aroldis Chapman's 103.2 mph heater from 2016 — is officially on notice.

Misiorowski hasn't been at his regular-season best this October, posting a 3.24 ERA across two starts. But Tampa Bay's high-contact lineup hasn't seen anything like this heat. Game 1 might come down to whether the Rays can touch him early.

The Canadians in the Series

Here's your rooting interest. Tampa Bay's roster features Toronto native Liam Hicks, the catcher the Rays acquired at the trade deadline to fill their hole behind the plate — and he hasn't missed since, posting an .819 OPS in 41 games after the move while sliding seamlessly into Tampa's high-contact attack.

Then there's Tristan Peters, whose 18-pitch at-bat against Cleveland ace Gavin Williams was one of the postseason's great grinds. The 2026 season saw 24 Canadian-born players take the field in the majors, and a handful are still standing in October.

It's a nice consolation a year after the Blue Jays' run: Canadians aren't just watching the World Series this year. They're in it.

Why This Matchup Is Special

Neither franchise has ever won a championship. It's the first World Series between two title-less teams since the Phillies and Royals in 1980. Milwaukee is back for the first time since 1982 — when the Brewers were still in the American League — after sweeping the defending champion Dodgers. Tampa Bay is here for the third time, having outlasted Cleveland in six.

And keep an eye on Freddy Peralta. The Rays right-hander was named ALCS MVP after going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA against the Guardians — and now he faces Milwaukee, the team he spent eight seasons with before being traded in January. "Milwaukee is going to be always in my heart," he said. "But this is a time to compete."

Sources

• Sportsnet — "Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski to start Game 1 of World Series" (October 2026)
• Sportsnet (Associated Press) — "Brewers, Rays clash in World Series both looking for first title" (October 2026)
• Sportsnet — "Canadians to watch in 2026 MLB post-season" (October 2026)
• ESPN — "2026 MLB Playoffs: Bracket, Schedule, Scores & Results" (October 2026)
• Channel Canada (Numeris) — "Numeris Year in Review: Blue Jays Game 7 Tops a Huge TV Year" (October 2026)

Photo: Fabian Roudra Baroi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Rogers Centre in Toronto, home of the Blue Jays (file photo).