We’ve reported on the Twins, Phillies, I-Cubs and Saints scheduled to participate in MLB’s 2026 Field of Dreams event, and with the addition of Northwoods League festivities, every level of summer play will be represented in Iowa.
In September we wrote about the upcoming 2026 MLB schedule and reported on the four participants slated for the return of MLB and MiLB to the iconic Field of Dreams site:
Meanwhile, the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville, Iowa will once again host MLB (Minnesota Twins vs. Philadelphia Phillies) and MiLB (St. Paul Saints vs. Iowa Cubs) games in August. We don’t have a specific date yet for either game–the Phillies are set for a Target Field series on Aug. 14-16, and the Saints set for a Des Moines series Aug. 11-16–and the current schedules don’t denote the specifics of a cornfield event.
There will be some changes to the event, which debuted in 2021 to wide acclaim (we were there). First, the temporary ballpark hosting the 2021 and 2022 games was indeed torn down, but the resulting development of the Field of Dreams site yielded a smaller 3,000-4,000-seat venue, which is likely to be augmented by some temporary seating and structures. There are lots of specifics to be planned and announced, but if you get a chance to go, by all means do so–yes, mid-August in Iowa is usually damnably hot, and yes, corn does sweat, making for a rather humid experience–but it’s definitely a grassroots experience celebrating the best of the sport.
As officially announced by Major League Baseball two days ago, our reporting was accurate. The Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies are set to play on Aug. 13 in the 2026 Field of Dreams festivities, with the Twins the home team on the event set for a Netflix broadcast. (Yeah, Netflix is now part of the MLB broadcast lineup. More on that in a separate story.) That game will be preceded by the St. Paul Saints and Iowa Cubs game on Aug. 11, with the I-Cubs set as the home team.
The two MLB/MiLB 2026 Field of Dreams games will be proceeded by another noteworthy event at the Field of Dreams Movie site: the 2026 Northwoods League All-Star Game on July 8, preceded by the Northwoods League Home Run Challenge on Tuesday, July 7.
“We are thrilled to bring the 2026 Northwoods League All-Star Game to the Field of Dreams Movie Site, where baseball’s past and future will collide in the most spectacular fashion,” said Northwoods League President and Commissioner Ryan Voz in a press release. “This iconic Iowa cornfield that inspired millions through film is now becoming a permanent home for the national pastime, and hosting the brightest collegiate summer stars on this hallowed ground will create memories that last a lifetime—for the players, the fans, and everyone who believes that if you build it, they will come.”
As noted, we were at the original MLB Field of Dreams event in 2021. Though there’s been some changes in the management and scope of the Field of Dream Movie Site–it’s now seen purely as a baseball site, not the multi-sport training installation planned when big-name investors like Frank Thomas were involved–the 297-acre site is now owned and operated by Dyersville Events, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
The 2026 Field of Dreams games are planned at a new permanent ballpark being built at the location of the 2021 and 2022 MLB/MiLB games, as shown in the above rendering (courtesy Dyersville Events).
Why so much attention paid to Iowa cornfields? Field of Dreams is an iconic baseball move, designed to tug the heartstrings of anyone with fond memories of playing catch with their Dad. The central theme is the goodness of baseball as America’s Pastime, with the sport uniting generations and inspiring the likes of Ray Kinsella to create a ballfield in an Iowa cornfield, transforming it to a place where dreams can come true. If you build it, they will come. (That ballfield location still is maintained, but it’s not quite where this new ballpark is being built.) The 1919 Black Sox, Shoeless Joe Jackson and “Moonlight” Graham—who made a single one-inning MLB appearance, then led a life as a distinguished doctor and educator in northern Minnesota—show up on the field. With the distinguished likes of Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Amy Madigan and Burt Lancaster in the cast, Field of Dreams is both inspirational and entertaining.
Field of Dreams was filmed on a working east-central Iowa farm a half hour outside Dubuque, and after filming the field was maintained, open to anyone who wanted to play catch. The new ballpark and the focus on youth play is the latest iteration of planning to keep baseball alive at a very meaningful location. If you can make it to one of these games, bring a glove and play some catch at the very spot the movie was filmed.
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