The biggest event in global baseball is fast approaching. And with the tournament just one month away, the rosters for the 20 teams competing for the title of the world’s greatest have been announced.
Read on below for everything else you need to know about the tournament, which is entering its sixth edition. We’ll also be updating this page as more information becomes available the closer we get to the tournament.
When does the World Baseball Classic begin?
The tournament will begin on March 5 at the Tokyo Dome (March 4 at 10 p.m. ET in the United States) with Chinese Taipei and Australia playing in the very first game. The other pools — located at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Daikin Park in Houston; and loanDepot park in Miami — will begin play on March 6.
How to watch?
World Baseball Classic games in the United States will be available to watch and stream on FOX Media, including FOX, FS1, FS2, the FOX Sports App, FOX One and Tubi. Japanese-language games in Japan will be available on Netflix. More information on where to watch around the world will be shared soon.
What is the format of the tournament?
Each pool — Tokyo, San Juan, Houston and Miami — features five teams playing in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals. The teams that advance from Tokyo will go to Miami, and the teams from San Juan will play in Houston.
The winners of the quarterfinal games will then meet in Miami for the semifinals and championship round. The championship will be held on March 17.
The top four teams from each pool in 2023 automatically secured their place in the 2026 tournaments. The teams that finished in last place had to play in Qualifiers held this past March. Chinese Taipei and Nicaragua clinched their spots from the Taipei Qualifier. Colombia and Brazil advanced from the Tucson Qualifier.
A number of stars have already committed to the World Baseball Classic and should play barring any unforeseen injuries. 2023 World Baseball Classic MVP Shohei Ohtani is back, Salvador Perez will guide Venezuela, the Dominican Republic roster is stacked with Major League stars and the United States are trying to bounce back from its 2023 second-place finish with a veritable who’s who of big league superstars.
