2026 World Baseball Classic
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Countries | Japan Puerto Rico United States |
| Dates | March 5–17, 2026 |
| Teams | 20 |
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 3–2 in the 2023 championship game.[3]
Teams
[edit]Qualification
[edit]16 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
[edit]The 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
[edit]The 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.