The 2026 World Baseball Classic was an international professional baseball tournament between 20 national baseball teams, and the sixth iteration of the World Baseball Classic (WBC). It ran from March 5 to 17, 2026. The pool-play rounds were played in LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida; Daikin Park in Houston, Texas; Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. Two quarterfinals were played in Houston, while the remaining knockout stage games were played in Miami.
Japan was the defending champion, defeating the United States in the 2023 WBC championship game, but was eliminated by the eventual champion Venezuela in the quarterfinals. Japan's failure to reach the semifinals was its worst-ever finish in tournament history. The Dominican Republic and Italy, the tournament's last undefeated teams, were eliminated by the United States and Venezuela, respectively, in the semifinals, meaning that for the first time since 2017, no team finished the WBC with an undefeated record. The Dominican Republic and Venezuela, the top two teams from the Americas (alongside Olympic hosts United States), qualified for the 2028 Olympic baseball tournament, to be held in Los Angeles.
Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic for the first time, taking a 3–2 lead in the championship game with a run batted in double by Eugenio Suárez in the top of the ninth inning. Maikel García was named the most valuable player of the tournament.
Teams
Qualification
16 teams qualified for the 2026 WBC tournament by virtue of having placed in the top four of their respective pools in the 2023 World Baseball Classic tournament.
Four additional teams qualified through the 2026 WBC qualifying tournament. The qualifying tournament included 8 teams, downsized from the 12 teams that had competed in the 2023 WBC qualifiers. The first pool took place in Taipei, and included Chinese Taipei, Spain, Nicaragua, and South Africa; the second pool took place in Tucson, Arizona, and included Colombia, China, Brazil, and Germany. The Taipei pool ran from February 21–25, 2025, and the Tucson pool ran from March 2–6, 2025.
Colombia, Nicaragua, Brazil, and Chinese Taipei all qualified for the 2026 WBC. Brazil qualified for the first time since 2013. China failed to qualify for the first time in the World Baseball Classic, as it was eliminated after it lost all three of its games in the qualifiers.
+ Qualified teamsRegionTeamQualificationmethodPrevious best resultWBSC worldranking1AmericasQualifiers Pool B 2nd-place playoff winner1First round (2013)222023 World Baseball Classic Pool C 3rd place5First round (2006, 2009, 2013, 2017)/pool stage (2023)20Qualifiers Pool B winner2First round (2017)/pool stage (2023)132023 World Baseball Classic Pool A winner5Runners-up (2006)102023 World Baseball Classic Pool D 3rd place5Champions (2013)122023 World Baseball Classic Pool C winner5Semifinals (2023)6Qualifiers Pool A winner1Pool stage (2023)162023 World Baseball Classic Pool A 4th place3First round (2006, 2009)/pool stage (2023)82023 World Baseball Classic Pool D Runners-up5Runners-up (2013, 2017)72023 World Baseball Classic Pool C Runners-up5Champions (2017)32023 World Baseball Classic Pool D winner5Semifinals (2009)5AsiaQualifiers Pool A Second-place playoff winner5Second round (2013)22023 World Baseball Classic Pool B winner5Champions (2006, 2009, 2023)12023 World Baseball Classic Pool B 3rd place5Runners-up (2009)4Europe2023 World Baseball Classic Pool B 4th place1Pool stage (2023)152023 World Baseball Classic Pool C 4th place1Pool stage (2023)192023 World Baseball Classic Pool D 4th place2Second round (2017)212023 World Baseball Classic Pool A Runners-up5Second round (2013)/quarterfinals (2023)142023 World Baseball Classic Pool A 3rd place5Semifinals (2013, 2017)9Oceania2023 World Baseball Classic Pool B Runners-up5Quarterfinals (2023)11 1 Ranking as of December 31, 2025
Pools
The pools and schedule were announced on August 21, 2024. Each pool contained an unspecified winner of a qualifier. The pool assignments of the teams that advanced from the qualifiers (pot 5) were announced on April 9, 2025. The pool assignments prioritized the hosts (Japan, Puerto Rico, and the United States). The remaining pool assignments were made based on WBSC World Rankings, competitive balance, and commercial and geographic interest.
Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate positions in the WBSC World Rankings at the time of the announcement of the pools. Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Pot 5 (1) (H) (5) (H) (9) (H) (3) (4) (6) (7) (8) (10) (11) (12) (14) (15) (18) (19) (22) (2) (13) (16) (23)
Note: Numbers in parentheses indicate positions in the WBSC World Rankings at the time of the announcement of the pools. The decimal number represents the average ranking in the designated pool. PotPool A (12.4)Pool B (12.8)Pool C (7.2)Pool D (11.2) San Juan Houston Tokyo Miami Pot 1 (9) (H) (5) (H) (1) (H) (3) Pot 2 (8) (4) (6) (7) Pot 3 (10) (14) (12) (11) Pot 4 (22) (18) (15) (19) Pot 5 (13) (23) (2) (16)
Venues The main tournament was held in four stadiums.
Pool APool B & two quarterfinalsPool CPool D, two quarterfinals, semifinals and final San Juan, Puerto Rico Houston, Texas Tokyo, Japan Miami, FloridaHiram Bithorn StadiumDaikin ParkTokyo DomeLoanDepot ParkCapacity: 19,125Capacity: 41,168Capacity: 45,600Capacity: 36,742
Rosters
Pre-WBC friendly games To prepare for the tournament, teams played friendly preparation games between November 2025 and March 2026.
2025
2026
Pool stage In each of the four pools, the top two teams qualified for the knockout stage. The teams finishing third and fourth achieved automatic qualification to the next WBC, while the team finishing last would be required to enter the qualifying phase for the next WBC.
The games were played at the dates and locations shown below.
TiebreakersThe ranking of teams in the group stage is determined as follows:
Win percentage Head-to-head record Lowest quotient of runs allowed by defensive outs between tied teams Lowest quotient of earned runs allowed by defensive outs between tied teams Highest batting average between tied teams Drawing of lots
Pool A
Pool B
Pool C
Pool D
Knockout stage
The top two teams from each pool advanced to the single-elimination bracket. Houston hosted two quarterfinal games while Miami hosted the rest of the knockout stage.
Bracket
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Final
Final standings The final standings were calculated by the WBSC for inclusion in the WBSC Men's Baseball World Rankings system.
RkTeamWLTiebreaker61–52–Lost in semifinals51RA/Outs = 0.081451RA/Outs = 0.129Lost in quarterfinals541–632Canada defeated Puerto Rico 3–2732823–3rd place in pool922RA/Outs = 0.1141022RA/Outs = 0.1521122RA/Outs = 0.1671222RA/Outs = 0.2194th place in pool1322–1413RA/Outs = 0.2251513RA/Outs = 0.2451613RA/Outs = 0.2765th place in pool1713–1804RA/Outs = 0.2481904RA/Outs = 0.4062004RA/Outs = 0.511
Qualification for 2028 Summer Olympics
On February 9, 2026, the WBSC announced that the tournament would serve as the only Olympic qualifier for teams from the Americas. The top two teams would join the hosting United States at the 2028 Olympic baseball tournament. The three remaining qualification spots, for participants from other regions, would be determined at qualification events taking place between November 2027 and March 2028.
