MLB pulls Blue Jays' international showcase with Yankees off 2026 schedule

MLB announced on Tuesday that a planned two-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees next year in London, England, has been cancelled.

The games were set to take place on June 13 and 14 at London Stadium. However, with West Ham at home for their final match of the 2025-26 Premier League season on May 25, officials were worried it wasn't enough time to convert the field from football (soccer) to baseball.

On top of that, when MLB officials were looking to play later in the month, scheduling conflicts with Fox also arose, as they didn't have enough broadcasting slots due to their commitment to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

London Stadium has hosted MLB games on three separate occasions, starting in 2019, when the Yankees swept their two-game series against the Red Sox. After the 2020 games were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chicago Cubs and St.Louis Cardinals split their series in 2023. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets also split their series the year after.

The Blue Jays' trip to London wouldn't have been their first international trip in the regular-season

This would have been Toronto's second international game and the first in 24 years. The Blue Jays opened the 2001 MLB season in Puerto Rico against the Texas Rangers, where they won 8-1 in front of 19,871 fans at Estadio Hiram Bithorn.

Shannon Stewart, who went 3-for-5, and Tony Batista, who went 2-for-4, each hit home runs. Esteban Loaiza was the Opening Day Starter and shone on the mound. Loaiza threw seven strong innings, with nine strikeouts, one walk, and one earned run. Alex Rodriguez was at shortstop for the Rangers, going 2-for-4 at the plate, and Rafael Palmeiro brought in Texas' only run of the ball game.

Toronto has also hosted Spring Training games in Montreal at the Expos' old home, Olympic Stadium, or "The Big O." No moment during their time in Montreal was bigger than when the young Montreal-native Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to walk off the Cardinals in 2018.

MLB's initiative to play in London joins the likes of Mexico City, Seoul, and Tokyo for international play in an effort to grow the game outside of Canada and the United States.