2026 World Baseball Classic
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]
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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]
Region | Team | Qualification method |
Prev. apps |
Previous best result | WBSC World Rankings[6] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
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.[7]
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.[8]
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.
- ^ "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.