How many teams are in the postseason?

The 2024 MLB postseason is upon us, with less than 10 days until the end of the regular season. The byes and division races seem largely decided, but there is still a race for the seedings and a battle for the last wild card spot in the American League and National League.

The way the MLB playoffs work has changed throughout the sport's history, especially recently. For 65 years (1903-1968), there was just a World Series between the pennant winners of the American League and the National League, then a best-of-five and finally a best-of-seven championship series was added before the World Series.

In 1994, a wild card spot was introduced in each league, with a five-game divisional series before the league championship series. In 2012, a second wild card team was added to each league, along with a playoff game between the two wild card teams before the divisional round. The pandemic-affected 2020 playoffs temporarily featured eight teams from each league. The current format went into effect before the 2022 MLB postseason.

Here's everything you need to know about this year's MLB playoffs, including how the postseason format works, the number of teams that qualify, and which teams are still in the race for the postseason:

POST-SEASON PREVIEW:7 MLB superstars who can win their first World Series title in 2024

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

How many teams are in the 2024 MLB postseason?

A total of 12 teams – six from the American League and six from the National League – take part in the MLB playoffs.