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2026 World Baseball Classic

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2026 World Baseball Classic
Tournament details
Countries Japan
 Puerto Rico
 United States
DatesMarch 5–17, 2026
Teams20
← 2023

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]

Japan are the defending champions after they defeated the United States in the 2023 championship game.[3] China failed to qualify for the first time in a major tournament after being eliminated in Pool B from the qualifiers, losing all three matches.

Teams

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Qualification

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Main article: 2026 World Baseball Classic qualification

16 teams qualified for the 2026 tournament by being in the top four of their pool in the 2023 tournament. Four 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] On November 12, 2024, WBCI officially announced the teams, format and schedule of the qualifiers, though with slightly different dates; the Taipei pool will run from February 21–25, and the Tucson pool from March 2-6.[10]

Qualified teams
Region Team Qualification
method 		Prev.
apps 		Previous best result WBSC World
Rankings1[11]
Americas  Brazil Qualifiers Pool B Second-place playoff Winner 1 Pool stage (2013) 23
 Canada 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool C 3rd Place 5 Pool stage (2006, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2023) 22
 Colombia Qualifiers Pool B Winner 2 Pool Stage (2017, 2023) 13
 Cuba 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool A Winner 5 Runners-up (2006) 10
 Dominican Republic 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool D 3rd Place 5 Champions (2013) 11
 Mexico 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool C Winner 5 Third place (2023) 4
 Nicaragua Qualifiers Pool A Winner 1 Pool stage (2023) 16
 Panama 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool A 4th Place 3 Pool stage (2006, 2009, 2023) 8
 Puerto Rico 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool D Runners-up 5 Runners-up (2013, 2017) 9
 United States 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool C Runners-up 5 Champions (2017) 5
 Venezuela 2023 World Baseball Classic Pool D Winner 5 Fourth place (2009) 3
Asia  Chinese Taipei Qualifiers Pool A Second-place playoff Winner 5 Quarterfinals (2013) 2
 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) 6
Europe  Czechia 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 Runners-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 Runners-up 5 Quarterfinals (2023) 12

1 Ranking as of December 31st, 2024

Venues

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The main tournament will be held in four stadiums.[12]

Pool A Pool B & Quarterfinals Pool C Pool D, Quarterfinals, Semis and Championship
Puerto Rico San Juan, Puerto Rico United States Houston, United States Japan Tokyo, Japan United States Miami, United States
Hiram Bithorn Stadium Daikin Park Tokyo Dome LoanDepot Park
Capacity: 18,264 Capacity: 41,168 Capacity: 45,600 Capacity: 36,742

Draw

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The pools and schedule were announced on August 21, 2024.[13] The teams that advanced from the qualifiers were added on April 9, 2025.[14]

Pool A (12.4) Pool B (12.8) Pool C (7.2) Pool D (11.2)
Puerto Rico San Juan United States Houston Japan Tokyo United States Miami
 Puerto Rico (9)  United States (5)  Japan (1)  Venezuela (3)
 Cuba (10)  Mexico (4)  Australia (12)  Dominican Republic (11)
 Canada (22)  Italy (14)  South Korea (6)  Netherlands (7)
 Panama (8)  Great Britain (18)  Czechia (15)  Israel (19)
 Colombia (13)  Brazil (23)  Chinese Taipei (2)  Nicaragua (16)

Pool stage

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Scheduled locations and dates are as follows:[14]

Pool A

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Pos Team Pld W L RF RA PCT GB Qualification
1  Puerto Rico (H) 0 0 0 0 0 — — Advance to knockout stage
2  Cuba 0 0 0 0 0 — —
3  Canada 0 0 0 0 0 — —
4  Panama 0 0 0 0 0 — —
5  Colombia 0 0 0 0 0 — —
First game(s) will be played: March 6, 2026. Source: MLB
(H) Hosts
Date Local time Road team Score Home team Inn. Venue Game duration Attendance Boxscore
Mar 6, 2026   Cuba  –  Panama   Hiram Bithorn Stadium      
Mar 6, 2026   Puerto Rico  –  Colombia   Hiram Bithorn Stadium      
Mar 7, 2026   Colombia  –  Canada   Hiram Bithorn Stadium      
Mar 7, 2026   Panama  –  Puerto Rico   Hiram Bithorn Stadium      
Mar 8, 2026   Colombia  –  Cuba   Hiram Bithorn Stadium      
Mar 8, 2026   Panama  –  Canada   Hiram Bithorn Stadium      
Mar 9, 2026   Colombia  –  Panama   Hiram Bithorn Stadium      
Mar 9, 2026   Cuba  –  Puerto Rico   Hiram Bithorn Stadium      
Mar 10, 2026   Canada  –  Puerto Rico   Hiram Bithorn Stadium      
Mar 11, 2026   Canada  –  Cuba   Hiram Bithorn Stadium      

Pool B

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Pos Team Pld W L RF RA PCT GB Qualification
1  United States (H) 0 0 0 0 0 — — Advance to knockout stage
2  Mexico 0 0 0 0 0 — —
3  Italy 0 0 0 0 0 — —
4  Great Britain 0 0 0 0 0 — —
5  Brazil 0 0 0 0 0 — —
First game(s) will be played: March 6, 2026. Source: MLB
(H) Hosts
Date Local time Road team Score Home team Inn. Venue Game duration Attendance Boxscore
Mar 6, 2026   Mexico  –  Great Britain   Daikin Park      
Mar 6, 2026   United States  –  Brazil   Daikin Park      
Mar 7, 2026   Brazil  –  Italy   Daikin Park      
Mar 7, 2026   Great Britain  –  United States   Daikin Park      
Mar 8, 2026   Great Britain  –  Italy   Daikin Park      
Mar 8, 2026   Brazil  –  Mexico   Daikin Park      
Mar 9, 2026   Brazil  –  Great Britain   Daikin Park      
Mar 9, 2026   Mexico  –  United States   Daikin Park      
Mar 10, 2026   Italy  –  United States   Daikin Park      
Mar 11, 2026   Italy  –  Mexico   Daikin Park      

