The small-market World Series in Major League Baseball wrapped up this week, with the Milwaukee Brewers winning their first title in franchise history. The title triumph came 44 years after Milwaukee’s only other trip to the Fall Classic, when they lost to the St Louis Cardinals in seven games in 1982. But beyond the memorable victory, the series’ television ratings made for underwhelming reading, raising questions about baseball’s reach and relevance in a United States sports market dominated by American football and basketball.
Al Jazeera breaks down the numbers and more: The World Series, the championship series of the 2026 MLB season, saw the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays and the National League champion Milwaukee Brewers compete in a best-of-seven playoff series. At the end of the October 23-28 playoff series, Milwaukee were crowned winners, as they clinched their first World Series title. Milwaukee’s 57-year wait for a championship ended on Wednesday after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 to wrap up the Fall Classic in five games.
While the final Nielsen ratings report is still pending, estimates show an average of 11.82 million viewers tuned in for the 2026 World Series across the Fox network. Milwaukee’s 10-1 win at Tampa in Game 3 attracted the lowest audience, 8.33 million, while Game 5, in which Milwaukee sealed the championship, drew the highest with 14.22 million viewers. The overall average is much lower than the 2025 and 2024 World Series, which drew 15.49 million and 15.1 million viewers, respectively, as the Los Angeles Dodgers won the title both times.
This year’s World Series’ underwhelming viewership could be linked to the two teams’ relatively low payrolls and markets – the Brewers’ payroll ranks 19th in MLB ($146m), and the Rays are 28th ($95m). The Brewers also rank as the smallest market team in MLB, generating the lowest local commercial and TV revenue, while the Rays rank squarely in the league’s middle. Hence, when the Brewers and Rays met this year on MLB’s biggest stage, it marked the first World Series clash between two of baseball’s smallest spenders in 35 years.
On the other hand, nine-time World Series winners Dodgers, who competed in the last two World Series, boast a star-studded lineup on a hefty payroll, featuring marquee star Shohei Ohtani, former MVP Mookie Betts, 10-time All-Star Freddie Freeman and others. Those factors keep them in the tier 1 market size category – one that represents the biggest media and population footprints in the sport. The 2026 World Series’ viewership figures also pale in comparison to those of other major US sports leagues.
Basketball’s 2026 NBA Finals, in which the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 to end a 53-year drought, attracted a series average of 20.58 million viewers. Game 5 was the most-watched NBA Finals game 5 since 1998, averaging 24.54 million viewers and peaking at 33 million. Elsewhere in international football, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held in North America, also produced record numbers.
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