The 2026 World Series reaches its climax Friday, October 23, with two franchises chasing their first championship. The Tampa Bay Rays have reached the Fall Classic twice before, in 2008 and 2020, but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers have made just one Series appearance, 44 years ago, in what became known as the “Suds Series.” They lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in that matchup. So, this time, one of the two teams will have a chance to make history and claim its first championship.
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Beyond the World Series matchup, Friday will offer plenty of action across several sports. The NBA schedule includes games featuring teams such as the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors. Fans can also look forward to college football, NHL action, motorsports, golf, and tennis.
MLB
The Tampa Bay Rays will face the Milwaukee Brewers at 8:00 PM ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The game will air nationally on FOX and FOX One.
NBA
The NBA will feature a packed slate of 12 games, beginning at 4:00 PM ET with the Chicago Bulls taking on the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.
At 7:00 PM ET, the New York Knicks will face the Boston Celtics on Amazon Prime Video. Three other matchups will tip off at the same time, with the Dallas Mavericks visiting the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Minnesota Timberwolves taking on the Orlando Magic at Kia Center, and the Toronto Raptors facing the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. The Atlanta Hawks will also meet the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center.
At 8:00 PM ET, the Detroit Pistons will take on the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center. Later, the Houston Rockets will face the San Antonio Spurs at 9:30 PM ET at Moody Center, with coverage on Amazon Prime Video. The New Orleans Pelicans will meet the Utah Jazz at Delta Center at the same time.
Three more games will tip off at 10:00 PM ET. The Memphis Grizzlies will face the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center, the Los Angeles Clippers will take on the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, and the Portland Trail Blazers will meet the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.
College football
Friday’s college football schedule features five matchups. The action begins at 7:00 PM ET, when the Massachusetts Minutemen face the Connecticut Huskies on CBS Sports Network. At the same time, the Duke Blue Devils will take on the Virginia Cavaliers on ESPN, with streaming also available on Fubo.
At 8:30 PM ET, the Army Black Knights will face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on ESPN2. Later, the Air Force Falcons will take on the Wyoming Cowboys at 9:00 PM ET on The CW. The NC State Wolfpack will then face the Stanford Cardinal at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN to close out the night.
NHL
The Montreal Canadiens will face the Chicago Blackhawks at 8:00 PM ET, with the game airing on NHL Network.
Motorsports
Formula 1 will head to Austin for the United States Grand Prix. Practice 1 is scheduled for 1:30 PM ET, followed by Practice 2 at 5:00 PM ET, with both sessions available on Apple TV. Qualifying will take place Saturday at 5:00 PM ET, while Sunday’s race is scheduled for 4:00 PM ET.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will also be in action at Talladega. Qualifying will begin at 12:30 PM ET on FS2, ahead of the Love’s RV Stop 225 at 4:00 PM ET on FS1 and FOX One. Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race will start at 2:00 PM ET on NBC and HBO Max.
Meanwhile, the MotoGP Sprint at Phillip Island in Australia is scheduled to begin at 11:55 PM ET on FS2.
Golf
Friday’s golf coverage will begin at 3:00 AM ET with the second round of the BMW Ladies Championship on Golf Channel. The second round of the Genesis Championship will follow at 7:30 AM ET.
Later, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship’s second round begins at 1:00 PM ET.
The Stifel Charity Classic will begin its first round at 4:00 PM ET, followed by Golf Central at 6:00 PM ET. Coverage of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship will resume at 6:30 PM ET, while another edition of Golf Central will air at 9:30 PM ET. The day’s golf coverage will conclude with the third round of the BMW Ladies Championship at 10:00 PM ET.
Tennis
Tennis action will continue across Asia and Europe, with the Ningbo Open quarterfinals scheduled for approximately 1:00 AM to 8:00 AM ET on Friday. The Kinoshita Group Japan Open will also feature overnight action, beginning around 10:30 PM ET on Thursday and continuing until 5:00 AM ET on Friday.
The Almaty Open quarterfinals will begin at approximately 1:30 AM ET, followed by the tournament’s evening session at around 9:30 AM ET. Meanwhile, the Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in Lyon and the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Brussels will feature live matches during the European daytime window, from approximately 5:00 AM to 4:30 PM ET.
Tennis Channel will provide U.S. coverage of the October 23 tournaments, including the ATP events in Brussels, Lyon, and Almaty, as well as the WTA tournaments in Osaka and Ningbo.
Live television coverage will begin at 6:00 AM ET with Center Court Live, featuring matches from multiple tournaments throughout the day.
Fans without cable can stream the coverage through the Tennis Channel app, Fubo, DIRECTV STREAM, or Sling TV. For additional court feeds beyond those available on the main network, Tennis Channel Plus will offer a separate streaming option.
With the World Series taking center stage alongside a full slate of NBA and college football games, motorsports, golf, and tennis, Friday promises plenty of action for sports fans. Check the broadcast schedules, choose your must-watch matchups, and get ready for a busy day of sports.