SOUTH BEND, IN - The South Bend Cubs made momentous strides both on the diamond, as well as in the stands at Four Winds Field during the 2026 season. Finishing with the best record in the Midwest League at 77-51, South Bend became a first-half division champion for the first time since 2016. The Cubs players had plenty of support along the way on their path to the playoffs, as the organization finished the year with a total attendance of 314,301.
Since South Bend became a Chicago Cubs affiliate in 2015, the organization has surpassed 300,000 fans nine times. This season’s total attendance number also surpassed 2025, even with 2026 featuring one additional rainout compared to last year. Since 2015, the South Bend Cubs have drawn millions upon millions of guests to Four Winds Field. The total number sits at 3,474,766.
September 10’s West Division Championship Series home playoff game was the largest attended postseason game in South Bend Cubs history, as 6,039 fans were on hand that night.
2026 began with the ‘new’ Four Winds Field being debuted in April, as fans got to take a close look at what the 48-million-dollar stadium renovation did to makeover an already amazing place to watch a baseball game. The brand-new second-deck, along with the South Bend Event Building in the left field corner, featuring the 11/11 Club Presented by Bacardi, and the Michelob ULTRA Loft, plus many other state-of-the-art stadium amenities, got to be shown off at its largest extent on July 23. As the Cubs hosted the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the single largest crowd to ever watch a South Bend professional baseball game of 10,071 packed Four Winds Field for a history making evening.
“When the Chicago Cubs arrived at Four Winds Field to partner with us as an affiliate, we knew it was going to change the complexion of baseball history in South Bend forever,” South Bend Cubs President Joe Hart said. “But to draw nearly three-and-a-half million fans to our ballpark since 2015 is an incredible accomplishment. Pairing that with our largest attended single game crowd ever on July 23, and what the team did on the field this year to make the playoffs, it was a fantastic season. We can’t wait to see what 2027 has in store.”
The South Bend Cubs will open next season on the road at Quad Cities on Friday, April 2, 2027. The home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 6, as the Cubs will host the Peoria Chiefs.
About the South Bend Cubs
The South Bend Cubs are the High-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Over the past 39 years, the team has won five Midwest League titles, most recently in 2022, and captured nine division titles. In 2023, the organization was selected as the Single-A Bob Freitas Award recipient by Baseball America. Four Winds Field, home of the South Bend Cubs, was voted Best High-A Ballpark in the country by Ballpark Digest in 2022 and 2023, having also won the award as a Low-A ballpark in 2017. In 2019, the South Bend Cubs hosted the final Midwest League All-Star Game. In 2015, the team was named Ballpark Digest’s Team of the Year and received the John H. Johnson President's Award, the highest honor in minor league baseball. The team is owned and operated by Swing-Batter-Swing, LLC, whose principal shareholder is Andrew T. Berlin of Chicago, Illinois.