The West Chester, Pa., team opens Little League World Series play Friday night vs. Bayonne, N.J., which won its opener with a dramatic sixth-inning home run Wednesday night to walk it off vs. Bridgewater, Mass., 2-1.
East Side, the squad from West Chester representing Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic Region, will meet Bayonne at 7 p.m. ET Friday night, Aug. 21, at Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Mason Rincon’s home run to left-center in the sixth inning Wednesday night sealed the New Jersey team’s 2-1 victory.
Bridgewater, Mass., (New England representative.) will move to Saturday’s elimination bracket.
The Metro Region champ NJ team vs Mid Atlantic (PA) Little League game will air nationally Friday on ESPN. Fans can also stream the game through services that carry ESPN, including:
ESPN app (with a participating TV provider login)
Hulu + Live TV
YouTube TV
DirecTV Stream
How many teams are in the Little League World SeriesEast Side Little League is among 20 teams in the Little League World Series 2026, with 10 U.S. teams and 10 international teams in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with play beginning Aug. 19.
With the 2026 Little League World Series bracket finalized, here's a look at the teams that qualified for Williamsport, the tournament schedule, first-round matchups, how to watch and what comes next as the LLWS gets underway.
How did PA champ East Side get to Little League World SeriesEast Side Little League, of West Chester, Pa., is making its first Little League World Series appearance, but has the pitching and plate prowess to make a deep run in the tournament. East Side stormed through the Mid-Atlantic Region with three consecutive wins, outscoring their opponents 21-2. Pitchers Cole Warner and Ryan Donnelly combined for a 3-1 tournament championship victory against Naamans Little League of Wilmington, Del. With Warner also flashing power at the plate, East Side's offense has shown it has plenty of pop to support its strong starting rotation. West Chester is a roughly three-hour drive from Williamsport, so expect this team to have a raucous following as they move through play.
The West Chester team hopes to be the first Pennsylvania Little League World Series team to win it all since Levittown accomplished the feat in 1960. Lake Mary, Florida, the 2024 champ, is the most recent U.S. team to win it all.
Council Rock Newtown is the most recent Bucks County team to qualify for the World Series. The team made it to the third round in 2024.
Little League World Series 2026 teams: Who qualified for LLWS?The 2026 Little League World Series features 20 teams, including 10 from the United States and 10 international champions.
Bayonne Little League of New Jersey, East Side Little League of West Chester, Pennsylvania, and Bridgewater Little League of Massachusetts are among the East Coast teams. Other U.S. LLWS 2026 teams include West Side Little League of Ohio, Soundview Little League of Washington and Sweetwater Valley Little League of California.
International qualifiers for the tournament include teams from South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Australia, the Dominican Republic, Canada and other regions around the world.
Is there a Little League World Series game today? When does LLWS 2026 start?Yes. The 2026 Little League World Series began Wednesday, Aug. 19, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The tournament runs through Aug. 30 and features a double-elimination format before the United States and International championship games and Little League World Series championship.
Little League World Series 2026 bracketThe 2026 Little League World Series bracket is split into U.S. and International sides.
Bayonne enters the tournament as the Metro Region champion, while East Side represents the Mid-Atlantic Region. Teams must navigate the double-elimination bracket in pursuit of the Little League Baseball World Series U.S. championship game and, ultimately, the Little League World Series title game. You can view the printable Little League World Series bracket below or head to the official Little League website.
Little League World Series location: Where is the Little League World Series played?The Little League World Series is played each year in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Games take place at Lamade Stadium and Volunteer Stadium on the Little League International Complex, which has hosted the tournament for decades and welcomes teams from around the world each summer.
How to watch the Little League World Series 2026Little League World Series games air across ESPN platforms throughout the tournament.
Games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Fans can also stream games through ESPN+ and the ESPN app by signing in with a participating TV provider. ESPN notes that customers with providers including Xfinity, DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Spectrum TV, Verizon Fios and YouTube TV may have access through their existing subscriptions.
Watch the 2026 Little League World Series on Fubo
Which New Jersey and Pennsylvania teams qualified?Bayonne Little League qualified for Williamsport by winning the Metro Region championship, defeating Darien, Connecticut, 8-6.
East Side Little League of West Chester, Pennsylvania, earned its berth by winning the Mid-Atlantic Region championship with a 3-1 victory over Naamans Little League of Delaware.
Bayonne represents the Metro Region, while East Side represents the Mid-Atlantic Region in this year's tournament.
When does East Side PA Little League play in the Little League Baseball World Series 2026?East Side of West Chester opens its Little League World Series schedule on Friday, Aug. 21, against Bayonne, N.J. (Metro champ), which beat Bridgewater, Mass., the New England Region champion, Wednesday.
Friday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport as West Chester begins its quest for a Little League World Series championship.
When did Morrisville, Levittown win the Little League World SeriesInternational teams have won the majority of the Little League World Series titles in recent years, but two Bucks County teams hold the honor of keeping the crown in the United States. The 1955 Morrisville 12 year olds took the title and five years later in 1960, Levittown duplicated the feat.
Sherlon Christie and Tom Haines of USA Today contributed to this story.
Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based reporter covering trending news with USA TODAY Network's Mid-Atlantic Connect Team. She covers news in the Northeast, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Reach her at LComstock@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: See who PA Little League plays in its Williamsport World Series opener
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