The 2026 World Baseball Classic is slowly taking shape.
The international baseball tournament will take place again in two years and the participating countries and the host stadiums have now been officially confirmed.
There are still four qualifying spots to be filled, but 16 other nations around the world have been confirmed to participate.
Here are all the details we know about the 2026 World Baseball Classic:
What are the pools for the 2026 World Baseball Classic?
There are four groups for the tournament. The group allocation for each country will be announced on Wednesday. This is how the allocation looks:
Pool A
- Puerto Rico
- Cuba
- Canada
- Panama
- TBD qualification
Pool B
- United States
- Mexico
- Italy
- Great Britain
- TBD qualification
Pool C
- Japan
- Australia
- Korea
- Czech Republic
- TBD qualification
Swimming pool D
- Venezuela
- Dominican Republic
- Netherlands
- Israel
- TBD qualification
When will the 2026 World Baseball Classic take place?
The tournament will be held from March 6 to 17, 2026. MLB players will be excused from spring training to participate in the event.
Where will the 2026 World Baseball Classic take place?
As with the first edition of the WBC in 2006, the 2026 games will be held all over the world. During the tournament, the games will be played in four stadiums:
- Group A: Hiram Bithorn Stadium – San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Pool B: Minute Maid Park – Houston, Texas
- Pool C: Tokyo Dome – Tokyo, Japan
- Pool D: loanDepot Park – Miami, Florida
- Quarterfinals: Houston and Miami
- Semifinal: Miami
- Championship: Miami
Who won the last World Baseball Classic?
Japan defeated the United States 3-2 in the final of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Shohei Ohtani was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player as Japan won its third WBC title (2006, 2009). The Dominican Republic (2013) and the United States (2017) are the only other nations to have won the WBC.
