See inside Principal Park, home of the Iowa Cubs
See inside the batting cages, locker rooms and other spaces inside Principal Park, home of the Iowa Cubs baseball team.
Major League Baseball is returning to Iowa in 2026 with the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins playing a game at the “Field of Dreams” movie site.
The big-league game will have a minor-league opening act.
The Iowa Cubs and St. Paul Saints will play a Minor League Baseball game in Dyersville on Aug. 11, 2026. It’ll take place two days before the Phillies and Twins play.
“I’m really excited for our staff and our team and our fans,” said Iowa general manager Randy Wehofer. “I think this is a great showcase. We’re kind of the major league team of the state of Iowa and to be part of this event that Major League Baseball puts on will be a great showcase for the Iowa Cubs.”
The game was part of a big announcement with MLB on Nov. 19. MLB officially revealed that the Twins and Phillies would play a regular-season game in Dyersville on Aug. 13, 2026.
The Des Moines Register had previously reported MLB’s return and that the Phillies and Twins would be coming to Iowa. It’s the third MLB game to be played at the “Field of Dreams” movie site.
The MiLB game between Iowa, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, and St. Paul, the top minor-league affiliate of the Twins, is the second to be held in Dyersville.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels and Quad Cities River Bandits, both MiLB teams based in Iowa, played a game there on Aug. 9, 2022.
“Major League Baseball is delighted to return to Iowa in 2026 and to deliver an experience like no other to the Twins, the Phillies, their players, our two Minor League teams, and fans across the country,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
“Field of Dreams” starred Kevin Costner as an Iowa farmer who plowed over his corn to build a baseball field for members of the banished 1919 Chicago White Sox to play on.
The diamond and the house from the 1989 movie became a giant tourist attraction, with fans from across the country flocking to Dyersville.
MLB constructed a specially designed stadium near the film site, where the White Sox and New York Yankees played in 2021. The following year, the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds played a game at the same site.
Iowa will be the home team for the game in 2026.
“There’s just something magical about that whole place that a baseball fan can’t help but be attracted to,” Wehofer said. “So, I think it’ll all come together just great.”
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.