Brewers-Rays World Series Once Seemed Impossible, Now What?

The 2026 World Series will begin on Friday and we now know who the two teams that will take the field are.

The Milwaukee Brewers will represent the National League, which was confirmed last week. On Wednesday night, the American League champion was crowned as the Tampa Bay Rays took down the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series. Now, both clubs have a few days off before the Rays will travel to Milwaukee to face off against the Brewers with Game 1 of the World Series scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 23 at American Family Field.

Who saw this one coming?

An Intriguing World Series Matchup Coming

The Rays won just 77 games in 2025 and did not enter the 2026 season with sky-high expectations. The Brewers won 97 games last year, and yet the national perception of Milwaukee wasn't very high coming into the 2026 season as well. These two clubs didn't get to this point thanks to lofty spending and big-name superstars spread throughout the roster. If that were the case, the World Series matchup would be between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Instead, the Rays knocked New York out of the playoffs in the ALDS and the Brewers took down the Dodgers.

These two teams are similar in the fact that they play the game the right way. Both clubs pitch well, get guys on base, move them along, find ways to get them home and play good defense. These are both all-around clubs. Neither has an easy matchup in this series because they are each other's match. The Brewers and Rays are built similarly and both play the game the right way.

Also, neither of these two clubs has won a World Series title in their franchise history. The Brewers last made it to the World Series all the way back in 1982, when they lost against the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. The Rays, on the other hand, last made it to the World Series in 2020 against the Dodgers. The Rays' last World Series appearance before that came in 2008 against the Philadelphia Phillies.

There will be a first-time winner when either Milwaukee or Tampa Bay is crowned as the 2026 World Series champions. With all of the discussions around the league about a potential salary cap and looming labor issues, a World Series matchup between the Brewers and the Rays is a massive shock. It goes against all of the big talking points around the league about parity and spending. For example, the Brewers are ranked 17th in tax payroll and the Rays are ranked 21st. The Dodgers and Yankees are the top two teams in baseball, from that perspective. But they were both knocked out. The same can be said about the Phillies, who finished the season third.

Fortunately, there are still at least four games left to be played. On the negative side, there will likely be some out there that use this matchup for some sort of narrative in the CBA negotiations. The business side of the game is likely going to cause some issues over the next few months. But for now, enjoy this series, Brewers fans. It was a long road to get back here.