2026 WBC World Baseball Classic Overview

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is the sixth edition of the tournament, featuring 20 teams from around the world.

Key Dates

Stage	Dates
Pool Play	March 5 - March 11, 2026
Quarterfinals	March 13 - March 14, 2026
Semifinals	March 15 - March 16, 2026
Championship	March 17, 2026

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Pool Assignments

Pool A: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Item	Details
Venue	Hiram Bithorn Stadium
Dates	March 6 - March 11
Teams	Puerto Rico, Canada, Cuba, Panama, Colombia

Pool B: Houston, USA (Team USA)

Item	Details
Venue	Minute Maid Park
Dates	March 6 - March 11
Teams	USA, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, Brazil

Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, will host the WBC for the first time

Pool C: Tokyo, Japan

Item	Details
Venue	Tokyo Dome
Dates	March 5 - March 10
Teams	Japan, South Korea, Australia, Czech Republic, Chinese Taipei

Pool C is considered the "Group of Death" this tournament, with defending champion Japan facing strong opponents including Chinese Taipei and South Korea

Pool D: Miami, USA

Item	Details
Venue	loanDepot Park
Dates	March 6 - March 11
Teams	Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Netherlands, Israel, Nicaragua

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Team USA Schedule (Pool B)

Team USA will play their pool games at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Detailed Schedule (Eastern Time)

Date	Time	Opponent	Notes
March 6 (Thu)	TBD	vs Great Britain	Opening Game
March 7 (Fri)	TBD	vs Mexico	Rivalry Game
March 8 (Sat)	TBD	vs Italy	-
March 9 (Sun)	TBD	vs Brazil	-

Key Matchup: USA vs Mexico

The USA vs Mexico matchup is one of the most anticipated games in Pool B. With the growing rivalry between these two baseball nations, this game promises to be a highlight of pool play.

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Tournament Format

Pool Play

• Each pool consists of 5 teams playing round-robin
• Top 2 teams from each pool advance to quarterfinals
• Total of 8 teams advance to knockout stage

Quarterfinals

Dates	Venue	Matchups
March 13-14	Houston Minute Maid Park	Pool A vs Pool B qualifiers
March 13-14	Miami loanDepot Park	Pool C vs Pool D qualifiers

If Team USA advances to quarterfinals, they will play in Houston

Semifinals

Dates	Venue
March 15-16	Miami loanDepot Park

Championship

Date	Venue
March 17	Miami loanDepot Park

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Venue Information

Minute Maid Park (Pool B + Quarterfinals)

• Location: Houston, Texas, USA
• Home Team: Houston Astros
• Feature: First time hosting WBC

loanDepot Park (Pool D + Semifinals + Championship)

• Location: Miami, Florida, USA
• Home Team: Miami Marlins

Tokyo Dome (Pool C)

• Location: Tokyo, Japan
• Capacity: Approximately 46,000
• Feature: Has hosted pool play in all five previous WBC editions

Hiram Bithorn Stadium (Pool A)

• Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Team USA Path to Championship

Pool B (Houston)
    ↓ Top 2 advance
Quarterfinals (Houston)
    ↓ Win to advance
Semifinals (Miami)
    ↓ Win to advance
Championship (Miami)

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Broadcast Information

The 2026 WBC will be broadcast in the United States on Fox Sports and FS1.

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References

• WBSC Official Announcement
• Wikipedia - 2026 World Baseball Classic