The 2026 World Baseball Classic is an upcoming international professional baseball tournament, planned to be the sixth iteration of the World Baseball Classic (WBC).[1] The pool play rounds will be played in Miami, Florida; Houston, Texas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Tokyo, Japan. The quarterfinals will be split between Miami and Houston, and the final round will be played in Miami.[2]
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Countries | Japan Puerto Rico United States |
| Dates | March 5–17, 2026 |
| Teams | 20 |
Japan are the defending champions after they defeated the United States 3–2 in the 2023 championship game.[3]
Teams
editQualification
edit16 teams qualified for the 2026 tournament by being in the top four of their pool in the 2023 tournament. 4 other participants will be determined through the qualifying tournament.[4][5]
In January 2024, it was reported that WBCI officials were evaluating two stadiums in Colombia, Estadio Édgar Rentería in Barranquilla and Estadio Once de Noviembre in Cartagena, as potential hosts for the 2026 qualifiers.[6] If selected, it would have been the first time that Colombia hosted a World Baseball Classic-affiliated competition, and their first major international tournament since the 1970 Amateur World Series.
On September 24, 2024, Francys Romero reported that the qualifiers for the 2026 tournament would include 8 teams, downsizing from the 12 that participated in the 2023 qualifiers. Per Romero, the first pool will take place in Taipei from February 19-26, 2025, to include Chinese Taipei, Spain, Nicaragua, and South Africa; the second pool will take place in Tucson, Arizona from February 28 to March 7, 2025, to include Colombia, China, Brazil, Germany.[7] The German Baseball and Softball Federation confirmed the dates of the Tucson pool on October 26.[8][9]
| Region | Team | Qualification method |
Prev. apps |
Previous best result | WBSC World Rankings[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Americas | Canada | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool C 3rd Place | 5 | Pool stage (2006, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2023) | 16 |
| Cuba | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool A Winner | 5 | Runners-up (2006) | 8 | |
| Dominican Republic | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool D 3rd Place | 5 | Champions (2013) | 9 | |
| Mexico | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool C Winner | 5 | Third place (2023) | 2 | |
| Panama | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool A 4th Place | 3 | Pool stage (2006, 2009, 2023) | 10 | |
| Puerto Rico | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool D Runner-Up | 5 | Runners-up (2013, 2017) | 12 | |
| United States | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool C Runner-Up | 5 | Champions (2017) | 3 | |
| Venezuela | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool D Winner | 5 | Fourth place (2009) | 6 | |
| Asia | Japan | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool B Winner | 5 | Champions (2006, 2009, 2023) | 1 |
| South Korea | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool B 3rd Place | 5 | Runners-up (2009) | 4 | |
| Europe | Czech Republic | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool B 4th Place | 1 | Pool stage (2023) | 15 |
| Great Britain | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool C 4th Place | 1 | Pool stage (2023) | 18 | |
| Israel | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool D 4th Place | 2 | Quarterfinals (2017) | 19 | |
| Italy | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool A Runner-Up | 5 | Quarterfinals (2013, 2023) | 14 | |
| Netherlands | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool A 3rd Place | 5 | Fourth place (2013, 2017) | 7 | |
| Oceania | Australia | 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool B Runner-Up | 5 | Quarterfinals (2023) | 11 |
Venues
editThe main tournament will be held in four stadiums.[11]
| Pool A | Pool B & Quarterfinals | Pool C | Pool D, Quarterfinals, Semis and Championship | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan, Puerto Rico | Houston, United States | Tokyo, Japan | Miami, United States | ||||
| Hiram Bithorn Stadium | Minute Maid Park | Tokyo Dome | LoanDepot Park | ||||
| Capacity: 18,264 | Capacity: 41,168 | Capacity: 45,600 | Capacity: 36,742 | ||||
Draw
editThe pools and schedule was announced on August 21, 2024.[12]
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan | Houston | Tokyo | Miami |
| Puerto Rico | United States | Japan | Venezuela |
| Cuba | Mexico | Australia | Dominican Republic |
| Canada | Italy | South Korea | Netherlands |
| Panama | Great Britain | Czech Republic | Israel |
| TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
References
edit- ^ "Classic will return in 2026, Commissioner confirms". MLB.com. March 21, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami announced as World Baseball Classic 2026 hosts
- ^ "Japan tops Team USA in dramatic finish to claim 3rd Classic title". MLB.com. March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ Clair, Michael (March 10, 2023). "No surprise here: Ohtani dominates on hill, at plate". MLB.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ "Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami announced as World Baseball Classic 2026 hosts". MLB.com. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ^ "Cartagena busca ser subsede del Clásico Mundial de Béisbol en 2026" (in Spanish). Primer Tiempo. January 19, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Francys Romero [@francysromeroFR] (September 24, 2024). "Pools for the WBC Qualifiers- 2025, per sources. It will be the first time with only 8 teams" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Rahmenterminplan 2025 (Stand 26.10.2024) (PDF)" (PDF). Baseball-softball.de (in German). German Baseball Softball Federation.
- ^ Jeff Duda [@INTLBaseball24] (November 2, 2024). "German baseball federation confirmed dates of WBC qualifier in Arizona as February 28-March 7. Official announcement should be very soon now. I'd guess early next week" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "WBSC Rankings - Men's baseball on 28/06/21". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ "Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami announced as World Baseball Classic 2026 host". MLB.com. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ "World Baseball Classic 2026 pools, dates announced". MLB.com. Retrieved August 23, 2024.