MLB London Series still has future despite cancellation, insists City Hall
Major League Baseball still has a future in the capital despite next year’s scheduled MLB London Series being called off, insists City Hall.
The New York Yankees were due to play a pair of games against the Toronto Blue Jays next June in what would have been the first MLB match in London since 2024.
But scheduling issues relating to Fox Sports’s broadcast commitments for the 2026 Fifa World Cup and a planned West Ham match at the London Stadium on an alternative date skewered plans.
Representatives for both the Greater London Authority and the London Stadium told City PM that their relationships with MLB remain strong, with West Ham United’s landlords adding that they “look forward to discussing future years of baseball at London Stadium.”
A report released earlier this year said that the 2024 London Series drew in more than 108,000 fans – many of them from the US – boosted the capital’s economy by over £55m and generated nearly £10m outside of the M25.
MLB London Series impact
The 2026 London Series would have been the fourth edition, having previously featured sides such as the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and the Boston Red Sox. The 2020 series between the St Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
And the investment made into the London Stadium to improve the baseball field’s quality means a return of the series would be much welcomed.
A spokesperson from London Stadium said: “MLB could not make the contracted dates work for the 2026 London Series. Alternative dates were offered, taking into account the stadium schedule, but MLB could not fulfil them.”
The GLA added that “the MLB London Series has been a huge success for both London and the sport, attracting huge crowds and generating a significant economic impact”. They insisted, however, that the MLB recognises “the value of future games taking place in the capital”.
Major League Baseball representatives were approached for comment.