It's Official: Cubs, Red Sox to End Regular Season at Neutral Site Due to Weather

The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox will have to relocate for their final game of the regular season this weekend.

Sep 24, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (11) is seen in the dugout before the game against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Cubs will play their final game of the 2026 regular season in Tampa Bay.

The announcement comes in the wake of a nor'easter that is headed for the Boston area. Chicago's final series has already been significantly disrupted by the storm. Originally scheduled to play three games across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the Cubs and Red Sox moved up a matchup to create a doubleheader on Friday.

Manager Craig Counsell expressed frustration with the decision, as it impacted the Cubs' pitching plans ahead of their Wild Card series in a handful of days. Nevertheless, they continued to roll with their current rotation, throwing Clay Holmes and David Peterson in the doubleheader games, respectively.

Questions remained about what the organizations would do about the series finale. With no time for a postponement, the forecast made it look increasingly unlikely that the game could be squeezed in at Fenway Park. This led many to speculate that a neutral site would be the answer, and those folks were exactly right.

The Cubs and Red Sox will now play on Sunday at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays. According to Elise Menaker of Marquee Sports Network, the game will be held at 2:05 p.m. CT. With the storm rolling in soon, both teams plan to depart for Tampa Bay following the conclusion of their Game 2 on Friday.

What's Still At Stake for the Cubs?

Chicago Cubs pitcher Daniel Palencia (48) celebrates with his teammates after clinching a playoff spot after the against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There is no question that the Chicago Cubs' hopes of stealing the top Wild Card spot this weekend were hit hard after dropping Game 1 of their doubleheader. The San Diego Padres have won back-to-back games over the Los Angeles Dodgers, building a 1.5-game lead (as of publication) over the Cubs.

Winning Friday evening feels like a necessity for the Cubs to have a shot at earning home-field advantage. For what it's worth, they do hold the tiebreaker over San Diego, which means an identical record would result in a series at Wrigley Field.

With that said, there is also still a chance they swap spots with the Philadelphia Phillies for the last Wild Card spot. This would mean a series on the road against the Atlanta Braves, whom the Cubs just beat at the Friendly Confines a few weeks back.

Regardless, the whole point is that the Cubs do not control their own destiny at this point. All they can do is hope to win out and see the Padres struggle to keep the momentum going against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It's an unfortunate place to be, especially when considering they had a sizeable Wild Card lead only a few weeks back.

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