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During the Kansas City Royals\u2019 2015 World Series run, two fans built a portable Royals shrine to keep the team\u2019s mojo alive \u2014<\/span> the kind of baseball ritual that makes you afraid to wash a lucky hoodie until November. It worked then, but the magic has mostly worn off since.<\/p>\n Kansas City has made it back to the postseason just once in the past decade. The club went 82-80 in 2025, finishing third in the AL Central. That record is the definition of \u201ccompetitive, but not safe.\u201d The Royals weren\u2019t a doormat, but they also weren\u2019t a lock, and that in-between area is where front offices start buying specific upgrades.<\/p>\n This offseason reads like a team trying to turn close losses into dull wins, bringing on a little more firepower alongside Bobby Witt Jr. The Royals added outfield help (including Starling Marte<\/a> and Lane Thomas<\/a>) and kept bolting bullpen pieces onto the late innings (most notably Matt Strahm).<\/p>\n The expectation in 2026 is that Kansas City should be in the \u201cannoying every contender\u201d tier again, with a path to the postseason if the offense doesn\u2019t disappear for weeks at a time. The Royals are building a roster that looks like it wants to win the middle innings and shorten games, which is often the cheapest way to steal five to eight wins.<\/p>\n A source of frustration, though: figuring out how to watch the team. It\u2019s never been more difficult to track national broadcasts, and local fans must buy into a new streaming service to top it off. We\u2019re here to break it all down before the season gets underway.<\/p>\n Also be sure to keep up with the Royals this season on The Athletic<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n You can watch MLB games live on Fubo (Stream Free Now!<\/a>) all season.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Even with a handful of national windows sprinkled in, the Royals\u2019 2026 home viewing story is mostly a local one. Following the team\u2019s departure from FanDuel Sports Network<\/a>, Major League Baseball is now producing and distributing games under a new umbrella: Royals.TV.<\/p>\n If you live inside the Royals\u2019 home TV territory, you can watch Royals.TV either through a cable or satellite provider, or you can subscribe directly to stream the games.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a free option, because baseball occasionally remembers it\u2019s supposed to be a public good: 10 regular-season games will be available over the air in 2026, including broadcasts on KCTV5 (CBS) and KSMO (MyNetwork) in Kansas City. Antenna-friendly, zero login, pure vibes.<\/p>\n What you need to watch:<\/strong> A provider with Royals.TV, or a direct-to-consumer subscription through MLB.TV (starting at $19.99\/month). Fans looking for both the in-market Royals.TV and the rest of the league\u2019s out-of-market games can bundle on MLB.TV for $199.99.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re a Heartland exile or the kind of person who still thinks a crisp \u201cRoyals win\u201d sounds best with barbecue smoke in the air, out-of-market loyalists need MLB.TV for the regional Royals broadcasts.<\/p>\n MLB season ticket holders get an automatic MLB.TV login code, and T-Mobile customers get it for free through their cell service. Returning MLB.TV subscribers keep their plans through the league.<\/p>\nRoyals games on Royals.TV<\/h2>\n
In-market fans<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Out-of-market fans<\/strong><\/h3>\n