The qualifying round of the 2026 World Baseball Classic will be held from February 21 to March 6, 2025. The top four teams in each pool of the 2023 World Baseball Classic automatically qualified for the 2026 tournament. The qualifiers will consist of two tournaments with four teams each, and will be held in Taipei, Taiwan, and Tucson, Arizona, United States. The winners and runners-up of each tournament will qualify for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.[1]
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Countries | Taiwan United States |
| Dates | February 21 – March 6, 2025[1] |
| Teams | 8 (from 4 confederations) |
Qualified teams
editNote: World ranking indicates positions in the latest WBSC World Rankings (September 18, 2024) at the time of the announcement of the qualifiers.[2]
| Team | World ranking | Method of qualification | Classic appearance | Previous best position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia
|
15th | 2023 World Baseball Classic pool stage top four | 6th | Quarterfinals (2023) |
 Canada
|
22nd | 6th | Pool stage | |
 Cuba
|
9th | 6th | Runners-up (2006) | |
 Czech Republic
|
14th | 2nd | Pool stage | |
 Dominican Republic
|
12th | 6th | Champions (2013) | |
 Great Britain
|
18th | 2nd | Pool stage | |
 Israel
|
19th | 3rd | Quarterfinals (2017) | |
 Italy
|
13th | 6th | Quarterfinals (2013, 2023) | |
 Japan
|
1st | 6th | Champions (2006, 2009, 2023) | |
 Mexico
|
2nd | 6th | Third place (2023) | |
 Netherlands
|
7th | 6th | Fourth place (2013, 2017) | |
 Panama
|
10th | 4th | Pool stage | |
 Puerto Rico
|
8th | 6th | Runners-up (2013, 2017) | |
 South Korea
|
6th | 6th | Runners-up (2009) | |
 United States
|
5th | 6th | Champions (2017) | |
 Venezuela
|
4th | 6th | Fourth place (2009) |
Venues
edit| Qualifier 1 | Qualifier 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 Taipei, Taiwan
|
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
| ||
| Taipei Dome | Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 40,000 | Capacity: 11,500 | ||
|
|
Pools composition
editNote: Numbers in parentheses indicate positions in the latest WBSC World Rankings (September 18, 2024) at the time of the announcement of the qualifiers.[2]
| Pool A | Pool B |
|---|---|
 Chinese Taipei (3) (hosts)
|
 Colombia (11)
|
 Nicaragua (16)
|
 Germany (17)
|
 Spain (23)
|
 China (20)
|
 South Africa (30)
|
 Brazil (24)
|
The format will consist of two rounds. The first round will be a round-robin, with the teams playing each other once. After the six games from each group, the first-placed team will qualify for the final tournament, while the second and third-placed teams will play in a seventh game for the last spot from each qualifier.[1]
Taipei
editThe pool will take place in Taipei, Taiwan, on February 21–25, 2025.
Opening round
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | RF | RA | PCT | GB | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese Taipei (H)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Final tournament |
| 2 | Nicaragua
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Game 7 |
| 3 | South Africa
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |
| 4 | Spain
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| Date | Local time | Road team | Score | Home team | Inn. | Venue | Game duration | Attendance | Boxscore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 21 | 12:00 | South Africa
|
– | Nicaragua
|
Taipei Dome | Boxscore | |||
| February 21 | 19:00 | Spain
|
– | Chinese Taipei
|
Taipei Dome | Boxscore | |||
| February 22 | 12:00 | Spain
|
– | Nicaragua
|
Taipei Dome | Boxscore | |||
| February 22 | 19:00 | Chinese Taipei
|
– | South Africa
|
Taipei Dome | Boxscore | |||
| February 23 | 12:00 | South Africa
|
– | Spain
|
Taipei Dome | Boxscore | |||
| February 23 | 19:00 | Nicaragua
|
– | Chinese Taipei
|
Taipei Dome | Boxscore |
Game 7
edit| Date | Local time | Road team | Score | Home team | Inn. | Venue | Game duration | Attendance | Boxscore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 25 | 19:00 | Opening round 3rd place | – | Opening round 2nd place | Taipei Dome |
Tucson
editThe pool will take place in Tucson, Arizona, United States, on March 2–6, 2025.
Opening round
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | RF | RA | PCT | GB | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colombia
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Final tournament |
| 2 | Brazil
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Game 7 |
| 3 | China
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |
| 4 | Germany
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| Date | Local time | Road team | Score | Home team | Inn. | Venue | Game duration | Attendance | Boxscore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2 | 11:00 | China
|
– | Germany
|
Veterans Memorial Stadium | Boxscore | |||
| March 2 | 18:00 | Brazil
|
– | Colombia
|
Veterans Memorial Stadium | Boxscore | |||
| March 3 | 11:00 | Brazil
|
– | Germany
|
Veterans Memorial Stadium | Boxscore | |||
| March 3 | 18:00 | Colombia
|
– | China
|
Veterans Memorial Stadium | Boxscore | |||
| March 4 | 11:00 | China
|
– | Brazil
|
Veterans Memorial Stadium | Boxscore | |||
| March 4 | 18:00 | Germany
|
– | Colombia
|
Veterans Memorial Stadium | Boxscore |
Game 7
edit| Date | Local time | Road team | Score | Home team | Inn. | Venue | Game duration | Attendance | Boxscore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 6 | 18:00 | Opening round 3rd place | – | Opening round 2nd place | Veterans Memorial Stadium |
References
edit- ^ a b c "World Baseball Classic Qualifiers announced". MLB.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ a b "WBSC/KONAMI World Rankings". WBSC.org. Retrieved 16 November 2024.