The group stage of the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup ends this week in Dallas, with Group C taking place at Village Dallas from August 29 to September 2. World No. 1 USA, No. 5 Canada, No. 8 Mexico, No. 9 Australia, No. 16 Philippines and No. 21 Ireland will play for two free tickets to next year’s finals, which will also be held in Dallas.
This is the third and final group of the 15th edition of the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup (formerly Junior Women’s Softball World Championship). Group A was played in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with No. 4 Chinese Taipei and No. 10 Czech Republic securing their tickets to the 2025 finals. Group B, which was heavily affected by rain, was played in Pingtan, China, with No. 2 Japan and No. 11 China advancing to the finals. No. 3 Puerto Rico secured the first wildcard to the finals as third-place finisher in Group B. The second wildcard will be awarded to No. 34 New Zealand, third-place finisher in Group A, or the third-place finisher in Dallas.
Three of the six participating teams in Group C have won a medal in the last 14 editions of this event. The USA, the most decorated nation in the history of this competition, holds 14 medals, Australia has five bronze medals and Canada has one.
Let’s take a historical look at the six participating teams in Group C.
Australia
- U18 WSWC appearances: 13
- Highest ranking: 3rd place (20132007, 2003, 1995 and 1991)
- 2021 Version: N/A
- World ranking: NO. 9
Australia competed in the first 13 editions of this event, missing out for the first time in 2021 in Lima, Peru, in a competition affected by the pandemic. Australia, one of the sport’s top teams, has never contested a final and has finished third five times. The Australians are aiming to get back on the podium after 11 years.
Australia qualified for this competition as runners-up in the Oceania Qualifying Tournament, which was played at the Tony Solaita Field in Tafuba, American Samoa. Australia finished with a 2-2 record, winning both of its matches against American Samoa and losing both of its matches against New Zealand.
Canada
- U18 WSWC appearances: 13
- Highest ranking: 3rd place (2019)
- 2021 Version: N/A
- World ranking: NO. 5
Like Australia, Canada has only missed one edition of this event: the 2021 World Championship in Lima, right after the pandemic. Although they finished in the top 10 in the first 12 editions of this event (including seven top-five finishes), they did not win a medal until 2019, when they defeated Australia 5-4 in the bronze medal match.
Canada qualified for this event as runner-up in the Americas Qualifier. They lost the final against Puerto Rico 1:2 in overtime.
Ireland
- U18 WSWC appearances: 2
- Highest ranking: 14th (2019)
- 2021 Version: N/A
- World ranking: No. 21
Ireland is competing in the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup for the third time, returning to the event after a five-year absence. The Irish team played two consecutive tournaments in 2017 and 2019, finishing 18th and 14th respectively. Their overall record in the event is 5-9.
Ireland qualified for this event as third place in the 2023 European Championships. In the bronze medal match, they surprisingly beat the Netherlands 7-6 in extra time, reaching the podium and securing their ticket to the World Championships.
Mexico
- U18 WSWC appearances: 8
- Highest ranking: 4th (2021)
- 2021 finish: 4th place
- World ranking: NO. 8
Mexico is competing in the competition for the sixth consecutive year, the longest winning streak in this age group. They return to the event after a fourth-place finish in Lima 2021, their best result ever. In that competition, the Mexicans lost the bronze medal game to Puerto Rico 4-0 at the Villa Maria del Triunfo softball stadium. This was their second top-five finish after finishing fifth in Oklahoma City in 2015.
The Mexicans earned their ticket to the World Cup after winning the bronze medal in the Americas qualifiers. They beat Brazil 3-0 in the bronze medal match to secure their second consecutive medal in the competition.
Philippines
- U18 WSWC appearances: 4
- Highest ranking: 9th (2003)
- 2021 Version: N/A
- World ranking: NO. 16
The Philippines returns to the competition after seven years. They last participated in 2017, finishing 10th. Before that, they performed in Nanjing in 2003, finishing 9th. This is their best result to date. Their previous two participations were in 1991 and 1995.
The Philippines finished fourth in the Asian qualifiers and lost the bronze medal match to China 6-1.
USA
- U18 WSWC appearances: 14
- Highest ranking: 1st place (1987, 1995, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
- 2021 finish: World Champion
- World ranking: NO. 1
The USA is the most decorated nation in the history of this event, having won a medal in all 14 previous World Cups, including the world title in the last four editions of this event and six of the last seven. Their winning streak began in Oklahoma City in 2015 (nine games) and continued in Clearwater in 2017 (nine), Irvine in 2019 (ten) and Lima in 2021 (eight), the last in a 1-0 drama over Chinese Taipei. The USA currently has a 36-game winning streak and is undefeated in the last four World Cups. The last time they lost was in the World Cup final in 2013, when Japan took the gold medal after a 4-0 victory over the United States after the game was called off after six innings due to rain.
The USA has qualified for this event as host team.
