Key takeaways from the Mets' 2026 regular season schedule

The New York Mets' 2026 regular season schedule has been released. Here are some key takeaways from the Mets' full 162-game slate for next season.

Aug 22, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates a home run hit against the Atlanta Braves in the dugout during the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The New York Mets have a lot to try and accomplish before 2025 wraps up, but the stage has been set for the 2026 season. The league officially released next year's regular season schedule this afternoon, and the Mets posted their own social media video to hype it up.

Press K to Start Battle. pic.twitter.com/7PTzNJHvep

— New York Mets (@Mets) August 26, 2025

While the current year hasn't gone according to plan for the Mets, 2026 offers a ton of promise as the team's existing core could be augmented by an exciting wave of young talent from a farm system that ESPN's Kylie McDaniel rated as the best in the game.

Read More: MLB Insider tabs Mets' farm system as the best in baseball

Since MLB moved to a more balanced schedule after the 2022 season, the mix of opponents that the Mets are facing hasn't changed too much. 2025 brought a slight tweak in the restoration of two three-game editions of the Subway Series, a trend that will continue in 2026 as the league looks to emphasize some of the cross-town rivalries established after the advent of interleague play.

Our full 2026 schedule! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/bXuPFDAk2C

— New York Mets (@Mets) August 26, 2025

Key takeaways from the Mets' 2026 regular season schedule

After opening the season on the road in 2025, the Mets will begin 2026 at Citi Field with Opening Day on Thursday, March 26th against the Pittsburgh Pirates. That series will be a very brief three-game homestand for them as the Mets immediately head on the road afterwards for a seven-game trip to St. Louis and San Francisco.

The Mets will face the Pirates at Citi Field to open the 2026 season on Thursday, March 26 pic.twitter.com/IjUAeL0K6i

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 26, 2025

The Mets will also be getting their frequent flier miles in early as four of their first five road trips in 2026 will involve flying to the West Coast. The team's longest trip of the season (in terms of mileage) is a 9-game Western swing from May 1st-10th with stops in Los Angeles (to face the Angels), Colorado and Arizona. There is another 9-game trip in August to Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Atlanta.

One gripe the Mets could have is that MLB separated the Dodgers and Giants into separate road trips, pairing the Giants with St. Louis and the Dodgers with a visit to Wrigley Field to take on the Cubs. Re-allocating the trips would have reduced the amount of times the Mets had to fly West for the season, but the league opted to go in a different direction.

The Citi Field edition of the Subway Series will take place from May 15th-17th. The return trip to Yankee Stadium comes from September 11th-13th, with MLB opting to have the two New York teams face off on the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks; the cross-town rivals had played each other in Queens back on the 20th anniversary in 2021.

The Mets' longest homestand of the season comes in late July as they welcome the Dodgers, Braves and Marlins to Citi Field from July 24th-August 2nd, a span of 10 games. There is also a nine-game homestand in April when the Twins, Rockies and Nationals come to town from April 21st-30th.

Another intriguing note is that the league backloaded the Mets' divisional games, with the Mets only seeing Washington twice in the first month and a half of the season. The Mets don't see Atlanta until June 12th or the Phillies until June 18th, which features an odd scheduling quirk where they begin a three-game series on a Thursday, have Friday off, and resume it on the weekend.

In terms of holidays, the Mets will be at home on Memorial Day when they host the Reds, but on the road for the 4th of July (when they will be in Atlanta) and Labor Day (when they will be in Miami). The Mets will end the year on the road for the third consecutive season as they have a trip to Texas and Washington to wrap up the campaign.

The road finish is not new for the Mets, who have been scheduled to finish the season away from Citi Field in five of the past six seasons. 2023 was the only year where the Mets were scheduled to wrap up the season at home, while 2022 saw a makeup series with Washington resulting from the offseason lockout give them a home finish there as well.