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Major League Baseball has abandoned plans for a two-game London Series between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays next June 13-14, commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Tuesday (via the Associated Press). London Stadium will be used for a West Ham soccer match on May 24 and there won’t be enough time to convert the stadium to baseball.
Despite the 2026 London Series falling through, Manfred said MLB remains committed to Europe. From the Associated Press:
“We remain interested in Europe. We think London is an important jumping off point for us,” Manfred said during his Q&A session. “We have a facility that has come a long way since the first Yankee-Red Sox game. It’s a much better ballpark now than it was due to their willingness to make investments in that. We continue to believe that there’s an opportunity there and that we can get at the developed economies in Europe through that London entree.”
MLB already canceled plans to play games in Paris this season because the league was unable to find a promoter.
The Yankees and Boston Red Sox played the first London Series in 2019. MLB also played games in London in 2023 (Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals) and 2024 (New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies). The only international games played this year was the season-opening two-game Tokyo Series between the Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers.
There is one international series on the 2026 schedule: Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Diego Padres in Mexico City from April 25-26. MLB has played regular-season games in Puerto Rico, Australia, and South Korea over the years in addition to London, Mexico City, and Tokyo.
The collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2026. The next CBA will set a tentative schedule for intentional games in 2027 and beyond.