Team Qualified onPrevious appearances in Summer Olympics 3 (1984, 1992, 2020) 0 (debut)
All-tournament team
PositionPlayerC Austin Wells1B Luis Arráez2B Brice Turang3B Maikel García (MVP)SS Ezequiel TovarOF Roman Anthony Fernando Tatís Jr. Dante NoriDH Shohei OhtaniP Paul Skenes Logan Webb Aaron Nola Source:
Statistical leaders
Source:
Batting Statistic Name Total/Avg Batting average* Sōsuke Genda .500 Hits Maikel Garcia 10 Runs Ronald Acuña Jr. 10 Doubles Luis Arráez Brice Turang 4 Triples 6 tied with 1 Home runs 4 tied with 3 Runs batted in Moon Bo-gyeong Fernando Tatis Jr. 11 Strikeouts 5 tied with 8 Stolen bases Tsung-Che Cheng 4 On-base percentage* Sōsuke Genda .667 Slugging percentage* Shohei Ohtani 1.231 OPS* Shohei Ohtani 1.842 * Minimum 2.7 plate appearances per team game
Pitching Statistic Name Total/Avg Wins Enmanuel De Jesus Paul Skenes Logan Webb 2 Losses 47 tied with 1 Saves Daniel Palencia Greg Weissert 3 Innings pitched Aaron Nola 9 Hits allowed Eric Pardinho 10 Runs allowed Jan Novák 9 Earned runs allowed Jan Novák 9 Earned run average* 11 tied with 0.00 Walks Joseph Contreras João Gabriel Marostica 6 Strikeouts Cristopher Sánchez 12 WHIP* Danilo Bermúdez 0.38 * Minimum 0.8 innings pitched per team game
Notes
Broadcasting Sport24 secured the rights for international in-flight and cruise ship travel. +TerritoryRights holder(s)Ref.Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania ESPNAustria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and SwitzerlandSportdigitalBrazilESPN and Disney+CanadaSportsnet (English)TVA Sports (French)CaribbeanESPN and Disney+China, Douyin, MIGU, Tencent Video, Fujian TV, and YoukuColombiaCaracol HD2, DituCubaTele RebeldeCzechiaČeská TelevizeDominican RepublicVTV 32, Tele Antillas, and FrancebeIN SportsHungarySport1Ireland and United KingdomTNT SportsIsraelSports 5Italy and San MarinoSky Sport Italy and RAI 2/RAI SportJapanNetflixNippon Hoso, Bunka Hōsō, and Radiko (Audio Only)South KoreaTVING, tvN/tvN Sports, KBS, SBS, and MBCLatin AmericaESPN and Disney+Macau and Southeast AsiaSPOTVMENAbeIN SportsMexicoTelevisaUnivision and ESPNNetherlandsESPNNicaraguaViva NicaraguaPanamaRPC and TV MaxPuerto RicoWAPA DeportesSub-Saharan AfricaESPN and Disney+Taiwan, EBC, TTV, and VideolandTurkeyUnited StatesFox Sports (English)Fox Deportes (Spanish)VenezuelaTeleven, IVC, ByM Sport and Venevisión.Cuts of Broadcasts at 2026 WBC Final game:
Controversies and storylines Netflix deal in Japan In Japan, Netflix acquired the exclusive rights to the tournament for an estimated 15 billion yen. Previously, the World Baseball Classic had been split between free-to-air (FTA) television and the pay television channel J Sports, with Japan's games usually being the only ones broadcast by FTA channels. Netflix subcontracted production of the broadcasts to Nippon Television.
The Netflix agreement faced a mixed reaction among fans and critics, as it marked the first time that Japan's WBC games would not be available on FTA television. Bars raised concerns that they would not be able to stream the tournament at their establishments due to Netflix's terms of service prohibiting commercial use, with some venues electing to do so discreetly in order to evade detection and legal complaints. As another workaround, some karaoke parlors enabled the ability for patrons to sign into the Netflix app in their private booths, so that they could watch the tournament with their friends. Netflix announced that it would offer a one-month subscription for 500 yen (approximately US$) during March as a promotional offer for the tournament, and also organized public viewing parties in collaboration with venues such as Aeon and pub chain The HUB.
Some critics argued that negative reception to the deal was a form of Galápagos syndrome, noting that streaming was more prevalent among younger audiences than traditional television, the fact that non-Japan games would be available on a cheaper, over-the-top platform, and that Netflix was a well-known outlet internationally. Others believed that the lack of WBC coverage on television would reduce fatigue from the excessive media coverage of Shohei Ohtani by Japanese terrestrial networks.
According to the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, the number of Netflix mobile app downloads grew about five times higher than in March of the prior year.