Wins needed to advance
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| Stage | Format | Higher seed needs |
Lower seed needs |
If wins are level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS First Stage | 3 games (no advantage) | 2 wins | 2 wins | Higher seed advances |
| CS Final Stage | 6 games (1-win advantage) | 3 wins | 4 wins | Higher seed advances |
| CS Final Stage (if the test applies) | 7 games (2-win advantage) | 3 wins | 5 wins | Higher seed advances |
Higher seed = the league's 2nd-place club in the First Stage and the league champion in the Final Stage. Every game is played at the higher seed's park.
When the advantage is 2 wins
From 2026, if the league champion finishes 10 or more games ahead of the First Stage winner, or the First Stage winner has a losing record, the Final Stage becomes a 7-game series and the champion's advantage is 2 wins.
Central League (Hanshin (No. 1))
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| Club | Games behind |
Win % | Final Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yomiuri (No. 2) | 2.5 | .543 | 6 games |
| DeNA (No. 3) | 7.5 | .507 | 6 games |
Pacific League (SoftBank (No. 1))
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| Club | Games behind |
Win % | Final Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seibu (No. 2) | 11.5 | .568 | 7 games |
| Nippon-Ham (No. 3) | 13.0 | .557 | 7 games |
How much do standings gaps and the advantage decide? What decides the Climax Series
Ties and postponed games
If games end in ties, or rainouts mean the scheduled games cannot all be played even with the reserve days, and neither club reaches the wins it needs, the club with more wins advances. In the Final Stage the league champion's advantage counts as wins.
If wins are level, the higher seed advances. A stage ends as soon as the higher seed is sure to finish with at least as many wins as the lower seed.
This season's odds for each matchup? Climax Series survival odds & schedule
Every matchup and result, and the third-place upsets? Climax Series results by year