The groups of the 2026 World Baseball Classic
The groups of the 2026 World Baseball Classic are already known and from this moment the guesses of the strongest groups begin.
The World Baseball Classic will be held in March 2026, and it was announced on Wednesday, August 21, how the participating countries will be distributed in the four first-round venues.
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The World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI), made up of the Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner’s office, the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) and the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC), revealed in May that loanDepot Park in Miami and Minute Maid Park in Houston (United States), Hiram Bithorn in San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Tokyo Dome in Tokyo (Japan) will be the venues for the next World Baseball Classic.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic groups
The groups of the 2026 World Baseball Classic are established according to the best ranked teams, and from there, a draw is made.
Thus, Group A will play at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium, from Friday, March 6 to Wednesday, March 11, with the host team Puerto Rico accompanied by Canada, Cuba, Panama and the winner of a qualifier.
Another of the groups of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, is Group B, at Minute Maid Park, also from March 6 to 11, will be made up of Great Britain, Italy, Mexico and the United States and a winner of a qualifying spot.
While Group C will play at the Tokyo Dome from Thursday, March 5 to Tuesday, March 10. In addition to Japan, the reigning tournament champion, the other members of the group are Australia, Czech Republic, South Korea and a qualifier to be determined.
Group D at Miami’s LoanDepot Park will play from Friday, March 6 to Wednesday, March 11, with the Netherlands, Dominican Republic, Israel, Venezuela and the winner of a qualifying spot.
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The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, which will again feature single-elimination matches.
The quarterfinals in Houston (Group A and B qualifiers) and Miami (Group C and D qualifiers) will be played on Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14.
If the U.S. team advances to the quarterfinal round in Houston, their match will be played on Friday, March 13, regardless of whether they are the winner or runner-up in Group B.
If Japan’s Samurai advances to the quarterfinal round in Miami, their match will be played on Saturday, March 14, regardless of whether they are the winner or runner-up in Group C.
The semifinals (March 15 and 16) and the grand final (March 17) will be played at the home of the Miami Marlins.
ESPN
