The Chicago Cubs are almost heading to Spring Training to officially mark the start of the 2026 season. With the Cubs' truck getting loaded up on Friday to head to Arizona, the new season is quickly upon us. 

But when do pitchers and catchers report? When is the Cubs’ first Spring Training game? When is the World Baseball Classic? This page will give you all those answers to mark your calendars. 

Here are the key dates for the Cubs during the 2026 season. 

Although some pitchers have already reported to Arizona, the first day that pitchers and catchers report for the Cubs will be February 11. That means we are just two weeks away from every pitcher and catcher being in Mesa. 

With pitchers and catchers reporting on February 11, the first full-squad workout will take place five days later on February 16. This is when all position players are expected to show up to join the rest of the team in Arizona. 

The Cubs will play in their first Spring Training game on February 20 against the Chicago White Sox. Most starters won’t play in this first Spring Training game, but Cubs baseball will officially be back just days after the first full-squad workout. 

The Cubs are then scheduled to play a special exhibition game against Team Italy on March 3. With the World Baseball Classic beginning just a couple of days later, Team Italy will get a chance to play against a Major League team.  

The World Baseball Classic officially begins on March 5. Fans will be able to root on many different Cubs players in the 2026 WBC. Seiya Suzuki will play for Team Japan. Jameson Taillon will pitch for Team Canada. Daniel Palencia will pitch for Team Venezuela. Alex Bregman, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Matthew Boyd will play for Team USA. 

The World Baseball Classic will officially end on March 17. The championship game will be held at LoanDepot Park in Miami. 

After a long winter, the Cubs will officially kick off their season on March 26 against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field. Chicago then welcomes the Los Angeles Angels to town for a six-game homestand to start the year. 

Following that six-game homestand, the Cubs will have their first road trip beginning on April 3. They’ll play three games against the Cleveland Guardians (April 3 - April 5) and another three games against the Tampa Bay Rays (April 6 - April 8). 

The MLB Trade Deadline will fall a bit later than usual this year, with the final date to make trades being August 3. The Cubs will then play the Los Angeles Dodgers later that evening with a 7:05 PM CT start time. 

The final day of the regular season will be Sunday, September 27. The Cubs will close out the regular season with a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.