MLB playoffs lead off October sports calendar
The MLB postseason is the top event on the schedule for the month ahead. Here’s a look at 10 highlights on the October sports calendar, including two UFC events and the 2025 WNBA Finals.
MLB Postseason (October 1-31)
The four MLB Wild Card Series will take place in the first week of October, with the Tigers vs. Guardians, Padres vs. Cubs, Red Sox vs. Yankees, and Reds vs. Dodgers in best-of-three sets. The four Division Series will then get underway on October 4, with the Blue Jays, Mariners, Brewers, and Phillies hosting the Wild Card winners. The ALCS will get started on October 12, with the NLCS getting underway on October 13.
NFL Regular Season (October 2-30)
Week 5 of the NFL season kicks off with the Los Angeles Rams hosting the San Francisco 49ers in a Thursday Night Football matchup on October 2, while the week’s Sunday Night Football contest has the New England Patriots at the Buffalo Bills. Monday night then features the Kansas City Chiefs at the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns play in London early Sunday.
College Football Regular Season (October 2-31)
The Week 6 college football schedule features a pair of matchups between ranked teams on October 4, as Alabama plays host to Vanderbilt at 3:30pm ET and Florida State gets a visit from Miami at 7:30pm ET. As well, Minnesota is on the road to face top-ranked Ohio State, with Oklahoma playing at home against Kent State, and Georgia taking on visiting Kentucky. Ranked BYU hosts West Virginia in a Friday contest.
WNBA Finals (October 3-17)
The 2025 WNBA Finals get underway with Game 1 on October 3, as the Las Vegas Aces battle the Phoenix Mercury for the title. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is set for October 5, with Game 3 on October 8, and Game 4 on October 10. If necessary, Game 5 of the series is scheduled for October 12, with Game 6 set for October 15, and a winner-takes-all Game 7 rounding out the slate on October 17.
UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira (October 4)
Two championships will be on the line on October 4 at UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena, with champ Magomed Ankalaev taking on Alex Pereira for the Light Heavyweight title and champ Merab Dvalishvili facing Cory Sandhagen for the Bantamweight title. As well, Jiri Prochazka will fight Khalil Rountree Jr. in a Light Heavyweight matchup, and Josh Emmett will battle Youssef Zalal in a Featherweight matchup.
NASCAR Bank of America ROVAL 400 (October 5)
Four of the last five races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule take place in the month of October, starting with the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on October 5 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course which closes out the playoffs’ Round of 12. The other three events taking place in October are the South Point 400 on October 12, the YellaWood 500 on October 19, and the Xfinity 500 on October 26.
F1 Singapore Grand Prix (October 5)
There are three Formula 1 events on the schedule for October in a busy month for the circuit, starting with the Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit on October 5. The drivers of Formula 1 then head over the Atlantic Ocean for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas on October 19, followed by the Mexico City Grand Prix at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez on October 26.
NHL Regular Season (October 7-31)
The National Hockey League’s regular-season schedule gets underway on October 7 with a tripleheader of action, starting with the defending-champion Florida Panthers hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. As well, the Pittsburgh Penguins will play on the road against the division-rival New York Rangers, while the Los Angeles Kings will get a visit from the Colorado Avalanche in a late-night matchup to close the day.
NBA Regular Season (October 21-31)
There are just two games on the first day of the NBA’s regular-season schedule on October 21, with the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder getting a visit from the Houston Rockets in the early matchup, and the Golden State Warriors paying a visit to the Los Angeles Lakers in the late matchup. There are then a dozen games on the schedule for October 22, including the Knicks hosting the Cavs.
UFC 321: Aspinall vs. Gane (October 25)
The UFC Heavyweight Championship will be on the line on October 25 at UFC 321 as champion Tom Aspinall takes on challenger Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi. The October 25 card will also feature Virna Jandiroba facing Mackenzie Dern in a Women’s Strawweight title fight, while Umar Nurmagomedov takes on Mario Bautista in Bantamweight action, and Alexander Volkov battles Jailton Almeida in Heavyweight action.
With zero championships between his MLB, NHL, and NFL teams over the last 30 years, Dave keeps one foot in the past while shaking his fist at the present. Having provided content to all manner of sports websites over a 20-year career in the industry, Dave brings to Attiq an eye for all things editorial and a disdain for all things New York Yankees. Click here for Dave's posts.
