The MLB Wild Card works as part of the postseason tournament with 12 teams qualifying for the playoffs — six teams from each league (American League and National League). Among these six teams per league, three are division winners and three are wild card teams, who have the best records but did not win their division. In the Wild Card round:
- It features a best-of-three series.
- The No. 3 seed (the lowest-seeded division winner) hosts the No. 6 seed (the wild card team with the worst record).
- The No. 4 seed (the best wild card team) hosts the No. 5 seed (the second-best wild card team).
- The first and second seeds (the top two division winners) receive a bye to the Division Series, so they do not play in the Wild Card round.
- The higher seed hosts all the games in each Wild Card series.
- Winners of the Wild Card series advance to the Division Series.
- There is no reseeding after the Wild Card round.
- The No. 1 seed faces the winner of the 4 vs. 5 wild card series, and the No. 2 seed faces the winner of the 3 vs. 6 series.
This format has been in place since 2022 and expanded the playoffs from 10 to 12 teams, adding a third wild card team in each league. The Wild Card series replaced prior single-elimination Wild Card games with a best-of-three series, bringing more extended competition to the first playoff round.