Pool C

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Pos Team Pld W L RF RA PCT GB Qualification
1  Japan (H) 0 0 0 0 0 — — Advance to knockout stage
2  Australia 0 0 0 0 0 — —
3  South Korea 0 0 0 0 0 — —
4  Czechia 0 0 0 0 0 — —
5  Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 0 — —
First game(s) will be played: March 5, 2026. Source: MLB
(H) Hosts
Date Local time Road team Score Home team Inn. Venue Game duration Attendance Boxscore
Mar 5, 2026   Chinese Taipei  –  Australia   Tokyo Dome      
Mar 5, 2026   Czechia  –  South Korea   Tokyo Dome      
Mar 6, 2026   Australia  –  Czechia   Tokyo Dome      
Mar 6, 2026   Japan  –  Chinese Taipei   Tokyo Dome      
Mar 7, 2026   Chinese Taipei  –  Czechia   Tokyo Dome      
Mar 7, 2026   South Korea  –  Japan   Tokyo Dome      
Mar 8, 2026   Chinese Taipei  –  South Korea   Tokyo Dome      
Mar 8, 2026   Australia  –  Japan   Tokyo Dome      
Mar 9, 2026   South Korea  –  Australia   Tokyo Dome      
Mar 10, 2026   Czechia  –  Japan   Tokyo Dome      

Pool D

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Pos Team Pld W L RF RA PCT GB Qualification
1  Venezuela 0 0 0 0 0 — — Advance to knockout stage
2  Dominican Republic 0 0 0 0 0 — —
3  Netherlands 0 0 0 0 0 — —
4  Israel 0 0 0 0 0 — —
5  Nicaragua 0 0 0 0 0 — —
First game(s) will be played: March 6, 2026. Source: MLB
Date Local time Road team Score Home team Inn. Venue Game duration Attendance Boxscore
Mar 6, 2026   Netherlands  –  Venezuela   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 6, 2026   Nicaragua  –  Dominican Republic   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 7, 2026   Nicaragua  –  Netherlands   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 7, 2026   Israel  –  Venezuela   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 8, 2026   Netherlands  –  Dominican Republic   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 8, 2026   Nicaragua  –  Israel   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 9, 2026   Dominican Republic  –  Israel   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 9, 2026   Venezuela  –  Nicaragua   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 10, 2026   Israel  –  Netherlands   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 11, 2026   Dominican Republic  –  Venezuela   LoanDepot Park      

Knockout stage

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The top two teams from each pool will advance to the single elimination bracket. Houston will host two quarterfinal games, while the other two quarterfinals and the rest of the tournament will take place in Miami.[14]

Bracket

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QuarterfinalsSemifinalsChampionship
 
          
 
March 13 – Houston
 
 
Runner-up Pool A
 
March 15 – Miami
 
Winner Pool B
 
TBD
 
March 14 – Houston
 
TBD
 
Runner-up Pool B
 
March 17 – Miami
 
Winner Pool A
 
Winner SF1
 
March 13 – Miami
 
Winner SF2
 
Runner-up Pool C
 
March 16 – Miami
 
Winner Pool D
 
TBD
 
March 14 – Miami
 
TBD
 
Runner-up Pool D
 
 
Winner Pool C
 

Quarterfinals

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If the United States advances, they will play their quarterfinal game on March 13, while if Japan advances, they will play on March 14, both regardless of pool stage position.[14]

Date Local time Road team Score Home team Inn. Venue Game duration Attendance Boxscore
Mar 13, 2026   Runner-up Pool A – Winner Pool B   Daikin Park      
Mar 13, 2026   Runner-up Pool C – Winner Pool D   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 14, 2026   Runner-up Pool B – Winner Pool A   Daikin Park      
Mar 14, 2026   Runner-up Pool D – Winner Pool C   LoanDepot Park      

Semifinals

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Date Local time Road team Score Home team Inn. Venue Game duration Attendance Boxscore
Mar 15, 2026   Winner QF TBD – Winner QF TBD   LoanDepot Park      
Mar 16, 2026   Winner QF TBD – Winner QF TBD   LoanDepot Park      

Final

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Date Local time Road team Score Home team Inn. Venue Game duration Attendance Boxscore
Mar 17, 2026   Winner SF1 – Winner SF2   LoanDepot Park      

References

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  1. ^ "Classic will return in 2026, Commissioner confirms". MLB.com. March 21, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  2. ^ Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami announced as World Baseball Classic 2026 hosts
  3. ^ "Japan tops Team USA in dramatic finish to claim 3rd Classic title". MLB.com. March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  4. ^ Clair, Michael (March 10, 2023). "No surprise here: Ohtani dominates on hill, at plate". MLB.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  5. ^ "Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami announced as World Baseball Classic 2026 hosts". MLB.com. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  6. ^ "Cartagena busca ser subsede del Clásico Mundial de Béisbol en 2026" (in Spanish). Primer Tiempo. January 19, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Rahmenterminplan 2025 (Stand 26.10.2024) (PDF)" (PDF). Baseball-softball.de (in German). German Baseball Softball Federation.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "World Baseball Classic Qualifiers announced". MLB.com. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  11. ^ "WBSC Rankings - Men's baseball on 31/12/2024". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  12. ^ "Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami announced as World Baseball Classic 2026 host". MLB.com. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  13. ^ "Pools and game schedule announced for 2026 World Baseball Classic". Major League Baseball. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d "World Baseball Classic 2026 pools finalized". MLB.com. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
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