Chicago faced a brutal 2025 opener, but a much easier 2026 slate offers a chance for a strong start against weaker competition.
The Chicago Cubs had a gauntlet schedule to begin the 2025 season.
The Cubs opened the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Japan. Not only did that lead to an abbreviated Spring Training, but Chicago also lost both of those games to start the year.
That was just the start of a tough stretch of games for the North Siders in March/April. The Cubs played the Dodgers (seven times), Padres (six times), Diamondbacks (seven times), Rangers (three times), and Phillies (three times) in the first month of the season.
Chicago did hold its own during this stretch, winning 17 of its first 29 games. The team took four of seven games from the Dodgers, four of seven games from the Diamondbacks, and two of three games from the Rangers.
The good news for the Cubs this year is that their schedule to open the season is much lighter than in 2025. They won’t have to start the season overseas and will begin the 2026 campaign at home.
Although the Cubs’ schedule gets a bit tougher toward the end of April, Chicago will have an extremely easy schedule to start the year.
The North Siders will begin the season with games at home against the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels. Then, they will head on the road for a six-game road trip against the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays before hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates at home.
Those five teams are expected to finish toward the bottom of the league this season. The Nationals and Angels are expected to win under 71 games, and the Guardians, Rays, and Pirates all have projected win totals under 80.
As a result, the Cubs should get off to a strong start in 2026. A 12-3 or 11-4 record in the first 15 games is totally attainable, considering they have one of the easiest schedules to start the year.
Unfortunately, the schedule gets a lot harder after the home series against the Pirates.
The Cubs will play the Phillies, Mets, Phillies again, Dodgers, Padres, and Diamondbacks in the six ensuing series. All five of those teams are expected to win over 83 games this year, including the Dodgers with their 101.5 expected win total.
Hopefully by this point, though, the Cubs have already gotten off to a strong start.
The full March/April schedule:
March 26: Washington Nationals
March 28: Washington Nationals
March 29: Washington Nationals
March 30: Los Angeles Angels
March 31: Los Angeles Angels
April 1: Los Angeles Angels
April 3: Cleveland Guardians
April 4: Cleveland Guardians
April 5: Cleveland Guardians
April 6: Tampa Bay Rays
April 7: Tampa Bay Rays
April 8: Tampa Bay Rays
April 10: Pittsburgh Pirates
April 11: Pittsburgh Pirates
April 12: Pittsburgh Pirates
April 13: Philadelphia Phillies
April 14: Philadelphia Phillies
April 15: Philadelphia Phillies
April 17: New York Mets
April 18: New York Mets
April 19: New York Mets
April 20: Philadelphia Phillies
April 21: Philadelphia Phillies
April 22: Philadelphia Phillies
April 23: Philadelphia Phillies
April 24: Los Angeles Dodgers
April 25: Los Angeles Dodgers
April 26: Los Angeles Dodgers
April 27: San Diego Padres
April 28: San Diego Padres
April 29: San Diego Padres