Cardinals, Cubs to play two-game series in London in June 2023

MLB confirmed back in May that big-league regular-season games would be returning to London in 2023 and would also be held there in 2024 and 2026 after previous plans were scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The date and teams involved in next year's matchups are now known. 

According to John Denton of the league's website, the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs will play a two-game series at London Stadium on June 24-25, 2023. The Cardinals and Cubs were originally scheduled to play overseas in 2020 but had those games canceled because of the pandemic. 

As noted by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), MLB will hold its first games in France in 2025 and also has plans for Mexico City contests from 2023 to 2026. An "Asian opener" is scheduled for 2024, and a Tokyo opener is planned for 2025.

MLB last held games in London in 2019 when the New York Yankees defeated the rival Boston Red Sox in back-to-back matchups. 

"The Cardinals are excited and honored to be a part of the London Series next year," Cardinals chairman and CEO William DeWitt Jr. said for the league's release on Thursday. "The Cardinals-Cubs rivalry is one of the best in sports, and it will be exciting to bring it to Europe for a new audience to experience. I have no doubt that the passionate sports fans in London will love these games, and we look forward to creating some new Cardinals fans overseas." 

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts added: "The MLB London Series between the Cubs and Cardinals has been in the works for years now, and we’re thrilled to finally be able to bring one of baseball’s biggest rivalries to fans abroad in 2023. We hope that this series not only excites and entertains, but brings more international sports fans to the game we all love."