The KBO has set its postseason schedule: the wild card round starts Oct. 14 and the Korean Series begins Nov. 2. Regular-season leader KT advances directly to the Korean Series, with second-place Samsung waiting in the playoff.
Money Today reported that the KBO announced the 2026 postseason schedule on Oct. 7. The regular season ends Oct. 12, and the wild card round on Oct. 14 starts the fall baseball. The five postseason teams are KT, Samsung, KIA, LG and Doosan.
광고 문의 · 300×250The five-team picture: KT on top, 3rd-5th still open
Etoday reported that on Sept. 30 Doosan clinched a postseason spot with a 6-5 walk-off win over NC after trailing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth. The same report said Lotte's ninth straight postseason miss, since 2017, was confirmed by that result. KT then won seven straight to secure first place.
Seoul Shinmun said on Oct. 7 that KT and Samsung had clinched the top two spots while the order of KIA, LG and Doosan in 3rd to 5th remained open. Money Today reported KIA and LG level at a .547 winning percentage, with KIA holding third on tiebreakers and Doosan fifth. The order will be settled over the final days of the regular season.
Schedule and rules
According to Seoul Shinmun and Money Today, the dates are Oct. 14 for the wild card round, Oct. 17 for the semi-playoff, Oct. 25 for the playoff and Nov. 2 for the Korean Series. The wild card is at most two games at the fourth seed's park; the fourth seed advances with one win or a tie, while the fifth must win both. The semi-playoff and playoff are best-of-five, and the Korean Series is best-of-seven in a 2-3-2 format, with games 1, 2, 6 and 7 at KT's park.
Extra innings are capped at 15, after which a game is a tie. Rain-shortened and no-game results do not apply; only suspended games count, with one game per day. At least one travel day separates each series. Teams register 30 players, 28 of them eligible, and four foreign players including one Asian-quota player.
With KT waiting for the Korean Series without playing a postseason game, a key question is how much energy the wild card survivor carries through the semi-playoff and into the Samsung-hosted playoff.