Dodgers News: Cactus League Schedule includes exhibition with Team Mexico, prospects game

LOS ANGELES — MLB put out the full 2026 Spring Training schedule, and the part Dodger fans will like what’s on tap. An exhibition with Mexico’s WBC team highlights the early part of the schedule, and a prospects game against the White Sox will be the finale. For a curtain call, the two-time defending World Series champs will finish camp with the traditional three-game Freeway Series against the Angels, starting in Anaheim on Sunday, March 22, and then coming home to Dodger Stadium on March 23 and 24. That is the first real chance for local fans to see the team in person before the regular season begins.

Here is how the spring lines up.

Spring Training officially opens on Friday, February 20, 2026, in both Arizona and Florida. That first day has a limited set of games, but the very next day, Saturday, February 21, every club is scheduled. So by that weekend, baseball will be fully back. The Dodgers will have their own detailed schedule on the team site, as always, but today’s league announcement gives us the framework for when things start, when the exhibitions happen, and when clubs leave camp.

One of the more interesting pieces lands in early March. MLB is staging 28 exhibition games against World Baseball Classic national teams on March 3 and 4. Fourteen games each day, split between the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues. That all happens before the 2026 WBC opens in San Juan, Houston, and Miami on March 6. The Dodgers opponent? Team Mexico, of course, on March 4. So a lot of the fan base will no doubt have divided loyalties on that day. Luckily, it’s just an exhibition, so it can all be in good fun. That March 3–4 window is worth watching if you enjoy good hitters facing unfamiliar pitching or vice versa. Spring gets a little more fun when you mix the countries in.

Another event that is now clearly here to stay is Spring Breakout. It comes back March 19–22. That weekend is when every organization pulls together its top prospects and lets them play showcase games. MLB highlighted several matchups involving the Mets, Rays, Mariners, Brewers, Tigers, Pirates and A’s, mostly because of their prospect rankings. That is fine, but the key detail for us is that every club participates. So the Dodgers’ next wave will get a day to play in front of everyone in Arizona. The Dodger prospects will lock horns with those of the White Sox in Camelback Ranch, which makes sense because the two teams share a facility. That particular game is scheduled for March 21, the final day of the Cactus League schedule for the big league club.

Last year, 92 players reached the big leagues after playing in Spring Breakout. Almost the entire Futures Game had been through it too. That tells you this is not just a marketing idea. If you watch the Dodger kids that weekend, there is a good chance you are looking at players who will be in Los Angeles soon.

There are a few neutral site games sprinkled in during March. The A’s and Angels will play in Las Vegas on March 7–8. The Tigers and Rockies will meet at Salt River Fields on March 23–24. The Yankees will go over to play the Cubs in Mesa. All of that is part of MLB’s effort to get spring games into different ballparks. For Dodger fans, though, the part to circle on the calendar is March 22–24, when teams leave the complexes and play in major league parks to get ready for Opening Day.

For those of us who won’t be traveling to the desert next year, your first chance to see the back-to-back champs is when the Freeway Series hits:

Sunday, March 22: Dodgers at Angel Stadium
Monday, March 23: Angels at Dodger Stadium
Tuesday, March 24: Angels at Dodger Stadium

Two straight nights back at Chavez Ravine is a nice way to finish the spring. By then, Dave Roberts will be close to his final roster, the pitchers will be close to regular season workloads, and fans can get a look at any new pieces without having to make the drive to Camelback Ranch.

After those exhibitions, MLB jumps right into the regular season. The league said the Giants will host the Yankees on Opening Night, Wednesday, March 25, at Oracle Park. Then, on Thursday, March 26, there will be 14 games across the league, including some interleague matchups. The Dodgers’ exact Opening Day opponent will come from the club, but now we know the overall timeline. Camp begins February 20, games start in full on February 21, WBC exhibitions are March 3–4, prospects get their showcase March 19–22, the Dodgers play the Angels March 22–24, and then we turn the page to 2026.

And after the tear of back-to-back overseas openers, it will be nice to know that Dodger fans won’t have to wake up at 6:00 in the morning to see the first pitch of the year.

MLB has the full, game by game schedule on its site, and each club will post its own version. The Dodgers schedule is already up and tickets will go on sale sometime this month. The first game will be on February 23 against the Mariners (hopefully recovered from their crushing defeat in the ALCS by then), and then games will continue for the 30 days.

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