Is College World Series double-elimination? CWS format, schedule explained

The College World Series is officially underway.

The eight-team field got underway at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on Friday, June 13 with No. 16 West Virginia taking on Troy and No. 5 North Carolina facing off vs. Ole Miss, respectively. Each of those teams will look to win their first game and avoid the dreaded "loser's bracket," as will No. 3 Georgia, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Alabama and Oklahoma on the other side of the bracket.

The field for the 79th rendition of the CWS is as diverse and fresh as it has been in years, with two first-timers and a few teams breaking lengthy CWS appearance droughts a part of it.

The SEC has five teams competing in Omaha, a CWS record for the most teams sent by one conference in one year. Though most of the SEC's teams are on the same side of the bracket, it will look to one of those teams to extend the conference's national championship streak to seven straight seasons (unless Ole Miss advances on the other side, guaranteeing another title).

Action continues in Omaha through Sunday, June 21 or Monday, June 22, depending on how the best-of-three championship series plays out. Here's what you need to know about the College World Series, and how a national champion is eventually crowned in Omaha:

How many teams are in College World Series?

The College World Series includes the final eight remaining teams in the 64-team NCAA Baseball Tournament bracket. The eight teams that have advanced to Omaha for the CWS have won their respective regional and super regional series.

Is the College World Series double elimination?

Yes, the College World Series begins with a double-elimination format before shifting to a best-of-three series for the championship. Just like the regional round, the CWS begins with two four-team brackets, with competition structured under a double-elimination format.

How does College World Series work? Explaining CWS format

Each team begins CWS play with a 0-0 record and a guaranteed two games in Omaha. The two teams from each bracket that win their opening round game move to 1-0 and move further in the "winner's bracket."

Similarly, losing teams fall to 0-1 and drop into the "loser's bracket," where they will play the other loser on their side of the bracket. These teams face elimination with another loss throughout the remainder of the double-elimination portion of the CWS. The team that drops its "loser's bracket" game falls to 0-2 and pack its bags for home.

The winner of the "loser's bracket" game lives to play another day, and will play the losing team of the "winner's bracket" game (with both teams being 1-1). The loser of that game falls to 1-2 and is eliminated, while the winner moves to 2-1 and advances to the College World Series semifinals.

In the CWS semifinals, the undefeated, 2-0 team will have two chances to win one game and advance, either with an undefeated 3-0 record or 3-1 record. The team emerging from the "loser's bracket" must win twice at this stage, beating their opponent twice to advance with a 3-1 record to the best-of-three championship series.

There is one notable difference between the CWS and its softball equivalent, the Women's College World Series. In the latter, teams swap brackets if they win their first game and drop their second. The CWS keeps the same brackets intact throughout the double-elimination portion of play.

How does the College World Series championship work?

Similar to the super-regional round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament, the College World Series championship is a best-of-three series, meaning that to win the CWS, a team must win two games. This can be done in a minimum of two games, or potentially extend to three if the teams split the first two contests.

A team could win the College World Series in as few as five games or as many as eight, depending on whether they advanced from the winner's bracket or loser's bracket; whether they needed multiple games to advance past the CWS semifinals; and whether the best-of-three championship series needed two or three games.

The higher-seeded team in the championship series will be designated as the home team.

CWS bracket 2026

Here's a full breakdown of the two CWS brackets. Parentheses represent team's seeding.

Bracket 1

• (16) West Virginia vs. Troy
• (5) North Carolina vs. Ole Mis

Bracket 2

• (7) Alabama vs. Oklahoma
• (3) Georgia vs. (6) Texas

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