The umpires who preside over the World Series are receiving a special honor: It’s the top stage that they can reach in their profession.
They are chosen from among all their peers to call balls and strikes, make rulings on the bases and keep the game in order — for the 2026 Fall Classic, as part of a battle between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.
It promises to be an awesome series, as these teams each posted the top record in their respective league during the regular season.
The umpires will be hoping to rise to the occasion but not make themselves the story. They all just want to do a good job and help the game be played at its best.
That begins Friday night with Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.
And as the series goes on, it’s worth understanding just how it works for these men who are stationed around the field keeping things in order.
What Do World Series Umpires Earn?
World Series umpires make $20,000 for working the Fall Classic, according to Front Office Sports.
They will have previously brought in a bonus of $17,500 for having worked the playoffs.
Expenses aren’t included in those totals, so it’s that bonus figure plus expenses.
Umpire Salary
An MLB umpire’s starting salary is $150,000, according to Front Office Sports.
The most veteran umpires can earn $450,000 in a season, prior to any sort of postseason bonuses.
There are 19 full-time crews of umpires in MLB, giving the league 76 umpires on its full-time pay scale. They’ll also call up umpires from the minor leagues as needed during the season.
It’s a long journey to the top, though. Umpires have to grind in the minor leagues for years for much less money than they make in the majors.
MLB Umpire Per Diem
According to the official MLB Umpires thread on Reddit, MLB umpires get $600 per diem to cover meals and hotels.
They also surely rack up plenty of hotel points along the way.
Who Are The 2026 World Series Umpires?
There have been seven umpires selected for the 2026 World Series: James Hoye, Dan Bellino, Vic Carapazza, Tripp Gibson, Jim Wolf, Nic Lentz and Gabe Morales.
Hoye and Wolf are both working their third World Series. Hoye will be the crew chief.
Bellino, Carapazza and Gibson are in their second Fall Classic.
And both Lentz and Morales get the special honor of working in their first World Series.
Together, this seven-man crew will feature six on the field for each game, with one reserve/alternate in case a replacement is needed in the middle of a game.
What Do World Series Umpires Earn? Salary, Per‑Diem & Bonus Explainer